Music Reviews : Harpist Nancy Allen at County Museum of Art

A good technician is always a wonder to watch but not necessarily a wonder to listen to. When harpist Nancy Allen presented a pleasant, innocuous program Wednesday night at Leo S. Bing Theater, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, there were moments of impressive virtuosity, but longer gaps of less interesting, uninvolving music making.

Allen prevails as a confident performer thoroughly familiar with her instrument and the music she interprets. But often her playing can be excessively mechanical and without much warmth or expression.

In Wilhelm Posse’s “Variationen uber ‘Der Karneval von Venedig,’ ” each Romantic variation comprehensively explores a different harp technique, a task that Allen met handsomely. The light music and familiar melody also helped her create a rare sense of playfulness.

Allen’s transcriptions of two accessible Albeniz piano pieces, Gavota and “Torre bermeja,” also worked to her advantage. Lost were any traces of Iberian character, but they proved attractive additions nonetheless.

Two harp works by French composers, Tailleferre’s Sonata and Faure’s Impromptu, proceeded adequately without bringing about anything especially remarkable. Britten’s Suite for Harp similarly presented most of the correct notes, but left any wit or insight behind.

Opening the program were six of Allen’s transcriptions of Scarlatti sonatas. Each successfully metamorphosed into an idiomatic harp piece, but fell short of being especially engaging.