Medleys Offer an Unsatisfying View of Master at Work

Seeing Burt Bacharach conduct a pops orchestra in a program of his music may not be what it was like to see Stravinsky or Mahler conducting his own compositions. But when any composer stands before an orchestra, one expects a glimpse into the writer’s thinking via the pace and emphasis of his conducting.

Alas, there was little chance for insight when Bacharach conducted the Pacific Symphony Orchestra Pops on Friday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa (the program was repeated Saturday). There was just too much ground to cover.

Among the most prolific and recognized composers of the last 40 years (he was to be featured on “60 Minutes” Sunday), Bacharach has a trove of material from which to choose for such a program. The only surprises came in the form of credit, as in, “I didn’t know he wrote that.” Remember “Blue on Blue”? “Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa”? “Broken-Hearted Melody”? Bacharach composed them, as well as “Close to You” and “What the World Needs Now.”

The breakneck pace began with a long medley of Bacharach hits that touched briefly on songs including “Walk On By,” “This Guy’s in Love” and “Always Something There to Remind Me.” The snippet treatment left little time for the songs to develop. Just when the orchestra moved into one song and the vocalists sounded a line or two, it was on to the next.

The opening medley was followed by a medley of his early hits, then a medley of his movie music. Those who hoped for fuller orchestral presentations of little-heard gems such as “Planes and Boats and Trains” had to settle for cursory treatments.

What was revealed during the program was Bacharach’s love for the material. Sitting at the piano, he seemed taken by each piece, singing along (silently) with his vocal trio, his head rolling to the shifting moods and melodies.

Bacharach seemed also taken by the orchestra’s luscious accompaniment, arranged by him and his keyboardist, Rob Shrock. The strings especially seemed attuned to the composer’s emotions, and Bacharach signaled them with sweeping gestures and nods, sometimes rising from the piano bench for emphasis as he played.

The show also provided an object lesson in how singing styles have changed. Donna Taylor (who at times recalled Dionne Warwick), John Pagano and Josie Jones, who was making her first appearance with Bacharach, all embraced the wide, Whitney Houston-styled dynamic swings and assertive embellishments that have marred pop singing since the ‘80s. The subtle beauty of Warwick or Jackie DeShannon’s voices seemed all the more appropriate after these readings.

In the evening’s most telling moment, Bacharach himself sang “Alfie,” overcoming his feeble tone with a sincerity that communicated the lyric as well as any number in the program.

Before Bacharach’s appearance, the pops orchestra presented music appropriate to Valentine’s Day, with conductor Richard Kaufman humorously tying together Enrico Morricone’s theme from the film “The Untouchables” with “Bella Notte,” the love theme from the animated feature “Lady and the Tramp.” Twelve-year-old Teresa Van Ausdeln, whose grandmother bid for the right on Teresa’s behalf at a previously held benefit, conducted “Stars and Stripes Forever.”