While the epic works of Shostakovich's symphonic cycle will create the most obvious impact in this centenary year, his First Symphony retains its own fascination - as testimony to the emergence of a remarkable talent. The score so often bears a distinctive Shostakovich imprint that it is hard to credit it as a graduation exercise.

In Christoph von Dohnanyi's performance with the Philharmonia, what stood out was the poise of the beautifully shaped instrumental solos and the equally assured handling of the orchestra in typically Russian colours. Von Dohnanyi, who is a solid and unshowy presence on the podium, managed the transitions between chamber-music intensity and a more raw vibrancy with a subtle hand that belied the discipline underpinning it. Since the layout of the Colston Hall stage found the percussion section crammed tight into a corner at one end, with the piano at the other, the characteristic glittering timbre that these lend to the orchestral texture did not always blend into the overall sound. Nevertheless, the rhythmic force was all there, and it was this elemental role of rhythm in the dramatic narrative that provided the strongest link to the two Beethoven works framing the Shostakovich.

The overture Leonora No 2 - in effect a tone poem to political and artistic freedom - carried its own resonance in this context. Yet it was Pierre-Laurent Aimard's playing of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto that was the most satisfying of the evening. Aimard's crystalline technique was exemplary, his tone elegantly understated, the music blissfully unhurried and full of nuances that underlined the tragedy every bit as much as the poetry. It was clearly a rewarding collaboration and, at the end, the total absence of egotism on Aimard's part as he applauded the efforts of conductor and orchestra further revealed the profound integrity of this extraordinary musician.