Utah Arts Review – Violinist Philippe Quint delivers fiery advocacy with Litton, Utah Symphony

by Gregory M. Walz

The Utah Symphony and guest conductor Andrew Litton have a decades-old relationship that  goes back over thirty years. Litton debuted with the orchestra in November 1987 as a young and up-and-coming maestro and has appeared several times since. The Utah Symphony musicians, and the local audiences seem to enjoy his unostentatious conducting and interpretations, as well as his direct and approachable personality.

Friday night’s Utah Symphony concert led by Litton in Abravanel Hall revealed the fruits of his current position with New York City Ballet Orchestra as well as his experience in crafting dramatic performances.  It was an exciting evening, albeit with some performances more successful than others.

The evening began with the “Three Dances” from Leonard Bernstein’s Fancy Free.The Utah Symphony has performed the complete 1944 ballet several times over the decades, most recently in 2015.  The more commonly excerpted “Three Dances” include a Waltz, Danzon, and Galop, which showcase some of Bernstein’s most intuitively natural and convincing art.  

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