London Chamber Orchestra on Toes in Irvine

The London Chamber Orchestra brought amiable personality and no-nonsense musicality to Irvine Barclay Theatre Thursday night. Music Director Christopher Warren-Green set the genial, somewhat informal atmosphere through intentionally witty prefatory remarks and patient accommodation of latecomers.

Then he led the group in purposeful music making, conducting from his spot as concertmaster. As they have in the past, all players stood, apart from those who could not--the cellists--and, oddly, the string bassist. That practice did seem to keep everyone on his toes in terms of chamber-music involvement and vigor.

Works from the Classical period emerged most satisfying. In Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364, for violin and viola, even the clatter of the concertmaster’s falling bow, as he waited for an entrance, couldn’t interrupt the flow of fresh, inviting ideas emanating from Warren-Green and principal violist Roger Chase. Each soloist contributed ebullient, virtuosic passages, replete with thoughtful detail and like-minded phrasing that was seconded by the orchestra.

Haydn’s “Trauer” Symphony also received gratifying attention to clarity and characterization, with crisp outer movements and a gracious, touching cantilena for the Adagio.

Two 20th century pieces--Chamber Symphony in C minor, Opus 110a, an arrangement of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 by his student Rudolf Barshai, and Estonian-born Arvo Part’s “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten”--were given overly subdued readings. The arrangement of the former must bear partial responsibility; it diffused the intensity of the original. Even with the considerable power of these 18 players, cellist Jonathan Williams’ solos carried the most weight. Nevertheless, one could not help wonder if a separate conductor might have inspired more shading, more color and greater drama.