Brahms’ Emotion Is Elusive

Some days, things don’t work out. Wednesday night, for instance, when Emmanuel Krivine, the much admired French conductor, returned to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Krivine, who has many skills and talents, delivered a respectable performance of a viable, promising program, with a strong soloist and goodwill all around, that just never quite paid off.

It disappointed most in the evening’s climax, Brahms’ reliable First Symphony, which has often brought glory to the Philharmonic. This one, neatly driven by Krivine and carefully executed by the orchestra, never left the ground.

The angst-ridden opening movement, the basis for all the catharsis that should take place later on, failed to reach a level of intensity worthy of its contents. The elements were in place, the notes emerged and the listener was not touched. It mostly seemed a failure of communication--the urgency and emotion weren’t transmitted from conductor to players.

The rest of the piece, nicely laid out and polished, went the same way: It had motion but little passion. And the great finale, where the work’s integration and summing-up should take place, came and went.

There were many pleasures in the first half, which began with Mendelssohn’s “Fair Melusina” Overture, straightforwardly and undistractedly performed.

That half also offered Alexander Treger’s affectionate revival of Wieniawski’s once-ubiquitous Violin Concerto No. 2. Treger, a member of the Philharmonic since 1974 and the orchestra’s concertmaster for 16 years, played with his usual command and virtuosic resources and a tone of exceptionally handsome character. His performance lacked only the ultimate abandon one expects in the finale.

Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by Emmanuel Krivine, repeats this program Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. (323) 850-2000. $12-$78.