MUSIC REVIEW : Unpolished Holiday Show Launches Pacific Symphony’s Series

An embarrassment of American musical riches in merely secondlevel performances characterized the July 4 opening of a third, five-concert summer season at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre by the Pacific Symphony.

Led efficiently by the young American conductor Evans Haile--who has strong credits as coach and conductor in both opera and musical theater--this engaging, generous but complicated program did not bring out the most polished playing from the Orange County orchestra.

One wonders if even extra rehearsal time would have proved adequate for this exposing agenda, which included familiar classical pops pieces by Gershwin, Copland and Sousa, more rarely encountered items by Gershwin, Victor Herbert and Paul Creston, a group of songs from Rodgers and Hart’s “Babes in Arms” and a medley of pop songs from the 1950s.

The 31-year-old Haile seemed comfortable in his podium duties, which he dispatched stylishly--especially in nice readings of “Three Dance Episodes” from Copland’s “Rodeo” and Creston’s “Night in Mexico” from the “Airborne Suite.”

The orchestra played neatly in some moments, scrappily in others, its versatility never in question, its ability to meet many varying demands in one evening less certain.

As accompanist, Haile gave a more equivocal account of himself. His conducting of a generous selection of songs from “Babes in Arms,” sung gamely, if routinely, by Judy Blazer, displayed little sensitivity to the singer, minimal text connection and only a modicum of rhythmic flexibility.

In an energetic, entertaining set of 1950s songs performed with panache by the jeans-and-T-shirt clad quartet, JQ & the Bandits, Haile seemed more or less at home.

And, sensibly, he left the orchestra to its own devices in a medley of marches--accompanied visually by fireworks--at the end of the program.

Where Haile came to actual grief was in his own solo spot, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” which he conducted from the piano.

Here, despite confident and usually accurate pianism, Haile asked too much of himself as conductor. The complexities of this score require a fully engaged and expert baton. Without that, the result of part-time tending can be a merely perfunctory performance, which this became--a run-through instead of a reading.

The reported attendance of 10,680 was, according to the orchestra’s management, a record turnout for the series.