UTAH SYMPHONY, LOUISE VICKERMAN, HARP, KEITH LOCKHART, CONDUCTOR, Abravanel Hall, Jan. 28; additional performance Jan. 29, 8 p.m.,  tickets at 801-355-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org

With his harp concerto, “Four Angels,” Mark Adamo has taken the harp out of the salon and into the real world. This isn’t background music but music that grabs listeners and thrusts them into a world they haven’t explored yet. It might be about angels, but the work is devilish — bold, loud and brash and contrary to everything one might associate with angels and harps. But there are also moments where the music is gorgeously lush and romantic. The work leaves a strong impression and the feeling that it could be something that eventually finds a permanent spot in the repertoire. It certainly deserves it.

This weekend, “Four Angels” received its first performance in Utah (and only its second since its 2007 premiere) with Louise Vickerman and the Utah Symphony under former music director Keith Lockhart.

Vickerman gave a stunning account at Friday’s concert. Her consummate artistry and impeccable technique were put to good use in this demanding work that not only asks a lot of the harpist in terms of technical polish and special effects but also in demanding a keen sense of expression and finely honed musicality. And Vickerman certainly delivered on all counts.

The concerto is in four movements each dedicated to a specific angel. The slow third movement focuses on Mary, the queen of heaven, and is an ethereal, captivating piece of music that contains some exquisite writing for harp and orchestra and is the highpoint of the work. Vickerman played it with feeling and beautifully phrased lyricism.

The other major work on this weekend’s program is the complete ballet score of Igor Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella.” The composer’s first neo-classical work, it is a conscious throwback to the mid-18th century. Stravinsky cleverly evokes the era by using tunes that have been attributed to Giovanni Pergolesi, but he gives them a modern twist by wrapping them in pungent and occasionally dissonant harmonies.

The small orchestra is frequently treated soloistically and the musicians played with finely crafted and executed phrasings and cleanly defined articulation.

The three vocal soloists were also excellent. Mezzo-soprano Deborah Domanski, tenor Lawrence Jones and bass Jeffrey Tucker sang with expressiveness and lyricism.

The concert opened with excerpts from the two orchestral suites from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.”