On Thursday night two London galas defined either end of the classical music playing field. While the Albert Hall was reverberating with the sound of hype congratulating itself on another triumph over substance at the Classical Brits, the Wigmore Hall celebrated its 100th birthday with a feast of what it does better than anything - chamber music.
There is no magic spell guaranteeing perfection from any musician that enters these doors, but when performances on the Wigmore's stage click, as they so often do, music really does sound as though it has come home. No wonder the hall inspires such affection.
There was no hype needed to sell this concert, although the only big name that featured on the programme was pianist Andras Schiff, who was joined in various combinations by 13 principals from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
It might have seemed a straightforward evening of classical repertoire; in the event it was anything but. Schiff and his colleagues revealed different and unexpected facets of Haydn, Mozart and Schubert with unswerving clarity.
All but two of the eight works in this marathon involved Schiff; four were for piano solo, and all of them were, to some degree, revelatory. Schiff always gives the impression he is listening with us, and a look of almost surprised pleasure crosses his face as particularly felicitous passages unfold.
Haydn's Sonata in E Flat sounded positively modern in his approach, taking on surprising depth, and the haunting first movement of Schubert's Sonata in A Minor gave way to a searching account of the Andante, employing the piano's richest and starkest sonorities.
The first ensemble work, Haydn's String Quartet Op 77 No 2, has seldom sounded more engaging. Absolute beauty of tone may have taken second place to vigour and colour, but the simplicity of the Andante was still remarkably beautiful.
Eight wind players complemented each other perfectly in Mozart's Serenade in C Minor, while a teasing account of Schubert's Trout Quintet had the audience applauding a false ending in their enthusiasm. It may be Wigmore Hall's birthday, but the gifts are all for us.
