Netherlands Orchestra Lets Works Speak for Themselves

It was one of those culturally embarrassing moments for the City of the Angels when the musicians of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra on stage appeared to outnumber the audience Saturday in the Luckman Theatre at Cal State Los Angles.

Well, not quite. But surely the number of keys on the two Steinway grands utilized in Saint-Saens’ listener-friendly “Carnival of the Animals” must have exceeded the seats filled in the 1,200-seat hall.

Not even the presence of actress Claire Bloom as the narrator of the French composer’s musical bestiary could induce many people to attend. Too bad, because she delivered Ogden Nash’s familiar verses with warmth and poise, despite some distancing amplification. And the verses did clue the listener in to specifics of the tone paintings.

Admittedly, conductor Philippe Entremont, working from one of the keyboards, elicited a rather formal performance of the work.

Better known as an elegant pianist, Entremont has been principal guest conductor of the Netherlands group since 1993, although he has also appeared at the helm of the Dresden Philharmonic and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra locally in recent years.

A sensitive but not greatly imaginative conductor, he tended not to impose any individual interpretations on the music or reveal any new meanings in it.

He was largely content to let the spiky rhythms and pungent harmonies of Albert Roussel’s Sinfonietta, Opus 52, which opened the program, speak for themselves.

Similarly, he relied upon the bucolic charms of Brahms’ Serenade No. 1, which closed it, to unfold at their own pace.

Assisting his efforts, he had some splendid soloists in the Serenade. These included an assured and apparently error-free horn, Wouter Brouwer; flutist Hanspeter Spannring; clarinetist Ton Schatteleyn; and bassoonist Mathijs Lemmens.

In the Saint-Saens suite, cellist Herre-Jan Stegenga played “The Swan” with fine-lined modesty instead of trying to inflate the vignette into great tragedy. Ian Gaukroger was the second pianist.

Throughout the evening, concertmaster Istvan Parkanyi contributed mightily to ensemble coherence.

Making up for its small size with appreciative applause, the audience drew Entremont back to lead the strings of the ensemble in Max Reger’s Lyrisches Andante as the single encore.