New York Chamber Symphony Eduardus Halim, Pianist 92d Street Y

Eduardus Halim is a pianist of highly unusual temperament, difficult to evaluate at first hearing. He recalls a bygone age of eccentric, flamboyant pianism, the heyday of legends like Hofmann and Horowitz. But his technique sometimes lags behind his chosen ideal. In the Chopin Second Concerto on Saturday night, certain passages were poorly articulated and ill focused; the interpretation unfolded more as a succession of startling moments than as a coherent whole. The Larghetto, however, left no doubt of Mr. Halim's gift for evocation and emotive intensity.

The central problem was the disparity between the pianist's sumptuous delivery and the somewhat meager resources of the New York Chamber Symphony, under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. Mr. Halim, perched at the edge of the stage, was under unforgiving scrutiny from the hall's close acoustics, and the orchestra did not provide full support. In the end, it's hard to deliver a firm judgment, although the pianist's approach certainly stands apart from the norm.

Also on the program were Barber's "Capricorn Concerto," John Corigliano's "Voyage" for flute and strings and the Brahms Serenade No. 2. Mr. Schwarz led thoughtful, elegantly phrased performances, although the orchestral sound was often somewhat thin and choppy. Judith Mendenhall (flutist), Randall Ellis (oboist) and Neil Balm (trumpeter) were the able soloists in the Barber; Ms. Mendenhall returned to play beautifully in Mr. Corigliano's inoffensive impression of a poem by Baudelaire.