The centenary of the death of Rimsky-Korsakov has gone almost unnoticed so far this year, with no British productions of any of his operas, nor, apart from the ubiquitous Scheherazade, any performances of his orchestral music either. But the London Philharmonic's only visit to the Proms made amends with a concert performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's late one-acter, Kashchey the Immortal, which Vladimir Jurowski conducted with an all-Russian cast.

With its use of whole-tone scales and densely chromatic harmonies to depict Kashchey's magic kingdom, the score (completed in 1901 and revised five years later) is reckoned to be one of the composer's most adventurous. Certainly, it is the sumptuous orchestral writing that grabs the attention, for dramatically the plot - prince rescues princess from the clutches of the wicked ogre Kashchey - is thin; and while the vocal writing has its moments, it lacks an identity of its own.

Jurowski and his orchestra did everything they could to bring it all to life, and the five soloists, led by tenor Vyacheslav Voynarovsky as Kashchey and soprano Tatiana Monogarova as the imprisoned princess, had the seductive mix of power and sweeping lyricism that native Russian singers uniquely bring to Rimsky's operas.

But by pairing it with Stravinsky's complete ballet the Firebird, which certainly owes something to the influence of Kashchey, Jurowski unwittingly pointed up the weaknesses of the hour-long opera. It's the difference between the music of a good composer and that of a great one intent on establishing his own voice. Every bar of the Firebird seems freshly minted, and Jurowski and his orchestra made the marvel-filled score glitter and dart dazzlingly.

The Proms continue until Saturday.