Isbin Shows Pluck With Symphony

Although not apparent from the offerings of most orchestras, there actually is a substantial body of guitar concertos. Saturday evening, Sharon Isbin brought one of the latest, the “Concert de Gaudi” by Christopher Rouse, to the Long Beach Symphony and Terrace Theater.

Lacking a canon of standard masterpieces, guitarists have always been particularly receptive to new work--and few artists more eagerly so than Isbin, who has already premiered nine concertos. She gave the world premiere of the Rouse concerto last year in Hamburg, Germany, followed by its U.S. premiere in Dallas.

Her recording of the piece, paired with the concerto Tan Dun wrote for her, came out six months ago.

Rouse turned to flamenco as the foundation of his conventionally structured hommage to Spanish guitar traditions and to the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi.

In the first movement, that seemed to mean a collage of guitaristic gestures, more desultory than surreal.

The slow movement, though, is a haunted, brooding gem of texture and tune. The finale, with its bluesy bent notes and big cadenza, is the most overtly demonstrative.

Isbin played it all with articulate grace. Balance is always a problem with guitar concertos, but Rouse skillfully employed the solutions pioneered by Rodrigo, and Isbin projected her part with ready flair. In encore, she matched Rouse’s architectural ruminations with Tarrega’s “Recuerdos de la Alhambra.”

Guest conductor Kenneth Jean kept the orchestra alert and supportive. The score is rich in woodwind dialogues and percussion punctuation, which came through nicely without smothering the soloist.

Around the new concerto Jean wrapped two standard German Romantic symphonies. His account of Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony sounded inhibited, despite the carefully calculated climaxes. The opening was suppressed into indistinct haze, and the cautious tempos made the basic pulse of the two movements almost the same.

Brahms’ Fourth Symphony blossomed more bountifully. The accomplished Long Beach players seemed to ignore Jean’s ideas about accenting the scherzo, but they gave him genuine sweep in the finale and rich, warm sound throughout.