In ASO debut, conductor was electric but lacked chemistry

Kristjan Järvi's DNA is loaded with conducting genes and, as founder of New York's Absolute Ensemble, has championed contemporary works with admirable energy. Appearances seem to matter a great deal to him, and he cultivates the maestro look from central casting: Hollywood handsome in a long black velvet coat and long locks, he's a dandy on the podium, a young Franz Liszt reborn. His father, Neeme, is a veteran conductor on the international circuit; his brother Paavo is music director of the Cincinnati Symphony.

The Estonian-born, American-educated Jarvi was here making his ASO debut, and his conducting seemed showy for the audience's sake and with little substance for the orchestra's. It looks dramatic when a conductor appears to hurl thunderbolts toward the brass to cue a mighty crash. If that theatrical gesture doesn't elicit a taut and musically coherent response, however, the gesture seems trivial.

For two Stravinsky ballet suites -- "Pulcinella" and "The Firebird" -- Järvi's performance was larded with such hollow gestures. His chemistry with the orchestra could best be described as weirdly absent. The ASO musicians did not respond well in "Pulcinella," and despite some lovely individual playing from acting concertmaster William Pu and some earthy woodwind volleys in the "variations" section, much of the music was either underpowered or messy.

Their rapport was improved for "The "Firebird," with moments of riveting intensity, although it, too, didn't quite find its overall potential. Was Järvi having an off night, or does he always conduct this way?

Bach was between the two Stravinsky suites. Simone Dinnerstein, also making her ASO debut, is a substantive, creative pianist who seems focused on the keyboard and never on the audience. She's a romantic, and her Bach concerto was fleshy and affectionate and very personal. She made more typical interpretations -- evoking the composer's cosmic spirituality or mathematical clarity -- seem routine in comparison. This concerto is notoriously difficult to put together, and the accompaniment never connected with the soloist, as if they were breathing the air from different planets.

Pierre Ruhe is classical music critic of www.ArtsCrticATL.com.