MUSIC REVIEW : Novel Suk, Brahms by Rattle and the Philharmonic

A favorite public-radio announcer of ours nearly caused an accident on the Santa Ana Freeway one morning by calling Brahms’ First Piano Concerto “lovely.”

“Lovely?” one driver screamed at his fellow commuters. “Try cathartic , conflicted , massive or even Angst-ridden , but not lovely! “ Brahms would not be amused.

The composer probably would not have admired the performance of the D-minor Concerto given Friday night by pianist Lars Vogt and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as conducted by Simon Rattle, either. If you can believe this, it turned out pleasant and charming, words not usually associated with the work justifiably considered Brahms’ actual first symphony.

How could this happen?, you may ask. Do not look here for an answer. One tries to report the news; explaining it is not always possible.

What occurred, then: In the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center, Vogt, the talented, 22-year-old German pianist who is clearly equipped technically for this important challenge, simply failed to project its musical content.

He played the piece neatly enough, paying proper attention to its architectural details, and he never beat up nor tried to assault the adequate instrument he had in front of him.

But his slender sound appeared to be matched by his shallow approach; great conviction, like a full piano sound, eluded him, and he seemed unable to indicate, much less surmount, the stature of the piece, its deep emotional resonances as well as its outsize drama and lyricism. It has been called the Everest of piano concertos, and for good reason: because so few have earned the right to attempt its ascent.

Rattle and the Philharmonic provided unexceptionable partnering, although someone--the conductor, no doubt, since the pianist provided few strong ideas about anything--had chosen an inappropriately plodding tempo for the first movement. Slow is not deep; sometimes, slow is just slow.

The second half of Rattle’s program offered what was probably--musical/historical Los Angeles having no official archives--the first local performance of Josef Suk’s Second Symphony, subtitled “Asrael.”

As played engagingly, if with minimum polish, by our orchestra, the 87-year-old work appears most attractive.

True, its first three movements seem to lack a focus--they wander all over the musical and emotional landscape--although they travel a pleasant journey. Real fire and grief--the subject of the entire work, we are told--come in the final movements, which, in a style sometimes incorporating dissonance, grip the listener heartily.

In this 61-minute performance, Rattle gave every evidence of believing in the viability of the work. Gamely, if not at its higher level of attentiveness, the Philharmonic joined him in an enthusiastic reading.