The Long Beach Symphony divided its program between Romantic showmanship and the confident control of a 20th-Century master during its program at the Terrace Theater on Saturday night.

Chopin's Concerto in F Minor – the second according to date of publication, though it was actually written a year before the more popular E-Minor Concerto – dominated the first half of the concert.  In a performance distinguished for its focus and sensitivity, captivating in its dreamy meditation and bright-toned flair, pianist Eduardus Halim conjured images of the work as the virtuosic vehicle it must have been for its then 19-year-old composer.

Completed as an orchestral thesis at the end of Puccini's student days, at the Milan Conservatory, "Capriccio sinfonico" cries out for a heroic tenor, or at least a lustily consumptive soprano.  It overflows with melodies of operatic character – some of which found ultimate fruition in later stage works.  Music Director JoAnn Falletta led her band in a reading full of grand gestures that exploited its theatrical temperament with attentive verve.