HAYDN ORATORIO : RATTLE BACK ON PHILHARMONIC PODIUM

Sporting both that trademark red cummerbund and his penchant for delving deep into any musical score, Simon Rattle, principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, returned to the podium of that orchestra Thursday night.

And did so with a splash. The vehicle of his return to the Pavilion of the Music Center this week is nothing less than Franz Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece, “The Creation.” Besides a reduced but substantial Philharmonic, Rattle’s colleagues in this project were the full complement--140 singers--of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and vocal soloists Margaret Marshall, Jonathan Mack and David Thomas.

Buoyant tempos, crisp and transparent orchestral playing, word-rich and handsome choral contributions and sensitive solo-singing marked this solid and appropriately joyful performance. The longueurs that sometimes attend readings of this oratorio never appeared; on the other hand, Rattle’s brisk approach at no point trivialized or diminished the breadth or point of the musical materials.

In this approach, Haydn’s superstructure was heard to evolve naturally, with a logical progression of thought. The bonus was a wealth of detail from all the performers.

From the orchestral players, this involved using a full range of dynamics and contrast within a Classical framework, while maintaining what can be delicate and fragile balances with each other and with soloists and chorus.

That the performance emerged so clear and unweighty is tribute to their success, as well as to Rattle’s careful ear. The unobtrusive but expert continuo team comprised Frederick Hammond on harpsichord, Daniel Rothmuller on cello and Dennis Trembly on string bass.

From the Master Chorale, which has seldom delivered words so tellingly or understandably, the consistent combining of round and characterized tone with poetic thought produced one of its strongest performances under any conductor.

Marshall, Mack and Thomas brought similar expertise and stylishness to their many assignments. For pure vocalism, Mack emerged most on-target, his tone pristine and his sense of text direct and expressive. Though inconsistent above the staff and sometimes dry of voice, Marshall’s performance found several articulate and poignant moments, in particular at “On mighty pens uplifted.” Basso Thomas excelled in the love-duet of Part Three; earlier, he had offered a number of deftly characterized passages as well as some in which the voice turned hollow.