Ragged Concert From St. Petersburg Group

In what has now become a regular visit, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic returned to the Orange County Performing Arts Center Sunday afternoon. Mariss Jansons, the Latvian musician who has been associate principal conductor of the orchestra for 11 years, led an unimaginative program consisting of Weber’s familiar “Euryanthe” Overture, the popular G-minor Violin Concerto by Bruch and Dvorak’s ubiquitous “New World” Symphony.

The orchestra played it all brilliantly, as one might have expected from one of the great virtuoso orchestras of the world.

How brilliantly is the question: Does this ensemble retain all its polish and accomplishment from the old days (1990 and before) when it was the mighty and legendary Leningrad Philharmonic? If one believes only this single performance, no. But serious listeners need much more evidence.

All three pieces showed signs of raggedness: unaligned intonation in the woodwinds, less-than-perfect attacks and releases in the upper strings, mushy inner voices upsetting the overall balance, less dynamic breadth than one remembers.

If these were the result of tour fatigue or matinee low-energy, one need not worry. But, as markers of the orchestra’s future, they can cause real concern.

Jansons’ way with the Weber overture proved inspired, and the performance virtually immaculate. But, except for a glorious finale when all parts came together, the Dvorak work emerged presentable but unthrilling, more dutiful than fresh.

American violinist Pamela Frank was the commanding soloist in the Bruch work, which she played like a virtuoso and with pungent detailing, assisted handsomely by Jansons and the orchestra.

* The St. Petersburg Philharmonic, conducted by music director Yuri Temirkanov, plays a program of music by Shostakovich, Mahler and Sergei Slonimsky, tonight at 8 in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, (213) 850-2000.