The opening of the London Philharmonic's season also marked the start of its 18-month exile to the Festival Hall's more bijou neighbour. The refurbishment of its home is causing a rethink of its repertoire: gone are the epic symphonies; instead, the emphasis is on works with a pared-down, classical aesthetic.

One of those is Stravinsky's effervescent Concerto in D, with which a disciplined string section opened this concert. And another more intriguing example is Strauss's chamber suite on Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, the seed of the composer's Molière-inspired opera Ariadne auf Naxos. At times it has a Rosenkavalier-like perfumed delicacy, but that didn't quite come off here - the conductor Ion Marin, standing in for an indisposed Ingo Metzmacher, needed to be more responsive to its minute see-saws. Yet there was plenty to make it worth hearing, especially the tongue-in-cheek swagger of the Master-Tailor's dance, and Boris Garlitsky's hard- working violin solos.

For a pruned LPO, next year's Mozart anniversary could not be coming at a better time. In the case of Paul Lewis's eloquent performance of the Piano Concerto No 25, you could argue that the celebrations had started early: his unaffected playing suited this sunny C major concerto perfectly. The fanfare-like chords in the first movement were arresting but not pompous, and although this was an essentially serious, cerebral interpretation, the flowing finale had a gentle, unobtrusive wit.

However, if Lewis's Mozart sounded effortless, the orchestra's still has a little way to go, especially in a venue that brings string radiance and intimacy at the expense of projection from players further back. Coaxing this out will take a conductor with more subtle control over light and shade than Marin. In the Symphony No 39, which closed an already long programme, an authoritative Marin encouraged a big-boned string sound; this suited the Minuet, which went with a stately swing. Yet elsewhere the wind had trouble competing, and some colour was lost in a performance that chose muscle over charm.