MUSIC REVIEW : Lopez-Cobos Returns to Hollywood Bowl

Over the years, many conductors have found ways to make the Los Angeles Philharmonic overplay, to produce raucous and overblown sounds. Very few have been able to coax commited underplaying from this orchestra, to uncover and reveal the ensemble’s genuinely wide dynamic range and palette of instrumental colors in a context of straightforward and unfussy performances.

Carlo Maria Giulini, with his gift for spiritual intimidation, could do it. The late Eugene Ormandy, more pragmatic but equally charismatic, also achieved such results.

Jesus Lopez-Cobos, who took over the Philharmonic podium Tuesday night in Hollywood Bowl, is another gifted practitioner of symphonic sound-painting and under-interpretation. He displayed his skills, again, in a poignant and commanding performance of Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony, closing the Tuesday program.

This was, in every wise, a deeply resonant reading. The composer’s arching lines and colorful details blended without conflict. A full gamut of Romantic quietude, from murmurous to conversational, was put to use, and kept in balance.

Most important, each succeeding movement seemed to fill in and expand the listener’s musical experience. A cherishable performance, made more effective by the Philharmonic players’ apparent willingness to share all their resources, and by beneficent climatic conditions, unobtrusive sound-dispersal and a surprising absence of aerial passers-by.

Earlier, Cho-Liang Lin returned to the Bowl spotlight for a cool but authoritative run-through of Tchaikovsky’s ubiquitous Violin Concerto.

The Taiwanese fiddler, who seemed in top technical form--but in a thoughtful, rather than extroverted mood, vis-a-vis the work’s climaxes--continues to occupy a top rung on the ladder of violinistic achievement. The Spanish conductor and the North American orchestra assisted respectfully.

A certain lack of presence seemed to mark the reading of Rossini’s Overture to “Guillaume Tell,” as it was broadcast to the Bowl, at the beginning of the evening. As a result, what seemed to be splendid solo playing from the orchestra’s principals emerged under-projected in the amphitheater.

In terms of ensemble, all was in good order, with the potent brass, in particular, making mellow but awesome sounds at the Rossinian peaks. As it turned out, those sounds were to be reiterated handsomely in Mendelssohn’s Third, at the end.

Attendance: 12,721.