It was with The Protecting Veil, a kind of concerto for cello and orchestra, that John Tavener first branded himself on to the public consciousness at the 1989 Proms. Nearly two decades later, he returns to the format with Lalishri, a violin concerto written for Nicola Benedetti. Has much changed? Not really, except that Lalishri is a weaker piece.

Again, the soloist represents the protagonist - here, it is Lalla Yogishwari, a 14th-century Hindu saint who danced naked all across Kashmir. You can see why this piece was written for Benedetti rather than, say, Pinchas Zukerman.

It begins with a high, slow solo for the violinist; ensuing episodes get faster, centring on a couple of frenzied dances, hugely demanding for the soloist. Four recurring chords, which trace, intentionally or not, the opening notes of the slow movement of Bruch's concerto, occasionally clear the air; better, a sliding tune on the lowest string references Indian traditional music. The episodes start, stop and start again; perhaps the cyclical nature of the piece is intended to induce a trance-like effect.

But this is concert-hall music, not a meditation aid. For all Benedetti's determined efforts, it just seemed tediously repetitive. And even longer than the intended 35 minutes: Benedetti's string snapped mid- somersault, and instead of grabbing the leader's instrument as is the norm, she spent 10 minutes backstage changing it.

This was an all-British programme - not that you'd link the Tavener with the London Philharmonic's crisp performance of Vaughan Williams's overture to The Wasps, or with Elgar's Symphony No 2, which the players tore into, seemingly grateful for Andrew Litton's heart-on-sleeve conducting. It was relentlessly loud, and a more abstemious approach might have produced a more vivid effect. At least they played as though they meant it.