New West Symphony Shines in Pianist Cohen’s Local Debut

The hero at the opening of a second season by the New West Symphony might have been pianist Arnaldo Cohen, soloist in the equivalent of three concertos. Or it might have been music director-orchestra founder Boris Brott, the Canadian musician who put together this festive launching.

Instead it was the orchestra itself, which seems to have survived, according to all reports, the many financial and artistic vicissitudes of a first season.

At the first concert of 1996-97, in Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, the 58-member orchestra played respectably, even brilliantly in moments, despite raggedness and signs of brief rehearsal.

And this was not a program to show off the ensemble; it was an occasion to display the spectacular gifts of Cohen, now in his mid-40s but only in recent seasons coming regularly to this country. Briefly: Cohen’s career, begun when he won an important Italian competition, was put on hold by the pianist himself, who did not consider himself ready.

Recent recordings and steady continental success have paved the way. A year ago, he played a recital in San Francisco. Friday night, he made his Southern California debut.

In Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Third Piano Concerto and Liszt’s “Totentanz” Cohen’s technical and artistic credentials lived up to his recordings. He earns highest praise: In musicality, interpretive suavity and mechanical ease, he reminds one of the late Jorge Bolet, whose onstage calm and fantastical technical feats represent a pianistic pinnacle.

After a nervous overture in Liszt’s “Les Preludes,” Brott and Co. gave solid, full-throated support to the brilliant but unflamboyant pianist. In the Choral Fantasy, the support of the Ventura County Master chorale proved equal to the challenges.