In 1988, University students stood in line, some for more than 14 hours, simply to buy tickets for the Vienna Philharmonic. Last Thursday at Hill Auditorium, crowds eagerly welcomed the symphony back to Ann Arbor for the first time since.

The orchestra performed under the leadership of guest conductor, Riccardo Muti, with the singular sophistication that has characterized the orchestra since it was founded in 1842.

The program began with Franz Shubert's buoyant and playful "Overture to Rosamunde." The piece alternates between gentle harmonies and triumphant bursts of lively strings, setting the tone for a spirited and mood-lifting performance.

Though Muti appeared rather reserved through the first piece, his enthusiasm seemed to grow exponentially during "Mozart's Symphony No. 35," a fitting choice as the musical world celebrates Mozart's 250th birthday this year. Originally written for a wedding, each of the upbeat movements reflects a different feeling of jovial exuberance. Muti commanded the fourth movement "Presto" with impressive energy, meeting Mozart's challenge on a dynamic and fast-paced section.

A shift in the show's mood came with "Symphony No. 4," written by a 19-year old Shubert and appropriately subtitled "Tragic." But the contrast between the two dramatic and thundering movements left the audience feeling less tearful than contemplative.

Muti brought out the entire orchestra, with musicians covering every foot of the stage to complete the program with bold distinction. The last piece, "Death and Transfiguration" by Richard Strauss, was a truly mood-altering experience meant to elucidate a victory over the physical body in the afterlife. Though critics of his time doubted Strauss's ability to transform poetry into music, contemporary listeners are undeniably humbled by the explosive sounds of the piece. The composition uses melody as a means to illustrate what most would consider a literary or philosophical idea.

Maestro Muti's conducting talent has taken him around the world, from Italy, home of the legendary La Scala Opera in Milan, to the United States, where he has lead the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Philharmonic. A recipient of a seemingly endless list of honors, Muti has even been awarded with the Golden Ring, presented to him by the Vienna Philharmonic.

"Tradition can be a hard thing to bear," said Steven Whiting, Music Associate Prof. at Thursday's Prelude Dinner, but the Vienna Philharmonic seems to do it very well. As one of the most conservative musical societies in the world, this orchestra represents a rich European history that often seems old fashioned to the rest of the world.

The orchestra was widely criticized for much of the 20th century for prohibiting Jews from becoming members, and later for its non-admittance of women and minorities. Even at Thursday's performance, only three women played among a stage of men. Though the idea was to retain the look of the originally all-white, male European musical group, the Vienna Philharmonic has since gradually begun (however hesitantly) to offer acceptance to a wider range of musicians.

The Vienna Philharmonic, Whiting said, plays with an "aesthetic and cultural authority that perhaps no other ensemble in the world can equal." Even in Vienna, the orchestra's stomping ground, Whiting jokes that "(season tickets) are so impossible to get ... you can get them only by inheriting them."

The Vienna Philharmonic concluded its short stay in the United States with a concert in Houston, and will continue its tour in Mexico before returning home to Vienna at the end of the month.