DEER VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL, Utah Symphony, St. Mary’s Church, Park City, July 31
Twentieth and 21st century pathos was the theme for the opening half of Wednesday’s Utah Symphony Chamber Orchestra concert. That, coupled with Mozart’s Prague Symphony, made for an interesting program.
Under the baton of associate conductor Vladimir Kulenovic, the concert began with the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. Kulenovic’s account was sensitive to the subtleties of the music and he elicited nuanced playing from the orchestra.
This was followed by Joan Tower’s 2001 work In Memory for strings. An intense and impassioned work that is quite moving at times, Kulenovic wasted no time getting to the heart of the piece with his perceptive direction.
The first half ended with Barber’s Adagio for Strings, arguably the most famous piece by a 20th century American composer. It was beautifully played with attention to nuances and subtleties.
The second half was taken up with one work, Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, Prague. Kulenovic’s account was rather uneven. What was missing was articulation and crisp playing. The first movement was heavy handed and bombastic, while the other two movements went somewhat more smoothly. But despite some good moments, the symphony in general was overplayed and lacked any real expressiveness.