UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Feb. 15; additional performance 8 p.m. Feb. 16, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org

For a Valentine’s Day themed concert Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet overture is a natural choice. And Thierry Fischer went with the obvious for this weekend’s Utah Symphony concerts. But he tempered the sugary sweetness of Tchaikovsky’s piece with the tanginess of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. It was the perfect balance – and Fischer and his orchestra captured the essence of both works.

Thierry Fischer

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is without question one of his best works, showing both creative inventiveness and mastery of orchestration. And, in fact, the work is as much a concerto for orchestra as it is a piece for dancing, and that’s how Fischer approached it. He put the orchestra through its paces and they delivered. It was a finely crafted and executed performance.

Fischer carved his 10-movement suite out of the best pieces in each of the three suites Prokofiev made from his ballet score. The maestro brought a forcefulness to the dramatic movements while underscoring the tender lyricism in the more poignant moments. He elicited nuanced and well delineated playing from his band; they played with deeply etched expressions and feeling.

Especially captivating were the movements “Romeo at the Tomb of Juliet” and “The Death of Juliet.” They were heartfelt outpourings that captured the emotional intensity of the music.

With Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fischer did the impossible. He made this shopworn work sound fresh. He got a nuanced reading from the players that wasn’t excessive. It was well defined and actually quite subtle in places.

Former Gina Bachauer gold medalist Nicholas Angelich is this weekend’s soloist. He was originally scheduled to play Schumann’s concerto but a recent injury to his right hand forced him and the orchestra to change plans. Instead the audience was treated to a dramatic reading of Ravel’s somber Concerto for the Left Hand.

In a wonderful collaborative effort Angelich and Fischer underscored the richly toned brooding character of the music. The playing by both the soloist and orchestra was nuanced and well balanced. Angelich showed his musicality in his sensitive and understated playing that captured the darkness of the music without being heavy handed. And that was mirrored in Fischer’s treatment of the orchestra as well. It was a perceptive and delicately crafted account that served the music well.

As a small bonus the concert ended with a delightful reading of the waltz from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty.