The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been in town, for two concerts: one a week ago,and the other yesterday afternoon. Those concerts were supposed to have been led by Kurt Masur, the LPO’s principal conductor. (Of course, Mr. Masur was head of New York’s Philharmonic, for more than 10 years.) But the maestro fell ill, and he had to have a couple of replacements.

Last Monday’s concert was conducted by Roberto Minczuk, a Brazilian. And yesterday’s was conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier, a Frenchman – son of the late, great cellist Paul. For many years, the younger Mr. Tortelier was conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, and he is now a busy guest conductor, hither and yon.

Beginning yesterday’s program was a piano concerto, Schumann’s. For generation upon generation, this piece was known as a “woman’s concerto,”believe it or not. Has to do with Clara Schumann, who of course championed it, and a slew of successors.At any rate, the London Philharmonic’s pianist was no lady: It was Garrick Ohlsson, the clearly masculine American.

He has a way with Romantic music: He plays it feelingly, but with little nonsense. And that’s how he played the Schumann yesterday afternoon.

Fortunately, he was ready for the concerto’s opening. But aren’t all pianists? No,not really.The opening is a bit tricky, and many pianists are lazy in it, botching it somehow. Not Mr. Ohlsson: He was alert, crisp, and right. And so he would continue. The LPO’s sound was warm and inviting, if the oboe, soloing, was a bit wan.

Mr. Ohlsson has big hands – hands that sweep – and music tends to sound simple under them. Schumann’s certainly did. Mr. Ohlsson was in full command, and he always brought out the melody beautifully (wherever it was). He also accompanied beautifully: He knows that the piano has to pipe down, or assume a different role, when another musician has the melody. He and the orchestra were not in perfect coordination during the first movement’s A-flatmajor section. And Mr. Ohlsson played some very unusual accents at the end of this movement.

But those are on the order of cavils.

The middle movement – Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso – was nicely nonprissy, rather slow in tempo, but with a steady pulse (which is what counts). In the rhapsodic last movement, Mr. Ohls son was confident, virtuosic, and indeed rhapsodic. On the whole, he reminded us that – hackneyed though it may be – this concerto is truly a fine work.

By the way, wouldn’t it have been swell to hear Clara play it – or anything?

The second half of the LPO’s program brought a big, magnificent symphony: Mahler’s First, nicknamed “the Titan.” No mystery why this symphony was on the program: It’s a Masur specialty, and that conductor programs it all the time. Under his baton – if he used a baton – it is tight, bristling, and electric.

And under Mr.Tortelier’s baton? (He actually does use one.) Let me tell you: There was a lot wrong with the first movement. The woodwinds were not pretty (to put it mildly). The horn entrances were ridiculous. The orchestra at large wasn’t in tune. And that’s just a short list.

Here comes the but: In this first movement, Mr. Tortelier conducted with consistent musical intelligence. He obviously understood the score, and that was more important than the assortment of errors.

In any case, the second movement went much, much better. The LPO’s playing was brash and sassy – and fairly accurate – and that waltzy F-major section had shy grace. Marvelous.

In the third movement – the one with the funeral march and the klezmer band – we tasted the Old World, and yet the klezmer playing wasn’t fully satisfying. For me, it could have been slinkier and suppler; as it was, it was a little white-bread.The heavenly, ethereal G-major section, however, made up for it: transportingly sweet.

The last movement began with a very,very good attack – sort of like Garrick Ohlsson at the beginning of the Schumann concerto! And then the bass drum went pow, pow, pow. Doesn’t it always? Yeah, but not like this – not with so great an impact.

As he conducted this movement, Mr. Tortelier was involving, incisive, and well-nigh brilliant. He made exceptionally good use of rests – borderline showy use (but not quite).

And that D-major melody we all love? The one in the brass, down the scale – one of the most affirming and triumphant melodies in all of music? The horns and the trumpets were a disaster in it, from a technical point of view. But it didn’t matter one bit. From a musical point of view, the orchestra’s playing, and Mr. Tortelier’s conducting, were thrilling.

One strange thing – really strange: As the orchestra is coursing along in the aforementioned D major, there’s one C natural, which for me is one of the most ingenious and exciting notes in any symphony. In the LPO, it was inaudible – not there. As I said, strange.

As is Mahler’s entire First Symphony – in this sense: Like Brahms’s First, it is no rookie symphony. Mahler came ready to play. I bow to no one in my veneration of the later symphonies, but I wouldn’t be happy about trading “the Titan” for any of them.