Music Review : Levine and Met Orchestra in Showpieces

James Levine led the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in a trio of colorful showpieces Thursday to conclude a too-brief two-day engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Under his direction, what might have been a numbing, repetitive series of works sharing big-bang endings emerged instead as a varied, individual and even nuanced program. The works were the Suite from Stravinsky’s “Firebird,” Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” in the familiar Ravel orchestration.

As in the Strauss program of the previous night, Levine favored the long line, expansive but flexible tempos and direct, unfussy interpretations. A tendency toward over-loud dynamic, unfortunately, carried over, too.

If there was a common denominator to his conducting, it was, not surprisingly, reliance upon breadth and strength of supported line--in the manner of singing rather than in intricately shaping or shading phrases or concentrating on small details.

The orchestra again responded with resplendent, transparent and balanced textures and the affectionate matching of phrase and tone color that results only from frequent and long-term collaboration among musicians.

In “Firebird,” which opened the program, Levine and company rolled out waves of velvet sound, sometimes merely luxurious and sometimes studded with brilliant highlights. Julie Landsman unfolded the horn solo of the finale with arresting nobility.

Levine led Gershwin’s evergreen score with respect and dignity, treating it as the important contribution to the literature that it is and falling into none of the awkward exaggerations classical musicians sometimes do when trying to swing. Trumpeter Mark Gould and trombonist David Langlitz played their solos with alert and stylish expressivity.

Other conductors have found more Slavic anguish and detailed characterizations in Mussorgsky’s pictures. Levine relied upon a broader-brush vision and cumulative impact of clear structures and sumptuous quality of sound. With the quality of tone the orchestra delivered, his approach offered genuine rewards.

For encores, Levine conducted the Prelude to Act III of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger of Nurnberg” and Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance No. 7.