UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Oct. 25; second performance Oct. 26, 8 p.m., tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org.

Yan Pascal Tortelier (Photo: Courtesy IMG Artists)

On a night when Abravanel Hall was, unfortunately, more than half empty the Utah Symphony with guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier and guest piano soloist Orion Weiss turned in another sensitive, technically impressive performance. The sheer number of empty seats, though, is very concerning especially when the recent immense artistic growth of the symphony is considered. The increase in musicianship is not translating into more ticket sales. In this age when orchestras are shutting down all over the country, this should be very concerning to the supporters of this magnificent orchestra. The future financial viability of the organization is called into question on nights like this, but the greater question of the effectiveness of the organization’s community outreach needs to be considered too.

These issues aside, from a purely musical perspective there was a lot to admire. The orchestra was again in top form during works by Paul Dukas and Jean Sibelius, with the latter’s Fifth Symphony sounding particularly inspired. Tortelier seemed to coax these outstanding performances out of the orchestra with an experienced and effortless direction. His gestures were fluid and dynamic, but also had a high level of precision that the orchestra easily tracked.

This is an ensemble that has, in recent years, really found its voice when interpreting Mozart. The performances have previously revealed finely shaped phrases, sensitive dynamics, crackling energy on fast movements, and astonishing beauty during slow movements. The reading of the Piano Concerto No. 25 with Weiss was no different. Weiss conveyed an exceptional clarity to the soloist line and precise timing, and achieved a fine balance with the orchestra.

Performances of this caliber need to reach more people. The entire organization should be feeling the need to innovate its promotions efforts after a night like this. Indeed, this is a problem facing the entire world of classical music. Sure, the music being played may be among the most sublime ever committed to paper. The harsh reality, however, is that something needs to change in order to attract people to concert halls and ensure the long term viability of a community jewel like the Utah Symphony. Smart arts executives should be looking at strategies to entice the younger generations into the concert halls, as these are the people who, frankly, will collectively be deciding the future of our cultural institutions in the not too distant future. Our capitalist economic system can be extremely unforgiving to those who don’t recognize current trends and think through ways of innovating for the future. These issues need to be addressed with a great sense of urgency.

UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Sept. 20; second performance Sept. 21, 8 p.m., tickets at 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org

The most well known fact about Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, of course, is that the music features cannon fire as a kind of ultra-percussion sound at the height of the piece’s climax. This might even be the most well known tidbit in all of classical music. It certainly is a towering climax, made possible by the slow, steady build of the orchestra after a radiant opening string choir of middle strings. The work opened the Friday evening performance of the Utah Symphony and the orchestra under music director Thierry Fischer responded with a spirited rendition in a reading that fortunately, for the health of the attendees’ ears, replaced the cannon fire with a firmly struck bass drum.

Emmanuel Pahud (Photo Courtesy EMI)

The orchestra was then joined by flutist Emmanuel Pahud for the Utah premiere of Elliott Carter’s Flute Concerto. The work was composed in 2008 at a time when Carter was just shy of 100 years old. The music often contains sparse, pointed textures in the orchestra. The musical phrases were sometimes passed between the orchestra and soloist in an intricate interplay, making for nine minutes of fascinating listening. Pahud, the principal flutist for the Berlin Philharmonic, displayed remarkable technique and sensitivity to the phrase and brought warmth and power to the music. Pahud was the flutist who performed the work at the 2008 premiere, and his experience with the piece lent an effortless quality to his playing.

The soloist went on to perform two more works with the orchestra: Pahud’s own stunningly beautiful arrangement of “Lenski’s Aria” from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin, and Mozart’s Second Flute Concerto, K. 314. The Mozart concerto, written in three movements, features cadenzas of fabulous personality and wit. Once the Mozart had concluded, the audience was treated to an encore with an unexpected surprise: a flute duet between Pahud and the symphony’s very own music director. Playing Gluck’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orpheus and Eurydice, the lively duet delighted the audience.

The concert concluded with Richard Strauss, a composer often performed by the Utah Symphony during the Fischer era. There’s certainly a very good reason for this: Fischer always seems to coax incredible performances of Strauss’ music from the orchestra. Friday’s reading of the suite from Der Rosenkavalier was similarly inspired. With the tight, precise production of this complex late romantic score, the orchestra seems to be approaching top form in only the second week of the new season.