Music : Concordia Plays a Flawed Beethoven

There is a risk in performing music that is familiar to all: Every little imperfection becomes obvious. Saturday at the Japan America Theatre, Masatoshi Mitsumoto took that risk by leading the Concordia Orchestra in that most familiar of symphonies: Beethoven’s Fifth. In so doing, he exposed his weaknesses as a conductor.

His most glaring weakness was the unintelligibility of his beat, which engendered a sloppy entrance of the initial motive--and again at the repeat of the exposition--and on several occasions caused unintentional rubatos. He proved unable, moreover, to regulate balances effectively; often winds and timpani overpowered the modest string section.

Mitsumoto seemed to be striving for an energized, forward-moving performance; he instead presided over one that was loud (with too little contrast), frantic (especially in the last movement) and bereft of subtlety (except for portions of the andante).

Before intermission, Noriko Ogawa offered a clean and stylish, straightforward reading of the “Emperor” Concerto. Exhibiting sure control and intelligent phrasing, the 28-year-old pianist brought telling expression to the adagio and propulsive dynamism to the outer movements. Her tone at times became harsh on the Yamaha piano, but rarely at the expense of lyrical charm. Mitsumoto’s orchestra provided rough-edged but serviceable accompaniment.

To open the program, Mitsumoto made a rather weak case for a third-drawer Beethoven work, the “King Stephan” Overture.