THE Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has received a rapturous reception at the start of a 10-day tour of northern Spain.

Even Simply Red star Mick Hucknall – sitting in the second row in casual suit and dark glasses – turned out to see the orchestra perform its opening concert at San Sebastian.

He was part of a packed audience who saw the Phil play works by Elgar, Shostakovich and 78-year-old Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, who also attended the event, on the opening night of two dates in the Spanish coastal resort.

And last night a sell-out crowd at the 1,800-seat Kursaal auditorium saw the orchestra perform Chopin and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) was specially invited to take part in the Quincena Music Festival, the oldest in Spain.

Festival director Patrick Alfaya McShane said: “The festival was founded in 1939 to try and bring tourism back to the city after the civil war. This city was for a long time a place where the royal family came and artists such as Stravinsky and Diaghilev were attracted here.

“The festival attracts people from all over Spain and abroad. We have a history of inviting foreign orchestras to play here, including the Berlin Philharmoniker and other quality orchestras like the RLPO.”

Players enjoyed some down time yesterday, playing five-a-side football and spending time on the beach before a three-hour afternoon rehearsal and evening concert, while some booked into one of San Sebastian’s three Michelin-starred restaurants after Tuesday night’s concert.

The two dates in San Sebastian are part of the Phil’s latest foreign tour. Earlier this year, they performed in Switzerland, and in October they travel to Shanghai and Beijing.

Lorraine Rogers, chairman of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Trustees, explained why touring is important to the orchestra.