The first time we encountered German-born cellist Johannes Moser was last summer at Chautauqua, when he delivered some first-rate Shostakovich.

So, it was with great anticipation that we approached his weekend appearances with the Colorado Symphony in Boettcher Hall - even though his vehicle was Elgar's magnificent Concerto, a work programmed with some frequency by the CSO.

Alisa Weilerstein has played it, as has Yo-Yo Ma (unforgettably, on the night after 9/11).

With a brilliant technique and inescapable charisma, Moser all but erased the memory of those performances, delivering an impassioned reading that pushed every emotional button of this intensely personal work - written in response to the tragedy of World War I.

From the yearning cadenza that opens (and closes) the work, through every twisting, turning mood change, Moser brought drama and pathos to Elgar's music. This is hardly a virtuoso showpiece, but one that demands impeccable playing and a wide color range. There wasn't a false moment in this engrossing reading.

Guest conductor Raymond Leppard (filling in for the ailing Jeffrey Kahane) responded by leading the CSO in a brilliant, nuanced accompaniment.

Following this riveting performance, Moser returned to play the introspective Sarabande from Bach's First Suite - a reading that proved as heartfelt and profound as the Elgar that preceded it.

Leppard began and ended the evening with more music from the British Isles. He opened with an ingratiating reading of Vaughan Williams' beloved Greensleeves Fantasia (reading to us the song's text beforehand), followed by Delius' The Walk to the Paradise Garden, capturing the work's evocative dreaminess.

Following intermission, Leppard nimbly stitched together the four ever-lovely movements of Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony, a piece inspired by the composer's visit to Scotland.

Here, the conductor captured the buoyant charm and lyrical warmth of this tuneful work. Tempos were ideally chosen, and the venerable maestro (who turns 80 this year) maintained a wonderful sense of balance and pacing.

Seemingly unfazed by the passing of years, Leppard was fully in charge of every musical detail. Yet he remained relaxed enough to smile through the jig-like second movement.

We should all be so happy at our work at that age.

Colorado Symphony

• Grade: A

• When and where: Repeated at 7:30 p.m. today and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Boettcher Hall, 14th and Curtis streets.

• Cost: $15 to $67.50

• Information: 303-623-7876

• Of note: Guest conductor Raymond Leppard led music by Vaughan Williams, Delius, Elgar and Mendelssohn.

Marc Shulgold is the music and dance writer. Shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com