If Saturday night's sizable turnout at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts in Owings Mills is any indication, folks are finally catching on to how much substance and enjoyment can be found when the Concert Artists of Baltimore perform there.

The hall's superior acoustics make an ideal match for the spirit and commitment of this chamber orchestra and professional chorus. Artistic director Edward Polochick invariably comes up with interesting programs and, as at this concert, conducts them with an unusually inspiring energy.

To start, there was a riveting account of the Chamber Symphony for string orchestra by Shostakovich, which incorporates all the fear, contempt and bitterness of a life strained by war and totalitarianism. Polochick struck deep into the heart of the score, nowhere more chillingly than in the passage when vicious chords break out like dreaded knocks at the door in the still of night. The slow, final fadeout, beautifully accomplished by the players, expressed an ache at once personal and universal.

Moving from pain to comfort, Polochick next offered a rare performance of the a cappella Mass for double chorus by Swiss composer Frank Martin. It's a fascinating piece that reaches backward toward chant, yet sits comfortably and clearly in the early 20th century. Aside from a little intonation slippage in the Agnus Dei, the choristers did exceptional work under Polochick's guidance, particularly in the haunting Et incarnatus est and Crucifixus passages of the Credo.

To close, there was another inexplicably under-performed piece, the Clarinet Concerto by Englishman Gerald Finzi. David Drosinos, principal clarinetist and founding member of Concert Artists, played the idyllic score with technical security, tonal warmth and exceptionally eloquent phrasing. Conductor and ensemble backed the soloist with admirable sensitivity. The performance made me hope that Polochick will unearth some more Finzi next season - how about the exquisite Eclogue for piano and strings?

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