Arguably the greatest orchestra in the world, the St Petersburg Philharmonic hasn't exactly been in the limelight of late. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, public attention has been focused, understandably, on Valery Gergiev's remarkable restoration of the Kirov Theatre to its pre-revolutionary position as one of the major international opera houses. The former Leningrad Philharmonic, its work intensely bound up with keeping the humanitarian tradition alive in the face of totalitarian oppression, has tended to slip from view. Both the Kirov and the Philharmonic can be heard in London over the next fortnight as part of the Barbican's series of events exploring the legacy of St. Petersburg - but whereas the Kirov's performances have been sold out months in advance, the Philharmonic's opening concert, with its Music Director Yuri Temirkanov, was, embarrassingly, only half-full.

Nevertheless this was a great occasion. The programme consisted solely of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, a performance billed as complete, though Temirkanov made a couple of cuts in the score and rather cheekily altered the running order of numbers in Act II. Purists might object, though the end result was so tremendous that he got away with it. The ballet itself - done to death, frequently done badly - remains Tchaikovsky's most audacious exercise in sonority, a riot of finely honed orchestral colour. On this occasion the audience sat spellbound for two hours and held its breath as Temirkanov seemingly opened a glittering jewel box of sound to display treasure after treasure.

The textures flickered into life with dazzling brilliance and intensity. The tricky balance between fairy-tale magic, sensual warmth and imperial grandeur was flawlessly maintained. Every musician is a star performer and the playing can only be described as beyond compare or criticism. Matchless stuff - one of the finest concerts it has ever been my privilege to hear.