But the thematic thread which bound the works together provided a refreshingly different and thoroughly enjoyable evening, roundly applauded by a sold out house at the Lensic Center for the Performing Arts.

A dazzling performance of Manuel de Falla's El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) completed the first half of the concert. The plot concerns a young gypsy woman haunted by the spirit of her dead lover, one who is as jealous in death as he was in life. Essentially an orchestral work, it contains three songs, here graced by the clear, sweet and ever-appealing mezzo of Kirsten Lear, always something to look forward to. But as the songs rarely if ever rise above the lower half of her register, Lear was able to show another side of her prodigious vocal ability, exhibiting a raw emotional power and visceral sensuality filled with an exotic flamboyance that was truly captivating.

The Pantomime section, the seduction of the evil spirit, brought forth a variety of tender solos from both strings and winds, and the Danza del Terror (Dance of Terror) featured spicy trumpet playing. The Ritual Fire Dance, a highlight of the work and often performed as a separate piece in its own right, filled the room with vibrant ethnic colors and rhythms.

The second half brought to the stage German violinist Axel Strauss, a Santa Fe favorite for good reason. Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, a showpiece surely, is far more than a vacuous exercise in violin pyrotechnics, and Strauss played it with the classically controlled passion one would associate with a concerto movement, finishing with a fury of moto perpetuo. Sarasate’s Fantasy on themes from the opera Carmen was written for his own performances and represents the full spectrum of 19th century virtuoso technique. Strauss’ brilliant rendition was highlighted by celestial harmonics and cascading passagework encompassing the full range of the instrument.

Joaquin Turina considered himself more an internationalist than Spanish composer per se, and indeed Danzas Fantásticas is as much French as Spanish influenced. The second movement Ensueño (Dream) began liltingly, turning into wisps of impressionistic color and ultimately climaxing in the largest ensemble of the afternoon, only to return in reverse order. The final Orgia (Orgy) movement began with forceful rhythms and stark harmonies bordering the lavish and opulent harmonies of the middle section.

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