MUSIC REVIEW : Polish Violinist Makes U.S. Debut at Royce

With a long European track record behind him, 39-year-old violinist Adam Korniszewski made his U.S. debut Sunday evening at Royce Hall, UCLA, in the second program in the American Youth Symphony’s current season.

The tall, mop-headed Polish violinist, who seemed loathe to smile or scowl, gave an accurate, sweet-toned, but relatively cool account of Brahms’ Violin Concerto. He put little passion into the opening Allegro non troppo; dynamic ranges were narrow, tempos inflexible and sforzandi rendered cautiously. Moreover, Mehli Mehta’s orchestra sometimes covered the soloist.

The other movements, fortunately, fared considerably better. Korniszewski brought expressive poetry to the Adagio and a good deal of energy to the Finale, some rigidity notwithstanding.

The young orchestral players were allowed to show their artistry and mettle in Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony. Mehta achieved an uncanny sense of flow, and exercised superb dynamic and expressive control, particularly in the Marcia Funebre, which unfolded with striking drama.

Fast passages sometimes saw muddy string playing--the Scherzo sounded unmitigatedly scrappy--but technical standards, on the whole, proved very high. A tip of the hat to the wind principals, who delivered their solo passages with artful expression.

Mehta opened the program with a spirited, precise reading of Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival” Overture.