BRAHMS FOURTH : DANIEL LEWIS, BRONFMAN IN BOWL CONCERT

Once in a while, all the conditions come close to working together at Hollywood Bowl. Tuesday night they did.

As always, climate and humidity--which cause crisp sound to travel upward from the natural bowl configuration of the hillside--were the main ingredients, plus the professional engineering that now runs sound-dispersal in Cahuenga Pass. Furthermore, on Tuesday, what was being dispersed was more than worthwhile; it was splendid.

Daniel Lewis, leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist, conducted an old-fashioned, heart-warming, conservative program: Lalo’s Overture to “Le Roi d’Ys,” Saint-Saens’ Second Piano Concerto and Brahms’ Fourth Symphony--but with a vigor, authority and intensity to bring it all alive again.

One must assume Lewis had no more and no less rehearsal of this program than most Bowl conductors receive, so the difference between the polished playing of the Philharmonic and the playing heard on some other summer occasions can be attributed to the quality of his leadership, his communication with the orchestra, and the players’ positive attitudes. In any case, the Philharmonic performed up to its best technical standards, and with an alertness and relaxed spirit that do not always coexist.

In the hundred years since its creation, Brahms’ Fourth has brought down even some of the mighty; it can crush an unsuspecting young conductor with its myriad details and apparent sprawl. But that is not sprawl; it is a structure built by an intricate, subtle and cunning musical mind.

Lewis and the orchestra revealed the structure while reveling in, but not overstressing, the fine points. The entire work seemed to unfold naturally and smoothly, each movement following the larger pattern of contrast and variety. In the process, the familiar longueurs never appeared and confusion--a frequent audience-response to the finale--never reigned; transparency, clarity and articulation characterized this revelatory reading.

The first half of the program met a similar standard. The orchestra seemed to enjoy its romp through Lalo’s ebullient overture, which elicited wonderful solo contributions from principals Daniel Rothmuller (cello) and Lorin Levee (clarinet).

Bronfman’s playing of the G-minor concerto turned out more than brilliant; it became hair-raising in the rapid-fire passages of the finale, meltingly lyric in the Romantic opening movement, jaunty in the Scherzo. The young Russo-Israeli pianist commands a charismatic keyboard address; he plays with concentration and pleasure and an irresistible panache. Tuesday night, while he had it in his clutches, he made one forget most other performances of this wondrous piece.

Attendance: 7,357.