CLASSICAL MUSIC: CBSO / Rattle, LSO / Rostropovich RFH / Barbican, London

Anyone with half an interest in contemporary music and within reach of London in the last few days would have been spoilt, perhaps agonised, for choice. If it wasn't Michael Nyman storming the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday, it was Sir Simon Rattle on Sunday inexorably creeping forwards in his "Millennium" series, or Rostropovich on Tuesday having himself a party to celebrate his 70th birthday. Michael Nyman's music is sui generis but what must strike any punter who's kept up with new orchestral work in the last 20 years is the sheer virtuosity of playing nowadays (and on precious little rehearsal); works of frightening difficulty are simply rattled off.

Sir Simon and the CBSO were in tip-top shape for their Sunday concert at the RFH. Three more contrasting masterpieces of the 1960s would be hard to find, but Rattle's choice of Berio's Sinfonia, Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto and Messiaen's Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum was a thought- provoking mix. Who would have imagined humour to be an essential ingredient. Berio takes the word "sinfonia" literally to mean "sounding together", and the astonishing third movement hijacks Mahler, Debussy, Strauss and Beethoven in a romp through musical history, using the amplified vocal group Electric Phoenix gabbling away chunks of Levi-Strauss, with the exhortation "keep going" cheekily popping out of the melee (along with "I see Terry Waite"). The layering of orchestral sound and text was like musical lasagne. Lynn Harrell brought nonchalant humour to Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto, sneaking a look at his left-hand fingernails while "indifferently" (as instructed) bowing open "D"s. Lutoslawski had not struck me as a composer of humorous music and yet, time and again, after a noisy outburst from the orchestra, the cello simply replied with a cheeky pizzicato, the audience with a laugh. Harrell and the CBSO were having fun. Messiaen's five-movement Et exspecto brought any frivolity to a shuddering halt. Scored for wind and percussion only, this is elemental music, Rattle drawing out devastatingly raw sounds - I cannot remember a tam-tam sounding so loud - while delicately allowing exotic cowbells to be heard.

Rostropovich, for his second "birthday" concert (and as a conductor only) was not in celebratory mood. He chose a brave programme of works, all commissioned during his tenure with the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington. Unfortunately, he was rewarded by empty seats. Whoever was to blame - Lutoslawski, Walton or Schnittke - I have seldom witnessed an audience, so attentive, so quiet and so moved. Schnittke has suffered innumerable strokes in recent years and his Sixth Symphony, in four movements, completed in 1992, appears to show all the signs of late work unravelling; spluttering starts only to stop moments later, material neither sticking nor developing; silences everywhere; a piece for large orchestra but scored predominantly for chamber forces; sectional solos with instrumental "families" - winds or brass - clinging together. Rostropovich held together this treacherously difficult work inspiring superb playing from London's finest orchestra. A work to tower over Lutoslawski's Novelette or Walton's Prologo e Fantasia (also in the programme) but hardly a party piece. Annette Morreau