Tonight the guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru plugged the Seattle Symphony into the good juice. The program:

1. Lili Boulanger: "D'un matin de printemps"

   A short but colorful piece for large orchestra that shows a knack for orchestration.

2. Elgar: Violin Concerto (with Vilde Frang on violin)

   I find it difficult to like this music, but Măcelaru charged into it, never letting it turn soggy, and giving it a vivid emotional arc. The orchestration tends to overwhelm the violin but perhaps that's part of the struggle.

3. Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3

   I like the 1930's twang of this symphony, but in some hands it can turn maudlin. Not here. I really liked what Măcelaru did with it, again shaping it urgently, sans schlock, granting certain sections more meaning from the context. And there were risks, especially in spots where he let the music twiddle its thumbs as if unsure where to go next. There are some incomparable moments in this symphony — one in particular, which only happens once, is towards the end of the finale: when the wind instruments cascade over each other and the horns pulse from within. So good!