As always in the past, the specific contours of Idyllwild Arts’ Lowman Concert Hall prove more than receptively ideal for the projection and preservation of string sonority, whether in chamber music or in a full orchestral complement. Thus, the stage was set for the Idyllwild debut of that intriguingly-titled ensemble known as “Delirium Musicum” this past Friday evening.

The concert program itself, though somewhat hampered by technical glitches, mainly resulting in an unavailable printed program, nevertheless began with all forces at the ready. Consisting of four first violins, three second violins, two violas, two cellos, one double bass and an electronic keyboard (that last kept to a respectable mezzoforte when needed), and under the extraordinarily superior guidance of Artistic Director/Concertmaster Etienne Gara, an audience-rousing rendition of Bela Bartok’s “Romanian Folk Dances” was essayed.

There followed a somewhat more subdued set of folk-inspired melodies from Korean composer Jisoo Lee titled “Jindo Arirang,” with harp (or zither) plucked strings and drawn-out chordal structures in its more mournful sections; a fitting apposite to the opening work.

The subsequent pieces reflected contrasting Western musical styles, and generally proceeding within established 19th-century formats. A string arrangement of Isaac Albeniz’s “Asturias” (from the “Leyendas” piano suite) by Italian composer Gianluca Bersanetti provided listeners with more than enough Spanish verve, particularly in the lower strings’ guitar rhythms. And with Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skorryk’s “Melody,” one felt the yearning for both musical and political stability in his native land, with a just amount of hidden nostalgia for better times.

The undoubted highlight of the night’s program was a performance of the “Winter” concerto from Antonio Vivaldi’s “4 Seasons.” In a somewhat scaled-down realization by Max Richter, the music itself lost none of its programmatic depictions of the bitter cold of a Venetian winter; icy winds, frosty calm and all, and with the more than capable manual dexterity of Gara, all three movements provided a singularly thrilling concert experience.

There followed a “Divertimento” in four short movements by composer Leo Weiner, each based on themes from different regions in Hungary; what was especially noteworthy here was the use of a muted solo violin in the 3rd movement, with the concertmasters’ brilliant execution.

An uncredited string arrangement of Claude Debussy’s “Golliwog’s Cakewalk” (from the “Children’s Corner” piano suite) ensued, with both the jazz-influenced rhythms and the subtle Wagnerian quotation intact. Those two works proved to be somewhat of a breather for the intrepid artistic director, for the last programmed work was the more energized final movement of Phillip Glass’s “Violin Concerto #2” (subtitled “The American Four Seasons”). Gara’s display of rapid fingerboard work was equally as dazzling as the hyper-Vivaldi composition progressed; even in the relatively calm and meditative portions, the technical virtuosity (if not “delirium”) was readily observed and absorbed.

Full-scale audience approbation followed; and as an encore, the group essayed an original Gianluca Bersanetti piece called “Bouffon Acrobatique,” which proved again (as in his Albeniz arrangement) a neo-Italian Baroque venture reminiscent of Domenico Scarlatti (or better, Luigi Boccherini), also perhaps as an unintended homage to both composers, as well as a referral to Erik Satie’s similarly titled morceaux.

All in all, the dizziness of the night was dispersed, and this listener wishes the ensemble the best in its future musical endeavors.