The Portland Symphony performed again at Merrill Auditorium on May 1 and May 3 under the baton of music director Robert Moody. Also participating was Christoph Koncz, soloist in the violin concerto by Eric W. Korngold. (More later.) Since I was present at the Sunday concert, I can’t comment on what occurred on Tuesday evening, although I suspect that things would proceed as they did on Sunday.

It was evident (to me) that Moody was energized even more than usual. He barely got to the podium when he launched into the opening work, the overture to the opera “The Bartered Bride” by Bedrich Smetana, who is rightly regarded as a Czech nationalist composer. This description is usually pinned on anyone who uses his country’s folk song and dance as at least one of the sources of his musical approach. In his case, the description is apt. The tempo was brisk and the opening phrase, a mess of fast moving notes, was cleanly executed by the strings. I was impressed by the splendid crescendo (gradual increase of volume) near the conclusion of the work.

Korngold, whose violin concerto was composed in l945, followed. It would be fair to state that in the 1930s and early 1940s, he was the John Williams of his day. Even though he had a reputation as a serious composer, writing hit scores for the movies did nothing to burnish his reputation with music critics. Still, he did win two Academy Awards for scores to “Anthony Adverse” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” The concerto was marvelously rendered by Koncz, the youthful but extremely gifted Austrian violinist who, at the age of 20, was appointed as principal second violinist of the Vienna Philharmonic. His playing revealed a warm, full-bodied tone and a musically framed personal involvement with the music. Moody provided a sympathetic partnership with the soloist, and the sound of the orchestra was warm. I can still hear the horn section declaiming the principal melody at the end of the first movement. Way to go.

The only work after intermission was one of Beethoven’s masterpieces, the Symphony Number Five.

The performance I attended seemed out of character for Moody, given what I have heard him conduct to date. He barely got both feet on the podium (minus a baton) when he launched into the first movement. He gave this work a taut, dramatic and electric reading. The orchestra (all of them) followed his every gesture. He knew this work very well, giving every cue and every accent.

In short, the entire rendition was brilliant and vibrant. However, as a listener, music lover and also and as someone who studied and conducted this work, I have some reservations. Every conductor is surely entitled to give his interpretation to the music he/she conducts. For my taste, everything was just too hectic and rushed.

I repeat, the performance was exemplary and nothing was amiss. I want to compliment the double basses in particular for their heroics in the trio of the third movement. In short, I applaud what he and the orchestra did, even though I did not care for the way everything was played. These observations are purely a matter of taste and opinion – mine. As the concert will be broadcast on May 18, 8 p.m. on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, you can judge for yourself. This is why my column reads “As I Heard It.”

— Morton Gold is a composer/conductor, retired music educator and an arts reviewer for the JournalTribune.