MUSIC REVIEWS : Symphony Poised Under Ohyama

The Japan America Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles is definitely an ensemble on its way up in the local musical firmament, as its concert under music director Heiichiro Ohyama at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Friday night once again demonstrated.

That this part-time group is capable of offering such a polished and seasoned interpretation of Brahms’ Fourth Symphony is little short of amazing and tribute to Ohyama’s much-admired (at least, in knowledgeable circles) conducting gifts.

Make no mistake, this orchestra cannot summon up the resplendent sounds of our Philharmonic--one would not expect it to--or even, say, those of the Pasadena Symphony. But it does show a great poise and maturity in staying within itself; there was nary a forced sound nor overstated phrase in this Brahms reading, which, as a result emerged gracious, confident and easily expressive.

Ohyama had his players truly performing as an ensemble, as evidenced by the transparent textures and understated detail of the performance. He also seems to elicit a consistent energy from them; intensity of sound was always present, and, at high points, without pressing, the orchestra upped it a notch.

This intensity and poise was apparent as well in the performance of Yuzo Toyama’s Fantazia Kyoto (1973), the opening work of the concert, a conservative, hesitant, almost ritualized setting of Japanese folk song punctuated by a persistent chime toll, like a summoning of a distant past.

At concerto time, 13-year-old violinist Tamaki Kawakubo took the stage with Wieniawski’s Second Concerto. The locally born prodigy can boast of a secure technique, pure intonation and, her best quality, an even, sweet and large tone. She was most effective in her unaffected traversal of the slow movement, where she floated long lines elegantly. In the outer movements, her slippery, consistently applied portamento and wide vibrato sounded like mannerisms laid on top of a solid, spirited reading, like coached additions. One thinks she’d be better off without them.