MUSIC REVIEW : Irvine Symphony Takes Bold Approach to Bartok Concerto

For only its second performance of the 1987-88 season, the Irvine Symphony gambled much on scheduling Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra as its principal work Tuesday night in Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

And the reading it turned out, under Roger Hickman’s solid leadership, emerged respectable, if earthbound. For example, what never quite materialized was the kind of self-governing balance one expects from professional instrumental ensembles meeting more often than this one. A certain haphazardness characterized the interplay of orchestral choirs; the upper strings proved timid at both ends of their dynamic palette.

Then, in Hickman’s overview, the facets of the piece failed of clear delineation: the emotional thrust of the opening, the wittiness of the second movement, the forebodings of the Elegia, the buoyancy of the fourth movement and the arrogance of the finale. And there were mechanical hitches, not entirely unpredictable, given what seems a discontinuity of membership in the orchestra’s personnel--the printed roster differed from the actual one.

Still, this was a bold undertaking, and not unsuccessful--simply more earnest than exhibitionistic.

A real concept informed Charles Rosen’s aggressive approach to Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, the single work on the other half of this program. As reflected in Hickman’s quirky program notes and in the competent accompaniment provided by the 10-year-old orchestra, this concept sees the Fifth Piano Concerto as a call to arms, nearly hostile and belligerent in the opening movement, more adamant and stoic than fun-loving and jolly in the finale.

In Rosen’s nervous but dependable, sometimes metallic, pianism, this approach became convincing and stylish. It goes against the grain of mere nobility in the familiar score, but works. A spread-out audience--numerous in the balconies, sparse in the orchestra section of the hall--responded positively.