MUSIC REVIEWS : Falletta Skillful With Orff, Barber

The smartest thing JoAnn Falletta did all Saturday night, she did months ago: She chose the program. For, not only did her populist agenda of Bernstein, Barber and Orff sell out the house--reportedly for the first time in this Long Beach Symphony season--it also played to Falletta’s strengths as a conductor.

Those strengths--efficiency, energy, a forthright interpretive personality--found opportunities throughout the concert, but nowhere better than in Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” The performance seemed to capture all of the work’s bluntness and drive, while staying clear of overstatement.

This was achieved through remarkably brisk tempos, crisp transitions and segues, and a perfect sense of when to ease up, pull back and/or emphasize. Falletta demanded a pointed rhythmicality and muscularity from the Master Chorale of Orange County and got what she asked for, without heaviness. Her vocal trio was headed by Anne Nispel’s lithe and charming soprano, with countertenor David Daniels and baritone Timothy Sarris seconding strongly. The orchestra responded with a pounding athleticism and agility.

For some, the highlight of the concert came earlier, with the music director’s heroically limned reading of Samuel Barber’s neglected First Symphony. The composer’s concise form, expansive themes and hefty, brassy climaxes seemed custom-made for Falletta’s forceful, no-nonsense manner.

Leonard Bernstein’s “Three Dance Episodes” opened the Terrace Theater concert in a reading deficient in sass, but tidy and graceful in style.