The note on the Utah Symphony website ominously stated “THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CHANGED DUE TO COVID CASES AND ORCHESTRA EXPOSURE”.

In fact, the orchestra’s planned program of challenging 20 ^e and 21 ^st the music of the century was abandoned entirely for an evening of music from the romantic period. On Monday, symphonic musicians sitting near colleagues who tested positive for Covid were told to stay home this week, and the orchestra, guest conductor Alexandre Bloch and guest violinist Nemanja Radulovic rushed to find new pieces that would work with about a third of the orchestra missing.

Instead of a 2008 piece by Finnish composer Kaija Saahiaho titled winter sky , Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra; they settled on Faure Pavane Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn Italian symphony. Despite the turbulent circumstances, the concert was a spectacular success, marked by several standing ovations from the grateful audience.

Bloch, who is based in France, took a moderate approach to Fauré in his Utah debut, focusing on finding the right balance with pizzicato strings and carefully blended woodwinds. When the strings took on the melody, they sounded soft but restrained, devoid of the shimmering, full sound often achieved under musical director Thierry Fischer. Overall, the rendition was serene, with conscientious phrasing, but not enough dynamic variation to make it memorable.

The Tchaikovsky, on the other hand, featured every dynamic level and mood imaginable. Dressed in Doc Marten combat boots, dramatically flared pants at the bottom, a scoop-neck silk shirt and a tuxedo jacket – all jet black – Radulovic, whose biography describes him as “Serbian-French”, gave a rendition that was idiosyncratic and sometimes indulgent but musically sensible. Without the demanding circumstances, it is unlikely that the orchestra would have programmed Tchaikovsky’s concerto, having performed it in February with the young phenomenon Daniel Lozakovich. Yet compared to Lozakovich’s restrained, naturalistic rendition, it hardly felt like the same room.

Throughout the concerto, Radulovic’s tone was clear and straight, with very little vibrato, which facilitated his legato articulation as he dug into each melodic line. He also took extreme liberties with the tempo, which Bloch did his best to follow. His entry into the first movement was stern and deadly serious, but he played the return of the main theme playfully, with sudden drops in volume and exaggerated flourish. Between dazzling passages, his first cadence of movement featured moments where he played extremely softly – almost inaudibly.

Bloch led the moody Canzonetta movement without a stick, shaping each phrase with his large hands. Due to its small numbers, the orchestra had a trombone filling in one of the horn parts (which the score allows “for small ensembles”), but the mix of woodwinds and brass remained exquisite as it gave the tone at Radulovic’s discreet entry. . Shortly after entering, he turned and faced concertmaster Madeleine Adkins, and the string section seemed to respond to the gesture by mirroring the swells in his phrasing. The play built ominously, exploding in the finale with a passionate outburst from Radulovic.

The violinist’s dazzling technique and precise articulation were on full display in the spirited third movement. The orchestra rose with Radulovic in exuberant moments and followed him to the climactic finish. His encore was a stunning rendition of Paganini’s famous Caprice No. 24, which showed off his technique and musicality even more than the Tchaikovsky.

For Bloch and the orchestra, the highlight of the evening was their transcendent rendition of Mendelssohn Italian symphony. Bloch took out his baton for the first movement, and from its dynamic start he shaped each phrase to a joyful climax. He paid particular attention to articulation, playing the galloping minor key sections in crisp staccato, ensuring that two-note slurs had clear cutoffs, and playing longer, rising phrases in warm legato. Bloch put down his baton again for the second movement, which was a study in balance, blending, and counterpoint. He constructed clear sentences above a well-formulated moving line in the double bases, to haunting effect.

The orchestra sang throughout the earthy third movement and danced throughout the exuberant fourth movement, nailing the dotted rhythms that propelled the piece to its thrilling conclusion. Bloch may have been hoping to tackle the intended Bartók, but it was a good thing for the audience that he – and the orchestra – had the Mendelssohn in their back pockets in case of an emergency.

This revised schedule will be repeated at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. www.usuo.org

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