MUSIC REVIEW : Britain’s Christopher Seaman Conducts Pacific Symphony

An interviewer once asked Pierre Monteux to describe his conducting in a single word. The conductor requested the use of two words, received permission and replied, “Damned professional.”

The words describe Christopher Seaman’s conducting as well.

The British conductor--who led the Pacific Symphony on Wednesday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center--is not much to look at on the podium. He stands straight, has a clear beat, gives cues like a teacher calling on pupils. He doesn’t sweat, he doesn’t posture, his feet stay firmly on the ground.

But his interpretations impress through their meticulous detail and sure pacing. The music speaks calmly and naturally; the orchestra responds with poised ensemble and unforced sound. Seaman appeared before with the orchestra early last season in audition for the then-vacant music director position--since awarded to Carl St. Clair--and the symphony showed good sense in inviting him back.

In “A London Symphony” by Vaughan Williams, Seaman combined expansiveness with a cogently argued narrative, a lush overall texture with precise detailing. Even in the slowest, most sumptuous passages, the conductor subtly highlighted the pertinent lines.

He offered weighty, brassy climaxes, singing string melody and glowing colors, but none in excess. The sometimes statically atmospheric Lento became a flowing, focused drama. The brilliant textures of the Scherzo served not as an end in themselves, but to highlight the jaunty interplay of rhythms. The outer movements emerged sturdy and majestic. The Pacific Symphony responded with precision, lavish timbres and spirit.

Seaman opened the concert with a graceful and controlled reading of Weber’s “Oberon” Overture. Then Andre-Michel Schub joined the orchestra in a performance of Mozart’s final Piano Concerto, K. 595, in B-flat major.

He offered a small-scaled account, elegantly articulated but never precious; warmly tuneful but not lyrical. He painted in subtle shades. Fast passages whizzed cleanly. If he slighted some of this music’s dreaminess and playfulness, it proved in keeping with his reserved intimacy. Seaman and the orchestra, who repeated the program Thursday, furnished distinguished support, well-spoken and suave.