BUTLER TWP — “Far Away Places,” the Butler County Symphony Orchestra’s concluding concert of the season, transported listeners on a musical tour of Norway, Russia and Germany in grand style on Saturday night at Butler Intermediate High School.

Commencing with the familiar but pleasurable “Peer Gynt Suite” by Edvard Grieg, the orchestra performed with innovation and beauty. The opening flute solo was sweetly played by Patricia Zawadski and echoed by Gary Purifoy on the oboe.

Conductor Matthew Kraemer led the movement perfectly, managing to keep it delicate yet flowing.

The second movement “The Death of Ase” conveyed solemnity without becoming ponderous. The lower-voiced instruments introduced the initial theme and it was adopted by the rest of the orchestra as they quietly merged into the melody.

By contrast, “Anitra’s Dance” was simultaneously quick-paced and seductive. The violins set the tempo with light pizzicato and lilting phrases that floated like silk on a breeze. Longer, sustained notes hovered at the end of the movement as the triangle sounded brightly to bring the dance to a close.

Most well-known of all, the final movement “In the Hall of the Mountain King” started with strong but subdued pulsing melody. Growing in both volume and speed, it quickly advanced to a wild swirling celebration. Percussion, strings and woodwinds combined to portray lightning flashes as the bassoons strutted the melody.

Next were excerpts from Alexander Borodin’s “Prince Igor.” The “March” is less frequently heard and therefore somewhat surprising as it is not militaristic but sprightly in tone. The woodwinds and strings alternated in playing the initial motif which gradually increased in tempo with the addition of percussion.

A change of mood resulted in the still-quick but more-sedate second theme before reverting to the original melody.

Most famous are the “Polovtsian Dances.” The opening dialogue of percussion and woodwinds hinted at the bacchanalia to follow. The next theme, popularized as “Stranger in Paradise,” was appropriately fluid and sultry. And the third dance, introduced by the French horns, brought the work to a fever pitch as drums, strings and brass joined the ecstatic gyrations.

While playing overly-familiar works such as the Grieg and the Borodin can carry the danger of being trite, the first half of the concert was fresh and exciting due to masterful leadership on the part of Kraemer and superb execution by the orchestra.

Virtuoso Enrique Graf was the undeniable star of the evening. His own pedigree of international education, performance and acclaim could be the template for the “Far Away Places” theme. Born in Uruguay and educated there as well as in the United States, Graf has earned accolades throughout the musical world. His appearance with the Butler symphony was the ideal capstone to the season.

Graf’s elegant interpretation of Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major” was enchanting. Introducing the “Allegro Moderato” movement with a complex but quietly played phrase, Graf and the orchestra handed the music with increasingly complex variations.

The second movement, “Andante con moto,” was more sedate in tempo and featured more drama in the piano solos.

“Rondo: Vivace” showed off Beethoven’s whimsical nature while it allowed Graf and the orchestra to conjure up a bit of razzle-dazzle. The initial melody was repeated and embellished as it increased in speed and excitement. Ending with a throbbing pulse, the work was spirited and exultant.

Throughout the performance of the Concerto, Graf and Kraemer visually consulted each other to blend the solo instrument with the orchestra in excellent balance. The result was a completely satisfying finale to the evening’s musical tour de force and received a well-deserved standing ovation.