MUSIC REVIEW : Jarvi Leads Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl

Traditionally the quietest period of the summer season at Hollywood Bowl, the second week of subscription concerts in 1990 began, unsurprisingly, with low-key performances from the Los Angeles Philharmonic led by Neeme Jarvi.

If these readings--of Smetana’s “Prodana Nevesta” Overture, Rachmaninoff’s “Paganini” Rhapsody (with soloist Misha Dichter) and the Seventh Symphony by Dvorak--eschewed any hints of grandstanding, they were not modest.

Indeed, they upheld another tradition, the one to which Jarvi became associated when he appeared here last summer: They proved musically satisfying as well as technically proficient.

Jarvi, returning on Tuesday night to the scene of his 1989 successes, did it again. He coaxed involved, careful and tightly structured performances from our cooperative orchestra.

Dvorak’s Seventh was the most obvious beneficiary of the Estonian conductor’s strong, no-nonsense leadership. It simply flowed, like a wide-ranging, sometimes vociferous conversation between passionate friends, touching many subjects but never losing direction or its thread of thought. And the playing of the Philharmonic emerged splendidly clarified.

With less heat, the same forces produced a clean and competent reading of Rachmaninoff’s famous Rhapsody, one in which pianist Dichter inspired admiration for poetic statement as well as reliable virtuosity. This performance sounded grand, though it never really caught fire.

The evening began with the cherishable charms of the “Bartered Bride” excerpt, nicely paced and neatly played.

Attendance: 10,250.