This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Utah Symphony has an unexpected guest this weekend after the boss, Thierry Fischer, called in sick. Andrew Litton, the highly credentialed music director of the New York City Ballet, stepped in on a couple of hours' notice earlier this week to lead the orchestra in a program of Elgar and Ravel.

The soloist is 23-year-old Japanese violinist Fumiaki Miura, already a favorite at Abravanel Hall. Miura's solo vehicle in his third Utah Symphony appearance is the daunting Elgar Violin Concerto, twice as long as a typical violin concerto and deceptively difficult. Not only did the violinist hold his own against Elgar's weighty and colorful orchestration, he did so with appealing musicality and an unfailingly sweet tone.

Litton got to know Elgar's music well during his six seasons with the Bournemouth Symphony in England, and he led the Utah Symphony with an expert hand in the concerto as well as in a lively but unsentimental reading of the composer's ultrafamiliar "Pomp and Circumstance" March No. 1.

The evening's other major work was Ravel's famous orchestration of Mussorgsky's piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition." As an added point of interest, principal trombonist Mark Davidson played the "Bydlo" solo (depicting an ox cart) on the same French tuba that was featured on the U.S. premiere of Ravel's "Pictures" nearly a century ago. Regardless of whether the listener was aware of the instrument's provenance, Davidson's heartfelt performance was one of the high points of the suite, along with Travis Peterson's trumpet solos and Daron Bradford's saxophone playing in the "Old Castle" section.

There's an extra "picture" in this weekend's concerts, thanks to a clever programming choice by Fischer (an idea Litton said he'll probably borrow in the future): Pierre Boulez's colorful orchestration of Ravel's 2-minute "Frontispice" led into the "Exhibition" without pause.

Litton acknowledged each section of the orchestra with solo bows at the end of Friday's concert, and the small but appreciative Abravanel crowd responded with the kinds of whoops and cheers normally heard at sporting events. —

Utah Symphony

Music of Ravel/Mussorgsky, Boulez/Ravel and Elgar.

With • Conductor Andrew Litton and violinist Fumiaki Miura

When • Reviewed Friday, April 7; repeats Saturday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Where • Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Running time • About 2 hours, including intermission

Tickets • $26-$87; discounts for students, under-30s and groups; utahsymphony.org