MUSIC REVIEW : Pacific’s Program Becomes Less Than Sum of Its Parts

Music director Carl St.Clair and the Pacific Symphony made it difficult to think of their concert Wednesday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center as a whole: It just sat there in three distinct fragments, less than the sum of its parts.

What the Symphony No. 3 by Brahms and “The Pines of Rome” by Respighi--the first a monument in Central European absolute music, the second the height of low-brow sensationalism--were doing on the same program we will never know, and St.Clair certainly made no connections apparent. A new work by composer-in-residence Frank Ticheli didn’t bridge any gaps either (it wasn’t his problem).

This isn’t nit-picking: In this program, Brahms’ seriousness threw unflattering light on Respighi’s garishness, and vice versa, the one seeming more dour than usual, the other more vulgar.

St.Clair opened with the Brahms (rather a tall order, right off) in a solid, well-played but undistinctive reading. Tempos were everywhere medium and phrasing generalized. Expressive and dynamic markings became missed opportunities, as when he started the finale--marked piano e sotto voce by the composer--at a middling mezzo piano . Brahms’ orchestration, often said to be thick and gray (though many conductors have proved otherwise), sounded thick and gray.

The brilliant colors and spectacular effects of Respighi’s “Pines” were certainly better accomplished by St.Clair and the Pacific musicians. The conductor chose model tempos, lilting a bit in the “Villa Borghese” segment, suitably broad in the middle movements, basking in their luxurious sounds. He guided the “Appian Way” crescendo expertly and did so as if he believed in it. Trumpeter Burnette Dillon and clarinetist James Kanter contributed sensitive solos.

*

Ticheli’s new “On Time’s Stream,” the fifth work of the composer played by this orchestra, offered 18 minutes of strongly crafted and accessible Americana. In two continuous movements,”Upstream” and “Downstream,” respectively bounding and pensive, “Time’s Stream” is pleasant enough to listen to, with its long-limbed theme, sparkling, clear sonorities and saturated harmonies.

It doesn’t leave a lasting impression, though; “Time’s Stream” sounds like a lot of other pieces. In particular, it relies too heavily on a large percussion battery, a chiming and tinkling and tolling that, these days, seems more than a little hackneyed. St.Clair and the orchestra gave it an affectionate and polished performance.