MUSIC REVIEW : Pops Serves Up a U.S. Tradition: Russian Music

Long before glasnost , Americans had a hearty appetite for Russian music. When Carnegie Hall opened a century ago, for example, Tchaikovsky inaugurated the house, and, during World War II, the symphonies of Shostakovich flooded American radio waves. There must be some irony in the fact that American orchestras still play more Russian music than home-grown compositions.

Wednesday night’s San Diego Symphony Pops concert under guest conductor Norman Leyden wallowed in ripe Russian repertory. Leyden’s menu of Rachmaninoff and Rimsky-Korsakov, with Borodin for dessert, drew a sizable (2,433) midweek crowd that remained surprisingly attentive by comparison with the typical chatty Hospitality Point audience.

In Leyden’s spirited reading of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol” that opened the program, the orchestra sounded fresh and robust. Among the host of deft solos, acting concert master Nick Grant’s stylish, assured solo flights stood out.

Attempting Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” outdoors was a gamble, and, sure enough, a plane roared overhead just as guest pianist Steven Mayer was coaxing the arch-romantic slow theme out of the Yamaha grand.

A pianist with immaculately clean articulation and a percussive attack, Mayer displayed ample technique to subdue the Rachmaninoff with dispatch. Unfortunately, he tended to rush the first part of each measure, which kept him slightly ahead of the orchestra much of the time. The close amplification of the piano, of course, only exacerbated this annoying problem. Nor did it help that Leyden had a more generous, flexible approach to the composer’s style, while Mayer pressed relentlessly forward with analytic determination.

After hearing his Rachmaninoff, this reviewer would rather hear Mayer play Hindemith or Stockhausen.

The program’s second half required little introspection from the listeners. After Rachmaninoff’s lush Adagio from the Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Leyden and the orchestra polished off Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble Bee” and the “Polovetsian Dances” by Borodin. In spite of a reduced number of strings, the orchestra gave a warm, effulgent account of these familiar baubles. Leyden’s stiff conducting style may not be the picture of finesse on the podium, but it’s difficult to quarrel with the refined results from the players.