MUSIC REVIEWS : MAUCERI LEADS ESPLANADE ENSEMBLE

The advertised bill was an enticing one: the Boston Pops led by its celebrity music director John Williams.

Alas, the throng that gathered in Hollywood Bowl on Sunday got neither. Williams was still recuperating from an intestinal infection, and the original Pops--a. k. a. the Boston Symphony--remained at Tanglewood for its summer season.

What the crowd got instead was a stand-in, John Mauceri, and the Esplanade Orchestra, the Boston Pops’ official touring contingent relegated to fine-print status in all those splashy ads. But the 15,582 also got a big surprise.

Mauceri, familiar to local audiences from his many pit appearances with New York City Opera, proved an amiable host, who in a single, delightful moment, won over the crowd.

As he completed the quiet Intermezzo from Bizet’s “Carmen” Suite, Mauceri glanced over his shoulder at a helicopter rudely zipping over Cahuenga Pass. With arms raised, he gave the intruder a leering smile and brought the downbeat to a thundering Entrance of the Toreodors that drowned out the noisy aircraft and brought extended cheers from the audience.

From then on, he could do no wrong. Mauceri displayed refreshing wit as he introduced the standard Pops mix of movie music and beloved Broadway tunes, with the Bizet as a token light classic. On the podium, he crouched, hopped and pranced in the best Bernstein tradition. In turn, the Esplanade responded with some exuberant music-making.

Notable were the several short pieces by Williams: the “Liberty” Fanfare, two colorful excerpts from the sound track to “The Witches of Eastwick” and, in encore, the NBC News theme. Four waltzes by Richard Rodgers and a predictable medley from “My Fair Lady” also brought out the brilliant sound and faultless ensemble of the orchestra.

Fortunately for Mauceri, the evening’s lowpoint came early--in the sluggish, deliberate “Carmen” Suite. And the highpoint arrived last--in the foot-stomping conclusion to a set of big-band favorites. Following humdrum arrangements of “In the Mood” and “Moonlight Serenade,” the ensemble bust loose with a rousing, percussion-heavy “Sing, Sing, Sing” that brought the crowd to its feet.

As a second encore, the conductor and his double-bass-twirling band again knocked ‘em dead with a clap-along “Saints Go Marching In.” Extended pleas for more went unanswered.