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When was the last time you attended a concert in which an audience member walked up to the conductor, offering him a nip from his paper bag-enclosed libation or seen a mock bow-and-arrow war between string basses and cellos?

These antics and more happened at Saturday's "Vivaldi by Candlelight" concert — an annual event mistakenly thought to be a staid affair for gray hairs. The concert was held in Salt Lake City's candle-bedecked First Presbyterian Church — a benefit for the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy. Even though the venue accommodated a large audience, its soft light ambience and clear acoustics created the illusion of an intimate chamber music gathering.

The 15-piece orchestra of strings and harpsichord played with uncommon energy and precision, and conductor Gerald Elias' elegant but subdued baton technique conveyed volumes to musicians in terms of everything necessary to create a sublime evening.

Besides music by "The Red Priest" (Antonio Vivaldi), the program featured works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Biber and the transcription premiere of Giuseppe Tartini's sonata "Devil's Trill" by Elias, former Utah Symphony associate concertmaster. Elias, the "Candlelight" concert's music director, is also a successful novelist who named his first book after the Tartini piece.

Elias spread the technical gymnastics of this familiar solo violin work among the orchestra, but it still held enough potency to tax the orchestra. And as the title suggests, plenty of trills were sprinkled throughout the work, especially the final two movements. Concertmaster David Porter, a Utah Symphony violinist, astounded with his on-the-nose technical gymnastics.

Porter and Utah Symphony violinist Lynnette Stewart also soloed in Bach's Concerto in D for Two Violins. These musicians, usually heard as ensemble musicians, were remarkable solo artists with glowing, well-projected tone and flawless technique. The work's slow movement was especially arresting as the duo's melodic artistry floated gently above notes nudged along by the bass continuo. Bach's "Air" in D Major further gilded the melodic lily with authentic period articulation — more defined than the usual romanticized performances of this work.

The concert's most unusual selection was Biber's 1673 "Battalia a 9," a work that showed a composer with humor and creativity ahead of his time. With movements titled "Presto," "Der Mars" and "Die Schlacht" (The Battle), musicians stomped their feet in places and created cacophony by playing in several keys at once, prompting the aforementioned offer of a drink. The piece also depicted a war that included interesting percussive effects and involved the audience, stomping their feet and clapping. At the end, the same drink-bearing gentleman strode onto the stage and pulled the plug on the orchestra's desk lamps, throwing the stage into darkness.

The concert also featured three Vivaldi Sinfonias that highlighted this composer's effervescent energy and melodic inspiration. One in particular, Sinfonia in B Minor, "Al Santo Sepolcro," was unusual in its subtlety. The audience wasn't even sure when to clap, thinking there was more. But when they applauded at the end of the concert, hand-clapping, foot-stomping and cheers let the orchestra and conductor know their efforts had hit the mark. —

"Vivaldi by Candlelight"

R Music by Vivaldi, Bach, Biber and Tartini

Where • First Presbyterian Church

When • Saturday night

Duration • 75 minutes

Bottom Line • Wildly contrasting Baroque selections glittered like sonic holiday decorations.