MUSIC REVIEW : ‘GREAT AMERICAN CONCERT’ AT BOWL

Not just the fireworks sparkled at the “Great American Concert” at the Hollywood Bowl over the weekend. Some 17,543 concert-goers who braved the cold on Friday (17,883 on Saturday) heard Erich Kunzel lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in bright, crackling accounts of music by Copland, Rodgers and Kern, among others, and harmonica player Larry Adler ignite his brand of pyrotechnics.

At 72, Adler remains a formidable virtuoso on the mouth organ, demonstrating winning insouciance in Joplin’s “The Entertainer” and brassy flair in “Summertime” from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” which was introduced hauntingly with the melody of “The Strawberry Woman’s Song.”

Adler’s technique and expressivity in Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” were admirable, but still he couldn’t make his arrangement much more than a curio what with adapting everything in sight--familiar piano, clarinet, trumpet and string parts--and linking it all rather episodically. Kunzel accompanied sympathetically, but held down the orchestra too much in the big central tune.

Otherwise, the Philharmonic played brilliantly and could be heard with uncommon outdoor clarity and transparency thanks to a cooperative amplification system. Highlights included the golden brass in Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” the silverly string reticence in Three Dance Episodes from Copland’s “Rodeo,” and the emotional weight of music from Kern’s “Showboat.”

An informal and chatty Kunzel introduced every item on the program. The spectacular fireworks display, which included a tolling Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty torch and soaring U.S. flag, amid a blizzard of rockets and swirling sparklers--proved particularly well-synchronized this year with the big beat of the Sousa marches. An added bonus of sorts was provided on Friday by the fire alarm in the Bowl Museum, triggered by the heavy smoke.