Julian Anderson has never written a concerto, and though his latest piece comes closer than any of his previous works, he describes it as a “poem for violin and orchestra”. Given its world premiere in this London Philharmonic programme under Vladimir Jurowski, and with Carolin Widmann as soloist, In Lieblicher Bläue (In Lovely Blue) takes its title from a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin that has fascinated Anderson since he was a teenager. The German Romantic wrote the poem after a period when he was imprisoned (Anderson’s word) in a clinic for the mentally ill, and for the composer the piece is, on one level, “about how we treat people who don’t conform”.

A dislocation between soloist and orchestra is evident from the outset, when the soloist begins playing alone and off stage. Next she positions herself to one side of the orchestra; only later does she assume her regular place just to the side of the conductor, while towards the end of the piece she even turns her back on the audience.

Such symbolic moves apart, the work’s most unusual feature is the use of a pencil instead of a bow for a short section near the end of the first of its two main sections; the resulting sound is exquisitely subtle and delicate. Free in form – Anderson describes it as “fantasia-like” – the work’s general character is increasingly lyrical, its multi-coloured orchestration highlighting its enriched harmonic palette.

Widmann proved an exemplary soloist, while the piece itself felt in no way overshadowed by the expertly conducted complete performance of Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé that followed. With the London Philharmonic Choir presenting the crucial wordless chorus sensuously, the result was vibrant and coherent, the work’s structure as clear as the textures Jurowski summoned up even at the score’s densest points.