Bartók's only opera, Bluebeard's Castle, is a study in erotic infatuation and psychological dissolution, as Bluebeard's new wife, Judith, embarks on a quest to discover the terrible secrets hidden behind the seven doors of his castle. It's also one of the most searing works of the early 20th century, and in Ilan Volkov's concert performance with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the piece was a shattering emotional experience.

Mezzo-soprano Petra Lang gave a brilliantly complete performance as Judith. She began the work as the wide-eyed wife of John Relyea's Bluebeard, defiant in her love and resolute that she could transform the gloom of his life with her light and warmth. Her shock at the horrors of the torture chamber behind the first door - characterised by Bartók's skeletal percussion writing and churning dissonances - only made her more determined to continue her journey into Bluebeard's past.

Relyea was a stern and impassive Bluebeard, but he was thrillingly impassioned in the blazing music for the opening of the fifth door, the dramatic turning point of the piece. Accompanied by the shuddering power of off-stage trumpets and organ, Relyea revealed the vastness of his domain, but Lang's Judith was a broken woman.

Seeing only the blood-stained clouds in this glorious vista, she began her descent into oblivion. By the end of the piece, her desire to know the truth about Bluebeard's past had become the route to her own annihilation, and she joined his other wives in a chamber of eternal night to music of chilling desolation.

These outstanding performances were the heart of the performance, but Volkov made the BBCSSO players participants in the dark drama of Bartók's music, relishing its vivid, chromatic colours. They were equally assured in their accompaniment of pianist Steven Osborne in Bartók's Third Piano Concerto, another work of musical secrets, especially the deceptive simplicity of the slow movement.