Partnership yields an electric show

Spanish conductor, cellist collaborate for a gorgeous concerto

If there’s one sure thing on the Bay Area classical music scene these days, it has to be Pablo Heras-Casado’s annual visits to Davies Symphony Hall.

The Spanish conductor, who made his San Francisco Symphony debut in 2010, returned to Davies Hall on Wednesday night to lead the Symphony players in stylish, bravura performances of Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 in D minor, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A major.

There was nothing particularly new or unusual about the program itself, but Heras-Casado’s assured, electrifying leadership made each work resonate with fresh energy.

The results were especially brilliant in the first half’s performance of Schumann’s Cello Concerto. With Alisa Weilerstein as the impassioned soloist, the composer’s 1850 score, of- ten dismissed as a work of Romantic excess, emerged sounding fierce, uncommonly intense and irresistibly gorgeous.

In recent years, Weilerstein, 34, has become one of the music world’s most valued cellists. For those who witnessed her early Bay Area outings as a gifted prodigal talent, it’s been a pleasure to see her mature into an artist of formidable presence and musical distinction.

At Wednesday’s concert, which repeats through Saturday evening, Weilerstein gave an immersive performance, making Schumann’s concerto the program’s decided high point.

Weilerstein and HerasCasado, whose recent recording of Shostakovich cello concertos has earned glowing reviews, were great partners in this score.

Cellist and conductor were clearly in accord from the opening measures of the first movement, ushered in on woodwinds and pizzicato strings.

Heras-Casado observed Schumann’s tempo marking – “Nicht zu schnell” (Not too fast) – but Weilerstein’s richly colored sound and unerring interpretive skills conferred an apt sense of turbulence on the proceedings. With Heras-Casado applying painterly dabs of orchestral color, the billowing strings, piquant woodwinds and shapely horns all made expressive contributions.

The concerto’s linked movements unfold without interruption. Weilerstein’s playing bloomed with warmth and feeling in the central slow movement, yielding a tender duet with the symphony’s principal cellist, Michael Grebanier. The finale bristled with energy; with Weilerstein sounding assured and vivacious in Schumann’s challenging time shifts, Heras-Casado brought the performance to a dazzling close.

The rest of the program was just as impressive. After intermission, the Dvorak symphony received a dynamic reading. HerasCasado, named Musical America’s 2014 Conductor of the Year, led the ensemble with a combination of precision and ebullience that made everything in the score sound spontaneous. Each section made heroic contributions; the woodwinds, voicing with sylvan beauty in the Adagio, were the standouts.

The symphony hadn’t played Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 since 2004, and it got Wednesday’s program off to a terrific start. From the exuberant first movement to the zesty finale, HerasCasado enforced a firm rhythmic profile, drawing transparent textures and a brilliant range of dynamics from the score.

The second movement Andante, with its lovely theme for oboes, was notable for its quiet serenity; best of all was the witty third movement Menuetto. No mushy Mozart for this conductor; everything in his performance was characteristically crisp and clear. Contact Georgia Rowe at growe@pacbell.net.