Frans Brüggen and his dynamic periodinstrument band, the Orchestra of the 18th Century, visit London far less often than they should. But at least Brüggen has become a regular guest conductor with the Philharmonia, bringing his bracingly direct approach to late 18th- and early 19th- century works to an orchestra that clearly listens to what he wants and responds accordingly.

Making a modern symphony orchestra into a passable imitation of a specialist period group is the musical equivalent of performing a three-card trick or sawing a lady in half, and Brüggen pulls it off better than most. It's not just a matter of getting the string section to use vibrato much more sparingly, though that's a start, but a more radical ventilation of the textures so that detail isn't obscured, and the wind instruments can express their individuality rather than feel they have to blend into a homogeneous mass.

This all-Mozart programme was full of sharp detail, and musical muscle. It was quite a long concert but it never dragged for a moment. The two C major symphonies that flanked it, No 36, the Linz, and No 41, the Jupiter, were full of rhythmic life and there were moments of pure magic.

Between the symphonies, violinist Marianne Thorsen and viola player Lawrence Power - two-thirds of the Leopold String Trio - were the soloists in the Sinfonia Concertante K364. It was alive, spontaneous, witty, and crucially conveyed the sense of two very fine instrumentalists exchanging ideas, and commenting upon them. One moment Thorsen was the more expansively expressive, then the next it would be Power, yet their playing always dovetailed expertly.