Keys across the centuries

Elliott Carter, generally regarded as the greatest living American composer, turned 95 last month. This weekend, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will premiere a new piece by Carter as part of a much-anticipated concert series with conductor James Levine, and Los Angeles contributed modestly to the week’s Carter celebration Tuesday night, when the composer’s Piano Sonata was the centerpiece of a Piano Spheres event at Zipper Hall.

Carter’s sonata is considered by many to be the finest example of American piano music. Pianist Scott Dunn (who was added to the series only recently because of schedule changes) made a convincing argument for the work’s reputation, performing it in solid, if not spectacular, fashion. Dunn favored the more free-flowing parts of the score, which made for some exciting flourishes, but this often had the effect of quietly diminishing the tension between its stately and energetic timings.

Dunn also performed Chopin’s Nocturne in B major as well as two 20th century works receiving their West Coast premieres. The first, a 1981 piece by British composer Richard Rodney Bennett titled “Noctuary -- Variations on a Theme of Scott Joplin,” hinted at Dunn’s talent for playing syncopated rhythms.

The opening and closing measures contain real ragtime sounds, which became pungent thanks to Dunn’s playing. Unfortunately, these passages made up a mere fraction of the piece.

Overall, “Noctuary” is a leaden exercise in pseudo serial music, one that aspires to Bergian lyricism but sounds mostly like mush. When it reached 20 minutes, many in the audience could be seen checking their watches. As it neared its conclusion around the half-hour mark, more than a few were asleep.

The other West Coast premiere was “Solo Piano” by Lukas Foss (also from 1981). Dunn’s technical expertise was on display here, but even as he played Foss’ intricate note patterns with intensity and precision, he could not make the repetitive composition come to life.

The opposite was true of Foss’ “For Lenny,” a short, scampering variation on Bernstein’s “New York, New York,” which Dunn played as an encore. Dunn’s skill at playing jazzy American rhythms made Bernstein’s popular melodies sound fresh and complex. Still, it was the notes of Carter’s Piano Sonata that lingered.