MUSIC REVIEW : Rampal, Lagoya at Hollywood Bowl

The charms of salon music without the salon are not very far-reaching. That was a lesson relearned Wednesday evening, when flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and guitarist Alexandre Lagoya brought their delicate art before a crowd of 7,371 at Hollywood Bowl, courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Past masters of fleet and fancy elegance, the two seemed in fine fettle, as well they might. In the ensemble numbers, their familiar program actually duplicated one they played here in 1980, despite a wide range of available literature.

As heard through fuzzy amplified echoes, Ravi Shankar’s “Enchanted Morning”--in an agreeable if unconvincing arrangement by the performers--and slender sonatas by Scheidler, Giuliani and Paganini sounded typically effervescent. Interpretively and technically balanced, Rampal and Lagoya produced little chamber-music gems that were as lost in the huge setting as the musicians sometimes seemed in the forest of potted trees on stage.

Each, of course, had a brief solo set. Rampal devoted his to three Fantasies by Telemann, all in the minor mode. He played them seriously, stylistically alert and given to much more indirect nuance than his restive audience seemed prepared to follow, particularly through echo-imposed canons.

Lagoya chose a classy chestnut, “Recuerdos de la Alhambra,” and two potent musical anesthetics by Carcassi and Legnani. He proved consistently secure and persuasive in these endeavors, and unflappable in his pursuit of color, despite amplification and al-fresco distractions.

Lagoya’s efforts also awoke some spirited audience response, which the vigorous doodling of “Enchanted Morning” further encouraged. That led to three encores: a Sonatina by Beethoven, a Serenade by Carulli and Ibert’s inevitable “Entr’Acte.”