With Antonio Pappano poised to take over at the Royal Opera House, his London appearances are very much in the limelight. Any conductor looking to impress potentially critical audiences could hardly do better than work with the London Symphony Orchestra. Few orchestras would have been able to tackle this programme and bring it off, but the LSO's line-up of high-calibre soloists and strong ensemble players managed it impressively.
It started with a skilfully shaped piece evoking great atmosphere despite the simplicity of its writing - Arvo Pärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten. Phrases given to each of the string sections repeated, diverged and regrouped, while a single bell cut through the ever-intensifying swathes of sound.
During Prokofiev's First Concerto, violinist Alexander Barantschik played with deliberate care, seeming to be concerned that we should not miss a single note Prokofiev wrote. Although he eschewed physical histrionics in favour of a textbook stance, his actual playing grabbed and held the attention. He relished the spikiness of the opening movement's second theme, while the scherzo glittered with brittle strength.
There is tenderness in this concerto too, but a real emotional connection with the audience remained elusive. Next time they play together perhaps Pappano can persuade Barantschik to wear his heart on his sleeve now and then.
Barantschik returned after the interval to lead Shostakovich's Symphony No 10. Here the wind players came into their own. Every principal had a lengthy, finely coloured solo, and the pianissimo clarinet duet towards the end of the first movement was especially rewarding. The huge span tested and ultimately proved Pappano's judgment - the lines and ideas seemed to grow organically from one another, building almost inconspicuously to a scintillating climax.
The final major-key allegro of the symphony can sound like a compromise, written to keep the Soviet authorities happy, but in the LSO's riotous interpretation it might have been the sound of Shostakovich dancing on Stalin's grave.
