Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 used to be one of the most frequently performed works in the orchestral repertoire. An increased interest and understanding of the composer’s other works has pushed it into the background in recent decades, allowing a fresh look at its remarkable and subtle structure, and its intriguing intertwining of virtuosity and expression.

However, Thursday night’s performance of the concerto at Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, featuring soloist Lise de la Salle with the Dallas Symphony and guest conductor Paul Phillips, proved disappointing on several levels, however, with most of the blame resting on the soloist. De la Salle avoided any but the most rudimentary elements of shading or phrasing. She seemed oblivious, at times, to the orchestra, creating a muddle of noise at the most complex moments. Although the audience was clearly taken with the sheer muscularity and velocity of her performance, the result was ultimately tense and, beyond the elements of volume and velocity, dull.

The concert had opened with the Overture to Weber’s Der Freischutz—historically significant as one of the fountainheads of musical romanticism, and still engaging in the concert hall for its combination of solid craftsmanship and intriguing unpredictability. In spite of a slight sense of nerves in the exposed horn part near the beginning, this provided a lively curtain-raiser and demonstrated conductor Phillips’ unfailing sense of timing and structural drama.

Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler, a grand symphonic statement drawn from the Hindemith’s opera based on the life northern Renaissance artist Mathias Grunewald, likewise displayed Phillips’ insight and ability to cast new light on standard repertoire. His decision to underline and emphasize the counter-melody in the opening fugal exposition set a tone of blazing intensity for the entire performance. Grunewald created his art in the midst of the turmoil of early sixteenth-century Germany, and Hindemith in turn found Grunewald’s career a natural source of inspiration as he faced the rise of Naziism in Germany in the early 1930s. In our tumultuous time, the piece remains a monument to the redemptive and transformative power of art.

In spite of the rather messy performance by De la Salle, conductor Phillips, a native ofDallaswho is currently director of the Meadows Orchestra at SMU, once again demonstrated his invaluable presence on the local scene. His annual appearances as guest conductor with the Dallas Symphony as well as his more frequent performances with the Meadows Orchestra remain a bright spot in the midst of the current financial and cultural challenges.

Photo: Pianist Lise de la Salle