“No musician today is better equipped to play than the minstrel-like Power,” says the Financial Times of violist Lawrence Power.

The Aspen audience was wowed by this British-born musician’s artistry in recent years when he played the Bartók Concerto. He returns for James MacMillan’s 2013 concerto which the composer dedicated to Power. The piece has received critical acclaim; the Daily Observer called it “a major contribution to the repertoire.” You’ll hear soaring passages for the soloist and bold orchestral colors, with the bright timbres of harp, xylophone, vibraphone, and tubular bells contrasting with mellow string sounds.

Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, his most popular orchestral work, was one of his last. It was commissioned as a showcase for the Boston Symphony Orchestra while the composer was ill. This opportunity revitalized Bartók, and in only two months, the work was complete. By using the word “concerto,” Bartók meant that the individual sections of the orchestra were often treated soloistically and allowed to shine. The first movement is heavily influenced by the folk themes and rhythms of Bartok’s native Hungary, which near the end are played backwards, forwards, and upside down. In the second movement, subtitled Presentation of Couples, pairs of wind instruments and muted trumpets are each given their own theme, which later return embellished by additional instruments. The splendid finale with its brass fanfares and intricate fugue brings the work to a thrilling conclusion.

Be swept away by a mesmerizing soloist and revel in the color and power of the orchestra with this invigorating program.