UTAH SYMPHONY AND CHORUS, Abravanel Hall, Sept. 28; second performance 8 p.m. Sept. 29, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org
After last season’s perusal of the complete Ludwig van Beethoven symphonies, Utah Symphony music director Thierry Fischer wanted to lighten things up a bit in the new season. And what better composer to do that with than Felix Mendelssohn? The 19th century German composer blends the best of both classicism and romanticism in his music and is a perfect antidote to Beethoven’s heavier musings.
This weekend Fischer starts his complete Mendelssohn symphony cycle with the Second, subtitled the Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise). In addition to orchestra, Mendelssohn also calls for chorus and three vocal soloists in the final movement, not unlike Beethoven’s Ninth.
The symphony is a wonderfully melodic and expressive work, with just a few touches of darkness in the final movement. It’s typically Mendelssohnian in its lyricism and youthful exuberance, and Fischer certainly brought that out in his account Friday night. His interpretation flowed with finely articulated and nuanced phrasings and delicately crafted expressiveness.
The orchestra played radiantly with fluid lines and graceful lyricism. And the Utah Symphony Chorus didn’t disappoint either. The ensemble sang with beautifully phrased expressions and resonant tones.
Among the three soloists, soprano Twyla Robinson was rather a disappointment. Her singing wasn’t graceful and had an almost unnatural amount of vibrato to it, and her diction was mostly garbled.
The other two were much better. Second soprano Priti Gandhi had a lovely voice; it would have been much better had she taken Robinson’s part. And tenor Colin Balzer’s warm and rich voice lent itself wonderfully to his part.
The first half of the program was devoted to a pair of delightful chamber works: J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BVW 1048, and Igor Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks Concerto.
The stage for these two works was cleverly divided in two, with the right half set up for the Bach and the left for the Stravinsky.
The musicians, mostly principals and associate principals, played fabulously. The Bach was exuberant, while the Stravinsky was vibrant and captured the lyrical angularity of the music.