UTAH SYMPHONY, STEPHEN HOUGH, PIANO, MARK WIGGLESWORTH, CONDUCTOR, Abravanel Hall, March 23; second performance 8 p.m. March 24, tickets at 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org

Mark Wigglesworth

Last night in Abravanel Hall the Utah Symphony, under the direction of guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth, delivered an incredibly polished performance that was nearly free of the small blemishes that one often hears during a live performance. Wigglesworth is a brilliant conductor, and he had an impressive command of the orchestra while using elegant gestures that seemed to bring out a musicality from the ensemble that was deeper than usual.

The first half of the concert was especially impressive. The evening began with a spirited rendition of Richard Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. This particular score gave the winds and percussion a chance to shine, and they didn’t disappoint. Gary Ofenloch’s tuba performance was especially impressive; his constantly moving part was handled with impeccable intonation and clarity, which provided a solid foundation for the entire orchestra.

Next was the evening’s highlight: Edward Elgar’s magnificent Enigma Variations. Wigglesworth, a Briton, seemed to have an especially strong grasp of this British music. Elgar’s piece is still among the top works ever produced by a British composer, and today’s aspiring composers could learn much by studying the well-planned trajectory of the individual sections. The 15 sections all seem to reinforce each other. In the performance there was a coherent fluidity and a polished musicality that the maestro successfully coaxed from the orchestra. Most notable was the orchestra’s flawless handling of the sublime ninth variation, Nimrod. The orchestra handled the hushed opening with great care, and gradually built toward the section’s towering climax with a stately yet muscular elegance.

Stephen Hough

The concert concluded with another British guest artist, pianist Stephen Hough, performing the poplar Third Piano Concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Hough is a pianist with very impressive technical skills that are complemented by a striking stage presence. There were times during the first and third movements when his hands moved with such speed and precision that they became a blur as they flew about the keyboard. The music was played with outstanding energy and power.

I did have a couple of small concerns: Hough often arrived at important structural moments well before the orchestra, and I felt like the interpretation occasionally relied a bit too much on flashy technique at the expense of a deeper insight into Rachmaninoff’s score. Hough’s phrases were often very fluid and graceful, but I was left wishing that more of them had lived up to the high bar that he set for himself during the second movement.

This was a fabulous concert. With two world class guest artists and an orchestra that seems to be playing in top form, this one is whole heartedly recommended.