MUSIC REVIEW : China Central Philharmonic Has Local Debut in Pasadena

The most fascinating part of the local debut by the Central Philharmonic of China, Thursday night in Ambassador Auditorium, Pasadena, was the opening work on the program.

That pungent overture, a noisy but engaging, post-Ivesian, eight-minute piece called “Duo Ye” is the work of a 30-year-old, female, Chinese composer named Chen Yi.

Now in the midst of its inaugural U.S. visit, the orchestra from mainland China--founded in the late 1950s but 20 years later silenced for the decade of the Cultural Revolution--is a novelty: a touring body of Asian musicians playing symphonic music of the Western tradition.

But once the listener has experienced the novelty, as on Thursday night when the Chinese ensemble preceded its formal program with a waltzy, oddly phrased “Star-Spangled Banner” (before playing its own National Anthem), interest may begin to wane.

That is what happened after the anthems, and Chen Yi’s interesting tidbit. The orchestra’s sometimes charming, usually only adequate, playing of Ravel’s G-major Piano Concerto and Shostakovich’s monumental Fifth Symphony did not often tend to grab the listener.

The fault may or may not lie with Zuohuang Chen, the young American-trained principal conductor of this ensemble for the last year. Chen’s podium manner--remarkably reminiscent of the style of one of his mentors, Seiji Ozawa--is intense, emotional, extravagant.

The young orchestra is still growing, still finding its ensemble personality. At this point in its history the woodwind soloists are the weakest link in its musical resources, but none of its choirs has attained an international standard.

Nevertheless, Chen coaxed some vigorous playing from his colleagues. Shostakovich’s mighty Fifth was given a reading of some breadth, many contrasts and occasional poignancy. And 22-year-old Li Jian, soloist in the Ravel work, though not providing anything like a definitive performance, amazed with his fluency, technical solidity and deep concentration, especially in an arching realization of the middle movement.