Truly great Rachmaninov pianists are rare, though Leif Ove Andsnes, the charismatic Norwegian who recently achieved well deserved stardom, belongs unquestionably among their number. His previous London performances of the concertos have left audiences open-mouthed with amazement, and the same mixture of astonishment and delight greeted the group of Rachmaninov pieces with which he closed his Barbican recital.

His combination of aggression, emotion and virtuoso technique is well-nigh perfect in this music.

The left-hand figurations of the E Minor Moment Musicaux are negotiated with staggering precision, yet at the same time are subordinated throughout to the ebb and flow of emotion sustained in the right hand melody.

The first of the Opus 33 Etudes-tableaux, written on the eve of the Russian revolution, was awesome in its sense of drama as a delicate melody is repeatedly repressed by an explosive, percussive clatter. This is the sort of playing that has an audience on the edge of their seats, and when he opted for the first of Liszt's Mephisto Waltzes as an encore - the outer sections demonic in their frenzy, the central sequence played with a breathtaking, lingering sexuality - the place went wild.

Earlier on, however, things weren't quite so successful. Georges Antheil's machine-age Toccata No 2 is fun but slight, and one wondered why Andsnes included the piece in his programme, though the energy and wit with which he played it just about made a case for the piece.

Janacek's On an Overgrown Path is a series of miniatures, some of which suit him, some of which don't. There were extraordinary moments, notably The Madonna of Frydek, which resonated with intense spirituality - but as a whole, the cycle failed to cohere.

His Debussy proved controversial. Estampes was the work chosen, and he invests it with unusual weight and darkness. Soirée Dans Grenade was ominously brooding rather than sensual. The rain that spatters Jardins Sous La Pluie was a torrential downpour rather than a shower.

All this proved a timely reminder that Debussy need not be muted, shapeless and wishy-washy - but Andsnes's performance wasn't to everyone's taste and the audience response was comparatively cool.