Only six weeks after it appeared at the Proms with Simon Rattle, the Vienna Philharmonic was back in London on Friday, the third of the great triumvirate of European orchestras to have made it to the Festival Hall this season, following appearances by the Royal Concertgebouw and the Berlin Philharmonic.

This concert, though, was a huge disappointment, even for a life-long Boulez admirer like me. There was no sense of occasion, or hint of music-making that was other than routinely efficient.

On the face of it, Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic are an unlikely combination - the most uncompromisingly radical of conductors matched with the most conservative of bands - but they have produced thrilling, revelatory results in the past. Here everyone just seemed to be going through the motions.

The programme was typical Boulez, of the kind that he gave so regularly when he was conducting the BBC Symphony in the 70s - Webern and Schoenberg, followed by Bartok. However, the Bartok was the Concerto for Orchestra, instead of any of the earlier, more radical scores - a major disappointment, for this is a work that Boulez has always conducted out of respect, rather than because it is a significant part of the composer's achievement.

There should have been no problems with Webern's Passacaglia or the full string-orchestra version of Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht. But while the Passacaglia started with mysterious promise, after that the performance seemed to become impatient, details were rushed, the brass acquired an abrasive edge. Even the structure fell apart.

The Vienna's fabled string sound lacked its usual bloom and allure, so that there was no sense of mystery in the opening pages in the Schoenberg, no warmth in the great viola statement of the third part, no magic in the closing bars - textures that Boulez would usually make airy and transparent remained earthbound.