MUSIC REVIEW : Soloists Soar Despite Orchestra’s Mediocrity

It’s not often that a saxophonist steals the spotlight at an orchestra concert.

But Michael Whitcombe ignored his instrument’s swing band pedigree and roared through Jacques Ibert’s “Concertino da Camera” for alto saxophone with aplomb at the San Diego Chamber Orchestra’s concert Monday night.

The New York-based musician performed with such relaxed assurance, one would think that classical saxophone concertos were as common as spiked hair at rock concerts.

Whitcombe had more than bravado, however. His orotund sonority enveloped Sherwood Auditorium with uncanny power, easily overwhelming the slender accompaniment of the 10 instrumentalists under the baton of music director Donald Barra. With only the slightest apparent effort, Whitcombe traversed Ibert’s angular themes and long-winded phrases. Such virtuosity made the economical two-movement work seem far too short.

The program’s other guest soloist, violinist Kyoko Takezawa, also exhibited virtuosity to spare. The young Japanese performer, attired in a trademark Anne-Sophie Mutter strapless gown, imbued the tired Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with a fresh, vibrant spirit.

Despite the orchestra’s embarrassingly coarse accompaniment and Barra’s leaden direction, Takezawa’s supple, cleanly articulated phrasing and deftly appointed cadenzas were the picture of grace. She deserved a properly rehearsed orchestra, however. It would be a revelation to hear her perform with the San Diego Symphony.

Francis Poulenc’s Sinfonietta, however, showed the chamber orchestra’s better side, a fuller, balanced ensemble that revealed a modicum of sympathy for the composer’s style. Barra properly shaped Poulenc’s bittersweet melodies, which pour forth abundantly in this rarely performed four-movement work.

Less winning was Ibert’s spicy neoclassical “Divertissement,” which calls for a light, acerbic touch, even in its most circus-like movements.

The Gallic works on this program are also scheduled for the chamber orchestra’s upcoming recording session. Even if the concert were a kind of dress rehearsal for that event, the audience deserved strings with better intonation and direction with greater subtlety.