Performance: Auckland Philharmonia

By TARA WERNER

AOTEA CENTRE, Auckland - There is nothing wrong with a concert unashamedly popular, placing hardy annuals such as Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man beside Barber's Adagio for String Orchestra and Bernstein's West Side Story symphonic dances.

The programme's theme, "Made in the USA," made this choice obvious, and even the more tenuous connection of both the conductor Christopher Wilkins and horn soloist Richard King hailing from America seemed to fit.

But more thought should have been given to the logistical exercise caused by performing the Copland before the Barber. No one would have envied Wilkins as he valiantly tried to fill in time while the furniture was being moved around the stage.

To his credit, he managed very well, exhibiting a wry sense of humour as he introduced each of the support crew in turn as performers in their own right.

And as an incidental benefit the audience gained an insight into what he thought of the Barber and Bernstein pieces about to be played.

But such a shift was rather unnecessary and could have been less disruptive by performing the Fanfare as a spectacular finale.

Certainly having the brass section in a row alone on stage with the percussion behind them gave the music an extra punch and underlined the effectiveness of the score.

Poor staging aside, this was an effective concert.

Horn soloist Richard King revelled in Richard Strauss' Horn Concerto No 2, handling its demanding solo opening with pinpoint accuracy.

The lovely andante brought the woodwind to the fore, complementing the horn's flowing cantilena, and the finale with its chromatic shifts was rattled off successfully.

The other works were calculated to highlight the abilities of different sections of the orchestra.

Brass and percussion were suitably exuberant in the Copland, the strings elegiac in the Barber, and there was some disciplined yet extrovert ensemble work in Schuman's New England Triptych and Bernstein's symphonic dances from West Side Story.

The latter had everyone either clicking his or her fingers or shouting "rumble" - a nice touch indeed.