MUSIC REVIEW : PIANISTS AX, PREVIN JOIN THE STRINGS

Catch as catch can is often a working directive of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, especially as regards its Chamber Music Society.

Thus, Andre Previn was shrewd enough to ask his soloist of last week, Emanuel Ax, to linger until Tuesday, when both pianists joined three of the orchestra’s string players for a little foray into musical intimacy in Gindi Auditorium at the University of Judaism.

It’s not easy, however, to build a program that capitalizes on the talent at hand and is generally viable, too. But sometimes the charm of chamber music has more to do with whimsy than the strictest balance.

In that light, Previn and Ax opened the proceedings with a bit of duet playing: three Military Marches by Schubert. This listener, at least, was tickled by the happenstance of two stellar musicians romping light-heartedly at the keyboard--like friends who sit down for an impromptu living-room fling. Taken in that vein, the choice had merit and the performance was certainly dexterous.

The stakes were higher, though, for violinist Mark Kashper, violist Dale Hikawa and cellist Gloria Lum, who completed the evening’s two piano quartets. A rare solo opportunity like this translates to serious business for musicians used to being part of a 100-member crowd.

With that in mind, they did well. Nothing in the Juilliard or Guarneri league, to be sure--but honest, pleasing traversals of the music before them. Previn officiated at the keyboard for Mozart’s E-flat Quartet, K. 493, which spotlights the piano, and held to a reading of small scale and subdued tone.

Violinist Kashper’s bowing technique seemed less than ideally steady, but his expressive poise compensated and there was real satisfaction in hearing the string trio’s sensitively wrought interaction as the piano part left off.

After intermission came Brahms’ beloved C-minor Quartet, Opus 60, with Ax at the piano. The sheer tempestuousness of it provided a welcome release from Mozartean constraints. Still, a residue of timidity--the kind common to those unaccustomed to frequent exposure--settled over some of the quieter parts.