Symphony turns spotlight on duo

UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Friday, additional performance Saturday, 8 p.m., 355-2787.

Two of the Utah Symphony's own are the featured soloists at this weekend's Utah Symphony concerts under the baton of music director Keith Lockhart.

Associate concertmaster Leonard Braus was the first to be spotlighted. Playing Prokofiev's richly melodic Second Violin Concerto, Braus showed what a wonderfully talented musician he is.

Prokofiev's Second, stemming from one of the composer's most fruitful periods, is one of his most lyrical and romantic works. And Braus' playing emphasized the lush romanticism of the music.

Each of the concerto's three movements exudes a warm radiance that requires the utmost in nuanced and subtle playing. Braus' expressive utterances captured the lustrous phrases in an interpretation that was seamless in articulation and delivery.

The symphony's principal timpanist, George Brown, was the evening's second soloist. He had the distinction of premiering a new work by the American composer Dan Welcher. Welcher's Concerto for Timpani was commissioned by Utah Symphony & Opera and written expressly for Brown.

Concertos for timpani are decidedly a rarity, owing in part to the challenge of writing a work for an instrument of limited possibilities. However, Welcher overcame these difficulties and created a work that casts the timpani in a new light.

From the rhythmic vitality of the opening movement to the mellow tenderness of the second and the lilting flow of the finale, Welcher's concerto is a study in lyricism.

Brown gave a bravura performance, obviously enjoying the music and being in the spotlight. He was impressive with his flawless execution and delivery.

Another work by Welcher, his "Prairie Lights," opened the concert. The work was inspired by three of Georgia O'Keeffe's watercolors, and at this weekend's performances, the piece is accompanied by a video by videographer Jan Andrews.

"Prairie Lights" is an evocative piece, lushly tonal and nearly impressionistic in its orchestration and effect.

For those in the audience who prefer their music from the 19th century rather than the 20th or 21st, Lockhart accommodated them by concluding the concert with Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" overture. His interpretation captured the drama and passion of the music vividly.

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