Pacific Symphony in Rare Form Under St.Clair

In a stirring curtain speech, Carl St.Clair began his 12th season as music director of the Pacific Symphony on Wednesday night in Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, by identifying his audience, and its participation in the arts, as an important part of the national recovery. The performance then proved as impassioned as his words.

The orchestra has seldom sounded so unified, technically resourceful and tightly balanced. St.Clair’s reading of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony--a chestnut, and a tired one, by any standards--glowed with energy and shone with polish, as the finale of the program. Even the jaded listener followed its progress with curiosity. And the first half of the evening was even more impressive.

The Overture to Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” had sweep, drama and a wonderful sense of detailing, with all its mechanical parts in alignment. This piece so often sounds dutiful, this performance reinstated its passions.

The centerpiece and high point in this opening concert, however, was Robert McDuffie’s inspiring playing of Philip Glass’ masterpiece, the Violin Concerto of 1987, a haunting work of otherworldly beauties that is clearly one of this American violinist’s specialties.

It is a piece that grabs and holds the listener tautly through three contrasting but complementary movements, all of which simultaneously hypnotize, caress and stimulate. McDuffie delivered it with a sculptured spontaneity, making it at once fresh and frozen in space. Throughout, and with the carefully detailed collaboration of St.Clair and his orchestra, the work became an experience of magnanimous lushness.

Before the Tchaikovsky, the conductor told his audience that the orchestra dedicated this performance, and its entire 2001-02 season, “in loving memory of Marcy Mulville,” a founder and longtime supporter of the Pacific Symphony, who died in June. With this concert, the orchestra began its 23rd consecutive season.