MUSIC REVIEW : Pianist Bach, Pacific Symphony Put Forth a Muted Beethoven

The Pacific Symphony promised Beethoven in three incarnations: the high-spirited young man seizing the classical tradition for his own, the visionary finding God in nature, the moralist storming the heavens.

None of these aspects of the seminal revolutionary achieved full realization when Toshiyuki Shimada conducted the orchestra Saturday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. But lay the greatest lapse at the feet--or rather at the hands--of Andreas Bach, soloist in the First Piano Concerto.

Handsome, boyish, formidably talented, Bach, 22, ventured a stylistically odd account of Beethoven’s vigorous music. Muting passion, backing off from dramatic statements, edging away from strong accents, even those written in by the composer, Bach played with the fluid, even finger work appropriate to Bach or, alternately, with the aristocratic poise expected for some Chopin.

Indeed, with his use of rubato in phrasing, Bach seemed to be pushing Beethoven forward into the Romantic era at the expense of his rugged power and assertiveness.

Partial compensations included Bach’s refractive, iridescent pianism in the cadenza of the first movement and the poetic reverie opening the second. Unfortunately, this dreamy approach overstayed its welcome, proceeding into overly slow-paced elegance. Further, one was hard-pressed to disregard Bach’s distressing mannerism of conducting with his left hand.

Shimada accompanied dutifully.

With competing events such as Opera Pacific’s “Show Boat” and the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach drawing off some of the regular players, the management had to engage a number of substitutes. As a result, the orchestra, particularly the strings, could sound thin and scrawny.

The paradoxical trade-offs were cleanness and transparency versus occasionally glaring textural holes in Shimada’s rather fast-paced, efficient account of the “Pastorale” Symphony. He took none of the repeats.

Perhaps that also accounted for the sluggish reading of the “Leonore” Overture No. 3, which opened the program.

Incidental observations: The amplification system tended to muddy mid-tones in full-strength passages. An inexplicable clanging (as if a rope were banging against a flagpole) periodically punctuated the proceedings.

Approximate attendance: 6,800.