Whoever was responsible could not have chosen a more felicitous program. On Tuesday night, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra gave us Mendelssohn’s “Hebrides” Overture, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4, and Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony. Sure, the “Hebrides” has its storminess, and so does the “Pastoral” – but these three pieces, by and large, were written by angels. And musical purity is of the essence.

Serving as guest conductor was Thomas Dausgaard, a Dane who conducts both the Danish National Symphony and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. He is obviously a capable musician who, batonless, communicates to an orchestra exactly what he wants. We in the audience know what he wants, so clear is he; the players before him must really know it.

He gave a fine account of the “Hebrides” Overture, a more transparent one than you normally hear. Indeed, this account had a chamber-orchestra feeling (although the Mostly Mozart orchestra is a little plump for a chamber band, and a little thin for a full-size orchestra). Mr. Dausgaard supplied good dynamics – not showy ones, but natural and right ones. And the sound of the orchestra was fairly rich and burnished, which was nice, because brittleness would be bad here.

It could be that the “Hebrides” needed more power and grandeur, particularly at its climax. It is not the “Siegfried Idyll.” And the piece also came off as a little rushed. Mr. Dausgaard conducted it the way a “period” guy might a Vivaldi concerto. But the greatness of the piece came through, which is key.

Mozart wrote all five of his violin concertos in about eight months, when he was 19. (Ho-hum.) The Fourth is in D major, and it is worthy of its composer. On hand to perform it was Gil Shaham, one of the most popular violinists on the concert circuit.

The concerto did not begin promisingly: Mr. Dausgaard imposed a strange crescendo, and his players weren’t exactly crisp. When Mr. Shaham came in, I, for one, was surprised: I expected him to be quite relaxed, even to soup it up a bit. Instead, his playing was no-nonsense, and even a little clipped and ugly. Later in the first movement, he was positively coarse. He also had a serious intonation breakdown, and he suffered some more trouble of this nature in the cadenza. In addition, this movement sounded fast. (I am developing a theme.) It was as though Mr. Shaham and Mr. Dausgaard were obeying some bogus metronome marking, rather than enjoying the music.

The movement is marked Allegro, yes. But that refers to a mood as much as to a speed. It means “happy” as much as “fast.” Musical intuition must rule.

Mr. Shaham was far better in the second movement – Andante cantabile – which was sensitive and correct. I say “correct,” and Mr. Shaham largely was: But he is never shy about portamento, even in Mozart. Some of his swooping was downright Korngoldian!

To the Rondeaux, Mr. Shaham brought the joie de vivre for which he is known. He was also nimble in his passagework, and incisive in his rhythm. All in all, this was a respectable account of Mozart’s No. 4 – but a sweeter tone, greater purity of expression, and maybe a touch more spirituality (a light spirituality) would have been welcome. To play Mozart in a Mozartean fashion is one of the most difficult, and rewarding, things in music.

After intermission, Mr. Dausgaard and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra played that Beethoven symphony – and I continue with my theme. It seems to me that Beethoven tempos have been getting faster and faster. Last season, I heard Myung-Whun Chung conduct a “Pastoral” Symphony that I could hardly review: It went by so fast, I didn’t quite hear it. (And if you’re going to play it badly, you might as well get it over with.) You remember that old highway slogan – “Speed Kills”? Maybe it should be posted in concert halls.

When Mr. Dausgaard began the symphony on Tuesday night, my heart sank a little, because it was so fast – needlessly, jarringly peppy. The first movement is marked Allegro ma non troppo – and that last part means “but not too much.” Say it again, Ludwig. Nonetheless, Mr. Dausgaard and the orchestra were not unpleasant in this music. And the woodwinds were decent. They have a lot to do in this symphony, and, come to think of it, the “Pastoral” Symphony may be the most wood windy symphony in all the literature. This orchestra’s woodwinds had their stumbles, but they got the job done.

The second movement, remember, depicts a brook, and this was a very fast-running one – but Mr. Dausgaard breathed nicely here, and the music could bear his tempo. In the next movement – “Merry gathering of peasants” – Mr. Dausgaard chose another just tempo, and he also received some good and accurate playing from the horns. (In the last movement, he would not be so lucky.) The fourth movement gave us a vigorous storm – well executed – and the fifth crowned the experience with peace. In Beethoven, we often have a sense of righteousness, and there is a sense of righteousness in this movement: That melody is righteous (in addition to serene). We heard this clearly on Tuesday night.

And it will be a pleasure to hear Thomas Dausgaard again.