MUSIC REVIEW : Andrew Litton Leads Chamber Orchestra

When Andrew Litton appeared nearly two years ago at Ambassador Auditorium with the English Chamber Orchestra, he was an unknown commodity. After last Tuesday night’s program at the same venue with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, it was clear that is no longer the case.

The opening works, however, the Symphony No. 10 in G major by Domenico Scarlatti and the Harpsichord Concerto by Carlos Seixas, were not pieces that revealed much of anything. Beyond some lovely playing from oboist Allan Vogel in the Scarlatti, the music provided no artistic opportunities for Litton or the ensemble.

Patricia Mabee offered a competent but lackluster performance of the Seixas Concerto. An appreciative nod to the person responsible for some original programming, but one hearing of either work makes a strong case for leaving them on the shelf. When heard at all, they should be performed sans conductor.

C.P.E. Bach’s Flute Concerto in D minor finally brought the orchestra to life, due in equal measure to the sensitive leadership of Litton and the fiery artistry of soloist Carol Wincenc. A certain breathy quality in her tone could easily be forgiven--in fact, forgotten--by virtue of the thoroughly persuasive performance. Wincenc provided her own stylish ornamen-tations to convincing effect.

Further facets of her remarkable virtuosity surfaced in Charles Griffes’ Poem for Flute and Orchestra. Litton, who throughout the concert employed uncharacteristically large but fluid gestures, lead a reading that was both sensuous and dazzling. Along with Wincenc, conductor and ensemble made a convincing case that this is an unfairly neglected work.

Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” in its original version for 13 instruments, concluded the concert. All of Litton’s gifts came to the fore: the shaping of line and phrase, natural transitions, rhythmic ease, and a blending of instrumental sound that ran the gamut from the grand to the intimate.