Program shift yields captivating music

Things have a way of going their own way, and so it was with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s captivating performance Friday.

When conductor Ben Gernon had to withdraw from the concerts, Stefan Asbury stepped in, and requested changing the program’s first piece from Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan” to Zoltan Kodaly’s “Dances of Galánta,” which he felt made a better pairing with the Gyorgy Ligeti Concerto for Violin and Orchestra that followed.

It was an effective pairing, and a beautifully played concert as well.

Violinist Augustin Hadelich joined Asbury and a small ensemble of orchestra members for a fascinating performance of Ligeti’s concerto.

The piece is a technical tour de force for the solo violin, including the slippery sounds of the player slurring through passages of harmonics. Hadelich gave a masterful performance, full of the excitement and enthusiasm of someone sharing something that they’re excited for the listener to hear.

The concerto was preceded by a terrifically vivid rendition of Kodaly’s “Dances,” which included lovely solos from several orchestra members, including some particularly lyrical lines from principal clarinet Todd Levy.

The program closed with an emphatic, beautifully rendered performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, feeling a bit like a reunion with an old friend after the Ligeti concerto.

This MSO performance will be repeated at 8 p.m. Saturday in Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. Tickets: mso.org or (414) 273-7206.