Utah Arts Review

Markus Poschner, the Utah Symphony’s music director designate, is back in Abravanel Hall this weekend to close out the symphony’s season. 

On Friday, the German-born conductor, who is an ardent advocate of Bruckner’s music, gave a spectacular account of the Austrian composer’s Symphony No. 4, “Romantic,” that captured the work’s scope and breadth. One can only hope that when Poschner finally steps into his position, starting with the 2027-28 season, that Bruckner’s music will be on the menu more frequently here than it has under previous music directors.

Poschner’s reading of the opening movement was expansive, allowing the music to unfold at a leisurely pace while sculpting carefully structured crescendos that were imposing, yet had a finely tuned balance among the instrumental sections that never let the brass be overpowering.

The second movement was notable for the richness of the string playing, particularly from the violas and cellos. Poschner once again took the tempo at a broadly laid out pace that encapsulated the sweeping melodic phrases and underscored the romantic sensibilities of the music. And the conductor integrated the interplay between sections into a densely woven, cohesive whole.

The third movement scherzo was marked by robust and rhythmically precise playing by the orchestra, especially by the brass, that contrasted wonderfully with the simpler, folk-like tunes of the trio section.   

In the closing movement, Poschner created strong contrasts between the quieter, chamber-like passages and the powerful tutti sections that brought definition to Bruckner’s vision of this movement. Poschner took the finale at a brisk tempo that helped create an immense soundscape, underscored by resonant brass playing and a sonorous string sound. 

The only other work on this weekend’s program is Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, “The Egyptian.” Soloist is Youl Sun, the gold medal winner of the 2024 Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition. 

The concerto’s outer movements place great technical demands on the soloist, presenting a demonic minefield of technical challenges. At Friday’s performance the young pianist put his formidable chops on display. There is no question that Sun’s mastery of his instrument is impressive, but in order to be a well-rounded performer he needs to refocus his talents and hone his musicality.

In the opening movement there was an obvious disconnect between the soloist and the orchestra, with Sun consistently overpowering the ensemble with his forceful, over-the-top hammering on the keyboard. Whereas Poschner had the orchestra play with nuanced expression and dynamics, as much as that was possible to discern over Sun’s playing, Sun had only one dynamic—fortissimo —even in the softer, lyrical passages.  

The same held true in the third movement, although the interaction between the soloist and orchestra was somewhat better here than in the first movement. Sun’s playing wasn’t as brutal here, although there still wasn’t any refinement in his interpretation.

Fortunately, the slow middle movement fared better. There was a more balanced musical connection between him and Poschner, and Sun did show some depth in his dynamic range and expressions. 

Sun also played an encore, a beautifully expressed reading of Debussy’s mesmerizing “La fille aux cheveux de lin” that was actually the highpoint of his playing. He belatedly showed that he does possess a keen sense of musical expression and fluid lyricism. 

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