On the first anniversary of his appointment as principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic, the young Montreal-born conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin directed a performance of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony that exuberantly confirmed what an asset he is to London’s musical life.

From the first bars, he was reactivating the nerves and innermost fibres of the music: making us feel as though we were hearing that mysterious, circling bass theme, and those characteristic Brucknerian triplets and little cadential turns, for the first time. The LPO, too, seemed to be relishing newly minted music — imagining those plangent and elemental bird cries, experiencing that sense of rising sap as never before.

This was achieved not only by Nézet-Séguin’s obvious deep assimilation of the work; but also by his sheer sensitivity and authority in seeking out its proportions and judging its pacing. Perhaps it takes a conductor from outside the German-speaking tradition to listen so freshly and acutely to Bruckner’s innermost being, and to the energy of his musical language.

This mighty Bruckner performance had the result of dwarfing what had gone before: the world premiere of Incantations, a concerto for percussion and orchestra by the Finnish composer, Einojuhani Rautavaara. It was written for, and in consultation with, Colin Currie, who gave a dedicated performance, complete with virtuoso cadenza of his own making.

Rautavaara, whose series of Angel works reveals his interest in spiritual emissaries, writes of the inspiration of shamanism here. Anything farther removed from that dark, raw energy and transcendental states could scarcely be imagined, though, in this easy-access score of broad, big-screen melodies, cool aural aromatherapy and underchallenging orchestral writing. The use of marimba, vibraphone, bongos, congas and the rest was seductive; but this is hardly a major addition to the repertoire.

The concert is broadcast on Radio 3 on Friday at 7pm

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