UTAH OPERA, The Abduction from the Seraglio, Capitol Theatre, May 10; through May 18, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahopera.org 

If one had to choose one word to summarize Utah Opera’s current production of The Abduction from the Seraglio, it might be “inconsistent.” Why?

Let’s start with the highlights: the vocals were strong. Really strong. Andrew Stenson, in the leading male role of Belmonte, had a smooth, velvety voice that was a pleasure to listen to. Gustav Andreassen’s (Osmin’s) bass was rich, full, and beautiful without being muddy or heavy. Celena Shafer, in the lead soprano role of Konstanze, also gave an excellent vocal performance. The rest of the voices were also first rate, with no vocal weak links in the cast.

Andrew Stenson, Celena Shafer (Photo: Utah Opera)

In terms of overall performances, Amy Owens (Blonde) and Tyson Miller (Pedrillo) were engaging, charismatic, and gave strong performances both with vocals and acting throughout the show. Andreasson presented a perfect bad guy: funny, engaging, with just the right amount of menace.

So why the adjective “inconsistent?” The problem with opera is that it’s not a recital; the people onstage are expected to act, as well. Therein lies the weak spot. We have high expectations of our opera singers, really — we want world-class pipes, and acting ability besides. It’s a tall order, but without both, the whole experience falls a bit flat.

Perhaps the biggest problem with this production of The Abduction from the Seraglio is that the weak links were so prominent.

Shafer had a voice that was very much up to the demanding role: clear and agile, she handled the acrobatics of the music beautifully. She could float a high C at a pianissimo. But her acting did not keep pace with her voice. Throughout the production, she came across either as stiff and stilted or over-dramatic, but never natural. Her facial emotion and body language sometimes seemed at odds with the words she was singing.

Christopher McBeth in the spoken role of Pasha Selim, appeared to have little acting experience on stage. Doubtless McBeth excels in his role as Artistic Director for Utah Opera, but as to delivering his lines in a convincing manner that could project well (either in terms of emotion or volume), he fell a bit short of the mark.

Thankfully, Owens added a much-needed dose of energy and spunk to the production. A natural on the stage, she stole the show with the scene in Act II when she teases Osmin and stands up to him. Andreasson and Miller both added a lot of vigor and humor with their characterizations.

As to the costumes, the bare chest and rather conspicuous codpiece of Pasha Selim’s costume seemed intended to emphasize his sexual prowess — and perhaps it did, in a way. And Konstanze’s eye-popping pink dress and matching hair were very…pink. While the costumes generally enhanced the production, these two detracted a little because they were a bit distracting.

To sum it up: if you are a person who loves to hear great singing, the more the better, this production might be a heavenly way to spend the evening. But if you are a newcomer to opera, this probably isn’t the best introduction. This is not one of Mozart’s most famous or popular operas. And while the overall effect was fine, this production may not make any new converts.

UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Feb. 28; second performance 8 p.m. March 1, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org 

Audiences usually think of performers as the element that can either make or break a concert, and while that is primarily true, there’s a secret, hidden factor that practically nobody realizes also matters: programming.

Mark Wigglesworth (Photo: Ben Ealovega)

Friday night’s Utah Symphony concert, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth and featuring Grieg’s A minor Piano Concerto, is a perfect illustration of why programming matters: choosing what pieces go together can either set off the pieces chosen, or do the opposite — make an otherwise interesting piece seem boring by comparison.

Both happened Friday night.

The evening started with a sparkling new piece: A Freak in Burbank, by Albert Schnelzer. The piece was inspired by both film maker Tim Burton (from Burbank, hence the title) and Joseph Haydn. A disparate pairing, to be sure, but Schnelzer wove together colorful and dark “horror-movie” type music with classical elements in a way that was engaging and fun.

While it was certainly a nod to Danny Elfman’s many scores for Burton’s movies, it avoided copying his sound while retaining the cheerfully dark tone. Kudos to the symphony for putting a new piece on the program and keeping classical music a living language.

Pairing this piece with Grieg’s piano concerto, which followed, was a successful programming move because of the high energy in stylistically contrasting pieces — A Freak in Burbank played the role of a great warm-up band for a rock concert.

And the “rock star” of the central piece — Alexander Melnikov on piano, played the part well. The performance itself was clean, with effortless technique on the many virtuosic passages.

In some ways, a piece that is this well known and loved is difficult on the performer: how does one keep it fresh and bring one’s own personality to it when most of the audience is singing along in their heads — to music shaped by so many prior performances and recordings?

Melnikov chose a traditional interpretation, but brought his own stamp by way of tender, lush musicality in the softer passages, and a full-bodied, passionate drama to the more romantic ones. He also brought in an element of theatricality with the way he “conducted” the music with his left hand when it wasn’t busy — sometimes even when the right hand was still playing.

Following such a showy piece with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D major is where the programming mistake was made. The symphony is about 45 minutes long, with approximately the first 35 of those filled with mostly subdued, thoughtful music. The structure of the piece is to start slowly and build to a very big, very loud climax, and while the ending is certainly a “tour de force,” it takes a while to get there.

On the heels of two showy pieces, the Sibelius symphony sounded tedious and lackluster. And really, the problem didn’t seem much to do with the performance — after all, a conductor has to be faithful to the score. The problem was putting such a slow-building piece right there on the program. At least one audience member was spotted dozing away.

In a different context, the Sibelius symphony would have been an interesting journey, but not Friday. Overall, however, it was a good concert.