Performances not a ‘casual-ty’

The dress was casual for audience and orchestra at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s “Beethoven & Blue Jeans” concert Saturday night at Little Rock’s Robinson Center.

But there was nothing casual about the performances.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra co-concertmaster Andrew Irvin, with his energetic performance of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, thrilled audience members. They, in turn, though stuffed full of brats and beer from a pre-concert street party, leapt to their feet in acknowledgement and earned an encore, a trio transcription of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (with colleagues Meredith Maddox Hicks on violin and David Gerstein on cello).

Irvin, in addition to putting all the right pyrotechnical “moves” into the performance, also found all the right nuances.

The orchestra and conductor Philip Mann got the Beethoven part of the show out of the way quickly, or at least early, with Ludwig Van’s Consecration of the House Overture. It’s a piece often played for the opening of new concert halls, so this one was a while showing up on a program (the rebuilt Robinson debuted in November).

The best part of the concert, Irvin notwithstanding, was one of the best performances I’ve heard of Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, with truly excellent work from the woodwinds, brass and lower strings throughout (the five-horn choir was particularly gorgeous in the first movement). Mann’s tempos and dynamics were also entirely spot on.

Irvin, Mann and the orchestra reassemble for a repeat of the concert at 3 p.m. today at the Robinson Center, at West Markham Street and Broadway. The Markham Street beer-and-brats street party gets underway at 1 p.m.

Ticket information is available by calling (501) 666-1761, Extension 100, or online at arkansassymphony.org.