ITZHAK PERLMAN ENDS 3-NIGHT BOWL MARATHON

Itzhak Perlman finished his three-night marathon in Hollywood Bowl on Thursday night in a blaze of violinistic glory.

Displaying not the slightest distraction, fatigue or incipient ennui, Perlman sailed but did not float through the beauties and intricacies of Max Bruch’s G-minor Concerto and Pablo de Sarasate’s “Carmen” Fantasy, assisted attentively by conductor Lawrence Foster and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

As he has been doing in visits to this city for two decades, Perlman made gorgeous and clear sounds, took all mechanical hurdles like the champion technician he is, and made music in every phrase.

His fluent, brilliant and heartfelt performance of the Bruch Concerto exceeded all expectations, and competed with memories of Jascha Heifetz’s heroic playing of the same concerto, in the same setting, 18 years ago this week.

The surrounding works, Smetana’s overwrought and rarely heard symphonic poem, “Wallensteins Lager,” and Four Dance Episodes from Copland’s “Rodeo,” made this entire program one of visceral appeal and melodic wrench, a challenging agenda for the orchestra and a colorful one for auditors.

Foster conducted with uncommon attention to detail, eliciting bright sonorities from the Philharmonic and bold gestures from the orchestral soloists. An audience counted at 12,003 arrived early, stayed to the end and endured numbers of passing aircraft with good humor.