Ill but not off-key

But Barenboim is no ordinary pianist. He plays from memory and, until the last note, coolly ignores his audience.

His gift is his concentrated fearlessness in making the music his own, while remaining wholly faithful to the composer's intention. His is not the only way to play Beethoven and, yes, if you care about such things, it has its rough edges, but he convinces you.

On Sunday, he was recovering from food poisoning and appeared ill. Yet he sailed into the A major Op2 No2 with panache and wild variety. For a few heart-stopping bars in the first movement of the D minor Op31 No2 (Tempest), it was as if Barenboim was improvising freely in this turbulent yet pensive work.

But, as he revealed, this is revolutionary, dream-like music full of rupture and jolting energy. The concert's climax, by which time he looked a better colour, was a bold, invigorating and richly coloured account of Les Adieux.

Last night he opened with the early C minor Op 13 Pathetique. The outer movements were explosive but it was the song-like adagio, in which Barenboim touched the piano with a softness so delicate it was impossible to work out how he did it without falling silent.

The highlight was the majestic, hellishly difficult but supremely lyrical A major Op101. Barenboim hurtled into the blistering fugato as if entering a furnace. In performances of this stature, one has flickering glimpses of Beethoven himself at the keyboard, freshly making it up as he goes along.

Next concert Wednesday (0871 663 2500).

Daniel Barenboim: Beethoven Sonata Cycle
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre
The South Bank Centre,Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX