Music Reviews : JoAnn Falletta Leads Long Beach Symphony

JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Long Beach Symphony, may be diminutive in stature, but she’s a commanding presence on the podium. Saturday night she led her orchestra in a 20th-Century program of Soviet and American music before a sold-out audience at the Terrace Theater.

Most impressive was her dramatic and expansive reading of the Symphony No. 5 by Prokofiev, which concluded the program. Her deliberate tempo in the first movement--closer to adagio than the andante indicated by Prokofiev--gave the music an extra-weighty flow, culminating spectacularly in a broad, muscular and percussive climax. This overall measured pace was ever-flexible at the local level, however, pointing up details in the massive architectural design, giving cohesive shape to its sprawl.

Her crisp, sharply outlined readings of the second and final movements revealed their full humor, rhythmic playfulness and powerful drive. The Adagio was solemn and stately, with sweepingly arched phrases and an unhurried, sinister conclusion. The orchestra played brilliantly throughout, with responsive energy, clear textures and alert give-and-take.

The first half was lightweight by comparison. Juliana Markova was the soloist in Shostakovich’s inane Piano Concerto No. 2, a successful performance of which is not automatic. Markova and orchestra were slightly at odds rhythmically in the brisk outer movements, effectively sapping the kinetic impulse of the music. In the simple, sad Andante Markova found more in the score than has sometimes seemed to be there; as she dallied in emotive nuance it lost direction. It was a labored effort at effortless music.

Falletta began with Copland’s ‘El Salon Mexico” in a brash, lightly dancing performance.