The achievement that is the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra feels unusually precious at present, and Daniel Barenboim and his Middle Eastern ensemble were greeted with unmistakably special warmth to the Albert Hall. In their 15th year, it is the way the orchestra plays that is now so impressive, not merely the fact that it plays at all.

Barenboim's programme was a characteristic statement. The overture to the Marriage of Figaro tipped the hat to universal genius. Two new works, one from an Israeli, the other by a Syrian, underlined the barrier-busting nature of the project. Finally, four Spanish-influenced orchestral works by Ravel paid tribute to the orchestra's annual meeting place in Seville.

The two new works could hardly have provided more of a contrast in styles. Ayal Adler's Resonating Sounds was a cool and thoroughly contemporary orchestral study, kaleidoscopic and fragmentary, well-suited to the hall's vast spaces but leaving little lasting impression. Kareem Roustom's Ramal, on the other hand, was arrestingly quirky and postmodern, its flickering pulse and rhythmic energy apparently based on Arab poetic metres. This was music with lots of personality that never quite fulfilled the potential of its material.

Barenboim conducted all four Ravel pieces with a deceptively light touch, cajoling some refined softness of tone in the Rapsodie Espagnole and ensuring an idiomatic rhythmic snap to the Alborada del Gracioso. The stillness at the heart of Ravel's Pavane was well captured, while the long crescendo of Boléro gave the wind soloists a chance to shine. It was a sign of Barenboim's confidence in what he has built over 15 years that he barely bothered to conduct at all in Boléro. In the encores from Bizet's Carmen he went one step further, giving a quick down beat before taking a seat in the stalls to listen along with the audience. This was an occasion as much as a concert.

• The Proms continue until 13 September. Details: Proms 2014