In Krivine, BSO finds a grand stand-in

Krivine, of Russian and Polish ancestry, has held important positions in France for more than a quarter-century, so he was thoroughly equipped to take over Mackerras's all-Berlioz program. And he presided over strong and effective performances of the "Symphonie fantastique" and "Harold in Italy," which featured principal violist Steven Ansell as soloist.

The conductor is a man of middle stature and elegant appearance; in profile he looks a little like the publicity photos of the great pianist Arthur Rubinstein taken in the mid-1940s. He is an interesting musician and his baton technique is accomplished, if sometimes fussy-looking. At points, he moves the baton to his left hand so that he can sculpt detail even more precisely with his right. He has temperament, but it operates within a basically poised disposition, so his "Symphonie fantastique" was not as uninhibited as some. But this very quality made his interpretation more convincing and compelling than many that focus on decibels.

The work has figured in countless BSO concerts since 1885; one wonders how often it has opened a program the way it did last night; usually it comes at the end because it's a hard act to follow. Krivine's account of the "Reveries," the waltz at the ball, and the scene in the country was lucid and idiomatic, and these movements were played with finesse and style by the orchestra. Robert Sheena was the onstage English horn, Keisuke Wakao the answering offstage oboe. The March to the Scaffold was swaggeringly sinister and grotesque -- nice tympani work led by Timothy Genis -- and this was about the first opportunity of the orchestra's new tubist, Mike Roylance, to shine brazenly. The Witches' Sabbath at the end was vivid, Thomas Martin's E-flat clarinet shrilling away. The audience ate it up.

"Harold in Italy" is an even more unusual piece -- four tone poems that the solo viola passes through, reflecting and commenting in the melancholy and soulful manner of the outsider Childe Harold in Byron's once-famous poem. Krivine saw to it that each movement developed a strong identity built up of subtle detail, and Ansell's playing was wonderful -- flexible, absolutely in tune, and always in character, unlike some of his celebrity predecessors. A vastly experienced chamber-music player, he exhibits taste and responsiveness, and he has the patience, imagination, and artistry to understand that the point is that the soloist is sometimes beside the point. He was as committed (and as interesting to watch) when he wasn't playing as when he was because he was always listening.

(Boston Symphony Orchestra; Emmanuel Krivine, guest conductor; At Symphony Hall last night; Repeats Thursday and Saturday evenings.)