It might seem far-fetched to include Dvořák's final symphony, From the New World, in a concert series devoted to exploring the music of the 20th century. Completed in 1893, this perennial favourite is, if anything, among the more backward-looking works of its era. But as Marin Alsop explained from the podium, the symphony, together with Darius Milhaud's less often heard ballet score La Création du Monde, is one of a number of key works by non-Americans that helped American musicians forge an original classical-musical culture. In its imitation of negro spirituals, no less than in Milhaud's giddy absorption of Harlem jazz, these works allowed American white-collar concert culture to see that their own distinctive voice could only come from music of black origin.

The Dvořák is something of a signature piece for Alsop, and her gutsy, racy reading of the score drew great energy from the London Philharmonic players, despite the odd indication of under-rehearsal. A nice touch was to precede it by performances of a cappella choral arrangements of three negro spirituals, sung by the London Adventist Chorale under their director, Ken Burton. The third of the spirituals, Going Home, was written to Dvořák's famous largo theme, and led directly into the symphony proper.

A superb performance of Milhaud's tricksy ballet score preceded Varèse's Amériques, a work that records its composer's bedazzlement less by New York's music scene than by the soundscape of the city itself. It's a tremendously energising work, which, given the kind of blazing treatment it received from Alsop, almost allows one to taste a sense of boundless opportunity and spiritual freedom. Rousing, riotous and at times downright rude, the music left an indelible mark, not least on my eardrums.

• What have you been to see lately? Tell us about it on Twitter using #GdnGig