London’s Royal Philharmonic took four standing ovations Sunday afternoon at Stephens Auditorium.

The conductor, Punchas Zukerman, a noted Israeli violinist and conductor, is in his ninth season as director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, according to his biography with the Royal Philharmonic.

His violently vibrant performance during Max Bruch’s famous “Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor” brought gasps from the packed auditorium and kept the crowd entranced throughout the beginning Allegro moderato movement to the more subdued Adagio and, finally, the immensely complex Allegro energicoc.

The bold opening movement of the concerto showcased Zukerman’s penchant for the dramatic, and, by the middle of the piece, Zukerman climbed, ever higher, on the mountain that was his violin’s register until he finally reached the summit with a series of high trills.

This piece was a logical progression from the opening piece, Edward Elgar’s (1857-1934) “Serenade for Strings.”

As the name suggests, “Serenade for Strings” showcases Elgar’s extensive experience employing the skills of the string sections. The first violin section, led by Stephanie Gonley, and the second violin section, led by Andrew Storey, was performed admirably and brought the complex harmony and melody to the forefront.

During the Larghetto movement, an impossibly lovely theme pervaded that ended with an immediate segue to the bold Allegretto movement that took up the original theme from the first Allegro piacevole.

The final piece of the evening was Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) “Symphony No. 4 in F Minor.”

This piece began with an orchestral aural burst that shook the seats of the auditorium. The opening startled several members of the audience and foretold the volatile nature of the piece.

According to the program, Tchaikovsky said “no one of [his] orchestral pieces was the result of such labour, but on no other [had he] worked with so much love and with such devotion.”

Tchaikovsky’s labor was manifest in an unexpected emotional gravity, which was foreshadowed in the initial burst and endured through the entire piece. The second and third movements of the piece held an almost dream-like quality, with the strings and horns repeatedly switching roles in midstream, like a married couple with an uncanny ability to finish each others’ sentences.

The final movement took up a frantic pace that ended the piece on a jubilant note, leaving the audience breathless.