L.A. Chamber Varies Flavors Within All-Concerto Program

How do you put together a musically satisfying all-concerto program, other than a Bach Brandenburg cycle? Jeffrey Kahane found a way--a well-balanced, ear-friendly, self-contained way--and it came together with startling logic at Royce Hall on Friday night in the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s season finale, using soloists entirely from within the ensemble.

You start with a tangy appetizer, Hindemith’s delightfully scored Kammermusik No. 3, in which cellist Douglas Davis took the foreground in the odd-numbered movements while allowing himself to be submerged within the chatter of the other 10 solo instruments in the even-numbered movements. And though some passages could have used more whimsy, the cool, relatively unemotional third movement was apparently just what the composer wanted, according to one of his letters.

Then you follow with a standard piece, the Mozart Flute Concerto No. 2, K. 314, in which Kahane’s contribution was considerable, leaning into the phrasing and imparting lots of life into the orchestral playing, while flutist David Shostac displayed some wit as he articulated everything precisely.

Next, conclude the first half with Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1, a substantial, tuneful work that ought to be considered a masterpiece, but often isn’t for the simple reason that it does not sound like Strauss. Playing with astonishing clarity and accuracy, French hornist Richard Todd identified with the piece’s heroic aspects from the start, and Kahane clearly was having fun with its vigorous early-Romantic rhetoric.

Finally, you close with the lengthiest concerto of the set, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 467, in which Kahane paid tribute to his fine orchestra by barely conducting at all, facing his piano to the right in the usual way (with the lid up) while playing with character and mocking coyness at scampering tempos.