Melvyn Tan made his name in the 1980s with his period-style performances on the fortepiano, though the past decade has seen him revert to the more traditional concert grand and drastically rethink his approach to music. The transition has been bumpy and controversial at times, with some critics expressing concerns that Tan was placing style before substance. He has developed, however, into a cult figure and an often-remarkable artist, as his performance of the Schumann Concerto with the London Philharmonic and Marin Alsop proved.

Tan's pianism now impresses above all with its emotional sincerity. His approach to the Schumann was intimate, avoiding the overt histrionics favoured by some interpreters. This was a performance, above all, of subtly shifting moods, hinting throughout at the potential for extremes without sliding into sentimentality or melodrama. The heaving left-hand arpeggios in the first movement spoke of passion teetering on the brink of obsession. Carefully shaded dynamics lent the intermezzo great pressure as well as charm, while the finale glimmered with quiet wit. Alsop was wonderfully alert to his every emotional shift, and the LPO's playing was exceptionally fluid in its beauty.

Alsop has, of late, developed something of a reputation as an interpreter of Brahms, whose music formed the rest of the programme. Her approach is cool, clear and unstuffy, though her performance of the Variations on the St Anthony Chorale, all gleaming counterpoint and hard orchestral brilliance, was perhaps too dispassionate. She offered us a hugely impressive account of the Fourth Symphony, however, carefully highlighting its internal drama. The slow movement, in which grief and consolation are juxtaposed, was particularly fine, while the finale had a severe nobility and a genuine sense of tragic sublimity.