Among the musical delights offered at the Kravis Center this season, the concert by Pinchas Zukerman and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Jan. 2 was particularly memorable.

It proved that an excellent group need not resort to gimmicks nor clever marketing to engage an audience and send it home happy. The program was thoughtfully constructed to feature deities both mythical and musical, but this connection was left to the listeners to realize.

The selections all came from the early 19th century, when attitudes toward the arts were shifting from the absolute beauty of the 18th century to the more raw emotions of the 19th. No piece more exemplified this change than the opening work, Weber's Overture to Oberon, from 1826. Zukerman and the orchestra gave it a reading that had the grace of the 18th century mixed with the burgeoning emotional qualities of the 19th; this must have been how it was heard before the Wagnerians got their hands on it.

The two Beethoven works on the program laid bare the roots of the Romantic era. The Seventh Symphony, which Wagner called "the apotheosis of the dance," is a perfect outburst of joy that throws off 18th century propriety but never stoops to musical storytelling.

As a finale, Zukerman led Beethoven's D Major Violin Concerto from the solo violin as only someone of his experience could. He knows the work so well, it was truly a dialogue with the orchestra.

No multimedia projections or cheesy titles were needed this evening, just the very best music and musicians equal to the task.

Michael O'Connor holds a degree in historical musicology from Florida State University. He is an assistant professor of music at Palm Beach Atlantic University.