Utah Arts Review

The Utah Symphony, playing to a nearly sold-out hall, opened its 2025-26 season Friday night with a pair of works that act as magnets to draw concertgoers into Abravanel Hall — Grieg’s ever-popular Piano Concerto in A minor and Schumann’s effervescent Symphony No. 1, “Spring.” Guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier, making her Utah Symphony debut, was on the podium and Orion Weiss, making a return appearance with the orchestra after a lengthy absence, was the soloist in the Grieg.

Weiss gave a captivating performance that captured the dramatic passion and melodic charm that infuses the work. In the opening movement Weiss’ phrasings underscored the overall lyricism of the music while bringing fiery passion to the virtuosic sections, all of which culminated in his intensely expressed playing of the cadenza.

Weiss made the most of the dreamy character of the slow movement’s opening theme, emphasizing its expressive, ethereal character with his sensitive and nuanced playing. 

Bihlmaier offered a well-balanced collaboration throughout and here coaxed subtle playing from the orchestra that complemented that of the soloist and contributed to bringing out the delicate charm of this movement.

The finale is filled with romantic fervor and Weiss gave a robust reading that contrasted well with his poignant playing in the more gentle sections. And once again Bihlmaier allowed the orchestra to mirror Weiss’ playing.

After the thunderous applause at the end of the concerto died down, Weiss returned onstage and gave a delicately sculpted account of Grieg’s Nocturne, Op. 54, no. 4, from Book 5 of his Lyric Pieces.  

Bihlmaier returned to the podium and elicited a dynamic reading of what is undoubtedly Schumann’s happiest symphony. Her interpretation captured the romantic ardor and youthful spirit that courses through each of the symphony’s four movements.

After a deliberately paced introduction to the first movement, the German conductor lightened things up with her bright tempo that brought out the exuberance and vitality of the first movement proper. Her direction infused the music with uninhibited joy and she elicited crisp and precise playing from her forces.

Bihlmaier kept the momentum going from the first movement into the following Larghetto. She captured the broad scope of this movement withdirection that allowed the music’s expressiveness to blossom.

In the Scherzo Bihlmaier’s sprightly tempo kept things light and fluid, while in the final movement her bold direction underscored the lively and vibrant elements of the music.

The concert opened with the Utah Symphony’s first performance of Olly Wilson’s Shango Memory. Written in 1995 for the New York Philharmonic, the short work is a colorful musical depiction of Shango, the West African god of thunder and lightning, and consequently relies heavily on percussion and brass for its dramatic effect. 

The music is also strident with dissonances freely thrown about and relentlessly driven with complex syncopated rhythms. Bihlmaier’s precise direction captured the fascinating and powerful character of Wilson’s music with remarkable clarity.    

The program will be repeated 7:30 p.m. Saturday. utahsymphony.org