UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Feb. 7; second performance 8 p.m. Feb. 8, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org 

Dmitri Shostakovich’s music is enigmatic. A lot can be read into it — everything from genuine impressions to fanciful speculation. All are perhaps equally valid; and peeling away the layers to try and find the composer’s true intentions is what makes his works so fascinating.

Being an artist in the Soviet Union put Shostakovich, arguably the greatest symphonist of the 20th century, in a terrible predicament. He had to toe the line for his music to be acceptable to the Soviet authorities, but, at the same time, retain his integrity as an artist. It was a delicate balancing act and it must have rankled him to have to be subjected to this.

But it’s precisely because of this that one can read so much into his music. Was Shostakovich merely a puppet, blindly following orders? Or did he secretly rebel against the strictures imposed on him by the authorities? Or is the answer somewhere in the middle?

Because of the sophistication of much of his orchestral and chamber works, the truth is probably the latter. He was able to appeal to different audiences; everyone can read what they like into his music. However, no one will every really know what Shostakovich was actually thinking — that was something he never revealed.

Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony is one such paradox. Written during the bleakest days of World War II, the work is dedicated to Leningrad, a city that had suffered horribly during the 900-day siege by the Nazi army. The symphony can be appreciated as a strong anti-Nazi work, and, by extension, as a powerful anti-war statement. But it can also be interpreted as an outcry against the brutality of totalitarianism. But no matter what one wants to believe about the Seventh, it is one of Shostakovich’s most moving and forceful works.

The Seventh is scored for a huge orchestra, which the composer, not unlike Mahler, uses as a reservoir from which to draw various chamber ensemble combinations and also to allow many of the instruments to be used soloistically. It’s a finely crafted work, and despite its immensity, and oftentimes high decibel level, is quite nuanced.

The symphony is on the program at this weekend’s Utah Symphony concerts. Under the baton of Thierry Fischer, the orchestra gave a stunningly vibrant and effusive performance, playing with passion and energy. The musicians were in command of the score and invested in the music. It was yet again another mesmerizing outing by this ensemble.

Fischer, for his part, showed uncanny depth and a keen sense of purpose in his interpretation. His account was expressively nuanced and emotionally charged; every phrase and every note held meaning for him, and he conveyed that compellingly to his orchestra. Shostakovich can at times be a bit heavy handed and Fischer’s account was certainly bold, but it was never exaggerated or excessive; everything was wonderfully balanced.

The concert opened with Mozart’s early Mass in C major, K. 167, Trinity, with the Utah Symphony Chorus and the University of Utah A Cappella Choir joining members of the Utah Symphony.