Is the LSO right to appoint the busiest man in music to be its next chief conductor? Valery Gergiev's tenure is set to begin in 2007, and while few could argue against his ability, many might fear his sleep-defying international schedule is going to mean that, while he runs very fast, the orchestra just stands still.

What's certain is that Barbican audiences are going to be hearing a lot from Gergiev between now and next December, as he takes the LSO and three other orchestras through all 15 of Shostakovich's symphonies. This, the first of the series, gave cause for cautious hope, with the players' warm reception for Gergiev suggesting respect on both sides - perhaps even affection.

Gergiev had chosen to begin his survey with one of the most gruelling of the symphonies, the Eighth, and he paired it with a novelty: Shostakovich's arrangement of the Schumann Cello Concerto. The justification for tampering with the orchestration was that Schumann had been clinically depressed when he wrote the piece - an argument that could lead to half the repertoire being rewritten. Shostakovich's reworking adds colour, but in dark shades. Still, the subdued orchestral timbre meant that Johannes Moser's warmly played cello melodies rang out easily (despite insecure tunings at times), and the glow of the full orchestral passages took one by surprise.

The Eighth Symphony has its heart in the first movement, in which Gergiev drew forth a series of searing yet thwarted crescendos that finally found release in the first of several ear-numbing, bulldozing climaxes. From then, however, he emphasised the music's impersonal, mechanical elements, with the slight relaxation of the finale offering only a token sense of relief. It was a draining experience, if not an entirely satisfying one; but then, we shouldn't expect every symphony that puts us through the mill to offer an emotional payoff as well.