TIME FOR THREE, UTAH SYMPHONY, Friday

Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique" was the advertised draw for Friday night's Utah Symphony concert. That got people in the door. But what really wowed the crowd was the first half of the program, guest artists Time for Three.

After having shown what they can do in a chamber setting, violinist Zachary De Pue, violinist Nick Kendall and bassist Ranaan Meyer showcased their artistry with the orchestra.

The piece they chose was an original by Meyer, "The American Suite." Reminiscent of Copland in sound and spirit, the work evoked the sound of classic Americana in both the detail of the folk music and the broad sweeps. The blend of American folk, bluegrass and jazz idioms came together in a fresh, creative and authentic way.

"The American Suite" was set in kind of a concerto grosso form, which allowed the two entities — the orchestra and the trio — to take turns, the latter using urns as a springboard for improvisation.

All three musicians are gifted, musical and obviously love what they do. And when they keep their classical chops and forget their classical roots to play bluegrass the way it's meant to be played — albeit ramped up a bit, thanks to their superior technique — it's marvelous.

It was easy to see that bassist Meyer took great delight in bringing the orchestra back after some prodigiously fast fiddling in the "Orange Blossom Special" movement when he yelled out, "one, two, one-two-three-four!" The program as a whole was bookended by Berlioz.

The concert started with a lively performance of "Roman Carnival Overture." And, of course, the second half featured his "Symphonie Fantastique."

Conductor David Cho led the orchestra in a performance of this piece that was fine, if not "fantastic." There was nothing terribly flawed, but the last two movements, especially, could have been a lot zippier. This ultra-romantic music cries out for the music to be scarier, more dramatic and more grotesque.

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