Vladimir Jurowski is the kind of conductor who never seems to lose control. And, just occasionally, his concentrated style can seem a little too probing, a little too scrupulous to admit the kind of rollercoaster abandon that other Russian maestros at large in London (well, one in particular) regard as their forte.

But this wasn't one of those nights. In fact, unremittingly intense as Verdi's Requiem is, I don't think I've ever heard a performance as emotionally gripping. It had that essential Jurowski “stripped-down” flavour, allied to an unfailing dramatic awareness. What's more, it finally demonstrated that Jurowski and his orchestra seem at home in the refitted (but still alarmingly erratic) Festival Hall. The sound was rich, warm and balanced, no doubt helped by the addition of valved trombones and the fearsome cimbasso (a double bass trombone) in the pursuit of that authentic Verdi sound.

The results were often overwhelming. The choral singing (a canny team-up between the London Philharmonic Choir and Philharmonia Chorus) was thrillingly expressive, hovering between barely murmured awe and pulverising force. And I loved the shyly joyful delight they brought to the Sanctus, a section that most maestros prefer to hustle through en route to the final lunge at the abyss.

Jurowski is craftier than that. Without skimping on the Hell-fire, he zeroed in on Verdi's interplay between light and shade, between tenderness and terror. By the time we reached the final staging post, the Libera Me, it seemed as if the entire performance had been hinged around this point, a mini-drama in itself, spine-tinglingly introduced by the merest shiver of a whisper from the chorus.

You would be hard pushed to find a better quartet of soloists. Barbara Frittoli, whose floated pianissimi are one of the glories of our operatic age, delivered the goods in style. Ferruccio Furlanetto's craggy, weathered bass unfolded like a vintage Barolo, while Ildiko Komlosi's mezzo eschewed thunderous grandeur for some exquisitely refined singing. And Massimo Giordano showed off a truly Italianate tenor - a commodity currently in rather short supply.

The concert is broadcast tonight on Radio 3 at 7pm. Cancel your plans and unplug the phone.

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