MAHLER’S NINTH BY YOUTH SYMPHONY

Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 is no walk in the park--for conductor, orchestra or audience. Nonetheless, even at a whopping and intense 90 minutes, the work is not nearly as imposing as music director Mehli Mehta described it in notes he provided for a concert by his American Youth Symphony in UCLA’s Royce Hall on Sunday.

Hearing the Ninth, he wrote, “will not at all be like enjoying the great Beethoven, Schubert . . . symphonies.” Sure enough--each pause in the music sent another dozen intimidated listeners scurrying for the exits. Observing from the podium, Mehta could give only an uncomprehending shake of the head.

The performance, though frayed at the edges, was strong enough to hold one’s attention. Remarkably, the veteran conductor worked from memory, never missing a cue. What he seemed to miss was a way to capture the slowly unfolding drama of this epic work, and an orchestral balance that would permit that special Mahlerian transparency. Cohesiveness emerged only in the final Adagio.

Despite occasional intonation problems, the young players seemed unfazed by the demands of the score, responding in inspired fashion to Mehta’s proddings.

In a classic case of programming excess, another work--Mozart’s lyrical Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364--opened the evening. Center stage, Stuart Canin and Heiichiro Ohyama handled the violin and viola partnership expertly, spreading their obvious pleasure in performance to all in attendance. A memorable reading that should have been saved for a less cluttered evening.