KRAFT’S ‘CONTEXTURES II’ : AN ANTI-WAR CANTATA AT PHILHARMONIC

Powerful images of sound and word, especially in combination and mutual support, require no additional thrust to realize their impact.

It seemed natural and right, then, that no visual images clutter William Kraft’s “Contextures II,” the anti-war cantata that received its world-premiere performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Thursday night in the Pavilion of the Music Center.

Such distractions--and very striking ones--were a strong feature of his first “Contextures,” which received its first performances in the same auditorium 19 years ago this week.

Perhaps the nature of the American composer’s subject matter dictated the multimedia aspects of the earlier piece, subtitled “Riots--Decade ’60.” The subtitle of “Contextures II” is “The Final Beast,” a reference from a poem by Stephen Crane--the final beast is death. As one remembers the earlier “Contextures,” the new one appears more literary; in musical idiom more highly concentrated--less vehement, if no less deeply felt.

Kraft’s highly developed compositional skills and colorful instrumental writing shone in this first performance, led by Philharmonic Music Director Andre Previn, sung by soloists Mary Rawcliffe and Jonathan Mack and assisted by the New Albion Ensemble (a quartet specializing in pre-classical music) and the Pasadena Boys Choir.

Compression and economy of musical means characterize the entire 34-minute work, which utilizes a poetic scenario made up of texts from the Bible, from Homer and from Frantisek Bass, by Walther von der Vogelweide, Longfellow, John Scott and Wilfred Owen. The anti-war sentiments are strongly stated, but not always fortissimo; gentleness and reflection balance the sound-equation. The first “Contextures” was more aggressive.

With clear authority, Previn inspired a well-paced and apprehendable performance. Rawcliffe and Mack delivered words and musical lines fluently; the Pasadena Boys Choir displayed considerable dynamic and colorful vocal resources.

The New Albion players--the sound of that band seems to symbolize a basic humanity not always associated with big 20th-Century orchestras--brought abundant richness to their assignments. And the Philharmonic players, including many purveyors of solo lines, gave as smooth a first performance as the composer might wish.

After intermission, similarly clarified Ravel completed the program. First, there was Previn’s palette-stretching approach to the complete ballet score of “Ma Mere l’Oye”--though sometimes the stretching caused a thinning out of basic orchestral textures and, at other times, balances went askew.

Then, for a finale, there was the composer’s still-fantastical “poeme choreographique,” “La Valse,” performed with that insouciant brilliance this orchestra musters only on special occasions. Clearly, this was such an occasion.