MUSIC REVIEW : Bombs Burst in Air for Bowl ‘Spectacular’

The soldiers marched smartly, the fireworks burst brightly, the orchestra played mightily, the conductor led, well, oddly.

“Wellington’s Victory,” complete with battling bands of soldiers and fireworks, capped a largely unsatisfactory Beethoven “spectacular” program at Hollywood Bowl over the weekend.

On Friday, conductor Heiichiro Ohyama led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in curious, unidiomatic accounts of the “Coriolan” Overture and the Symphony No. 8.

He was more traditional--and sympathetic--in accompanying Philharmonic concertmaster Sidney Weiss in the Two Romances for violin and orchestra. And he provided acceptable sound-track background for the pageant hoopla surrounding Beethoven’s pop-schlock ode to the defeat of Napoleon’s brother by the Duke of Wellington at Vitoria, Spain, in 1813.

Here the appeal and rewards were overwhelmingly visual, in any case.

A company of 16 Redcoats marched in briskly, all business, from the left side of the Bowl, down the aisle, and crossed over the stage into battle position. A matching contingent of French forces sauntered in from the other side of the box seats, kissing the hands of women in the audience, tossing out flowers, thanking people for coming, before taking up position on stage.

Soon, nearly ear-splitting off-stage cannon, rattling musket fire, blinding pyrotechnics, a sword fight and fallen soldiers recalled that war is not altogether fun.

History buffs will have to judge the accuracy of having the arrival of reinforcements on the British side turn the tide of the battle. For others, it might have seemed a bit unfair and mean-spirited. But with the French routed, the composer’s histrionic victory hymn could begin in earnest.

Ironically, because no wind was blowing, those closest to the stage paid an extra price, as smoke soon filled the area, obscuring some of the dazzling, musically well-synchronized aerial effects and almost obliterating the view of the orchestra.

In all the din, one could hardly hear what Ohyama and the orchestra were doing, and it didn’t matter all that much.

Not so in the earlier part of the program.

Fortunately, in the Two Romances, Ohyama could follow the lead of Weiss, who brought warm, golden tone, elegant style, inwardness and poise to these two slight pieces. While not ideally mirroring Weiss’ phrasings, Ohyama provided discreet and supportive accompaniment.

But, otherwise, at this stage of Ohyama’s young conducting career--he is an assistant conductor and the principal violist of the orchestra--Beethoven seemed a closed book.

As conductor, Ohyama took an aggressive stance on the podium, his feet planted widely apart. But there was no corresponding powerhouse follow-through. Apart from accenting chords like taking swings with a bat, Ohyama confined himself to controlled, limited, often parallel gestures, rarely using his hands to shape dramatic effects.

In general, he managed to displace customary accents, repoint phrases, minimize dynamic range and contrast, and weaken forward momentum. He also had an anachronistic tendency to stretch and distort lyric second themes.

The result was not anti-heroic Beethoven. It offered no new revelations about the music. It was simply wrong-headed.

The Eighth Symphony proved metronomic, charmless, deficient in propulsion and flight. The “Coriolan” Overture lacked drive and drama. It was sewing-machine Beethoven.

The orchestra gave Ohyama exactly what he wanted, responding instantly to his direction. Apart from some occasional pitch problems from the horns, the Philharmonic played with model precision, security, emphasis and cohesion, if not enthusiasm.

The amplification system was on good behavior, except for an annoying echo rolling from the back of the amphitheater on loud chords. The orchestra could be heard with unusual clarity and transparency.

Ambient noises included three airplanes, a thicket of crickets, one slammed door, applause between every movement and an occasional whoop from an overenthusiastic fan.

Attendance: 16,752 on Friday; 17,869 on Saturday.