The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's concert Friday night didn't so much begin as it took off. Unfortunately, it didn't so much end as it did crash.

In between, thankfully, floated the otherworldly brilliance of violinist Joshua Bell.

Opening the concert was a fascinating work by the PSO's departing composer-of-the-year, Mason Bates. "Desert Transport" transformed Heinz Hall into the cockpit of a helicopter for Mr. Bates' musical reminiscence of the sights and feelings he encountered on a flight over the Sedona region of Arizona. Although it includes a recording of Pima Indian song in the last movement, the work is devoid of Mr. Bates' usual electronica but none of his characteristic imagination.

"Desert Transport" begins with the orchestra alluding to the rotors of the helicopter slowly turning before depicting the arid landscape, with its famed red rocks, seen from above. Bold brass, nuanced percussion and warm strings tell the story through sonic texture instead of melody. But as the copter neared Montezuma's Castle -- the famed cliff dwelling -- what was meant to be representative became poetic. The field recording of the Native American chant was accompanied by shakes and drums that audibly mirrored the helicopter's spinning rotors. Or maybe it was the other way around: a re-hearing that connected the past to the present, and nature to machine, in a profound way.

We talk of the standard repertoire as if it's all similar, but it's incredibly difficult to be good across the board like Mr. Bell is and has been for decades. We all have our favorites, but there isn't a violinist alive with his versatility at the highest level. His latest victory here was in Bernstein's "Serenade." Mr. Bell simply put his trademark long and heartfelt Romantic phrasing in his back pocket and reveled in the wit of this concerto (essentially what the piece is).

The full title is "Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium' " and the work is often thought of as a bit elitist. But in Mr. Bell's hands the music had Witz -- that Haydn-esque mix of serious and humor. From the silkiest of timbre in "Phaedrus" through the searching "Aristophanes" to the jazzy swirl of the Socrates, he treated his role as one of a gracious host to this motley crew of speakers at the famed "drinking party."

The high arc of the concert predicted a triumphant end: Brahms' Third Symphony impresses even on autopilot. But debuting conductor Juanjo Mena's directing dismantled the work.

His tempos were so slow that the parts that make up this glorious sum were laid bare. What should be sweeping strains were herks and jerks.

Even the talents of principal horn player William Caballero couldn't save the majestic horn solo in the third. Beyond the sluggishness of the tempo, Mr. Mena was far too controlling. The epic ambiance of the work never materialized. The musicians were constantly on the defensive trying to figure out what would come next.

A fantastic flight ended in a mayday call.

First Published: April 13, 2013, 4:00 a.m.