Bowl Musical Chairs: How Will They Play? : Music: Can a group of studio musicians find a following--and profits--as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra? Audiences will get an indication at its first live performance.

At the drop of a baton, L.A.’s studio musicians may tackle a Mozart rondo, whip up some action music for “Terminator 2,” or, if necessary, blast out some rock ‘n’ roll.

But the abilities of some of L.A.’s most versatile and in-demand musicians are about to be tested. In an unusual experiment, more than 80 session musicians working mainly in the television and motion picture industry will make their debut Tuesday evening under the baton of John Mauceri as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

Announced last October, the new ensemble will attempt to trade on its starry name. It has roots going back to 1945 and Leopold Stokowski, who led the first Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

But times have changed. Instead of playing together for a lengthy period, getting to know its conductor and earning a reputation before venturing into the recording studios, the new Bowl Orchestra first came together last February in the studio to record the “Hollywood Dreams” album before having played a note in concert.

The question now remains whether this hastily assembled orchestra, which was formed to fill a void in Philips Classics’ catalogue following the Boston Pops defection to Sony Classical last year, can develop a distinctive personality in so short a period of time.

Confidently facing his new challenge is the New York-born John Mauceri, who has led opera, symphony concerts and musical theater on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mauceri said he believes he can leave his personal stamp on an orchestra he has only recently met.

“Conductors who know what they want carry a sound with them,” said the 45-year-old conductor in a telephone interview from Glasgow.

“When you heard Stokowski, or Furtwangler or Bernstein, whether they were conducting the L.A. Philharmonic or the Chicago Symphony or New York Philharmonic, their sound concept always came with them,” explained Mauceri, a former student of Leonard Bernstein and who for five years has led the Scottish Opera.

“The ‘(Hollywood) Dreams’ record is a very good example of the kind of sound I have always wanted to have--a sound of tremendous warmth which happens simultaneously with absolutely crystal-clear detail. The orchestra has already given me that. It’s a fantasy to think this (process usually) takes years and years.”

Mauceri faces several obstacles in the unusual way his musicians have been assembled:

* Musicians can opt for their higher-paying session work over the few Bowl Orchestra dates at any time.

* Musicians are selected with no auditions.

* The members of the orchestra are selected from a pool of 400-500. (Major orchestras often get more than 100 applicants for one opening.)

* Musicians are hired on a short-term basis.

* There is no union contract.

In an effort to keep personnel consistent, Mauceri and his advisers have hired Ken Watson, a studio musician and principal tympanist/percussionist with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, to recruit players from the pool of more than 400 session musicians working in Los Angeles.

Watson estimates that approximately 90% of the free-lancers who played on the just-released “Hollywood Dreams” album--the first of 15 albums to be recorded for Philips Classics--are returning for this week’s three concerts saluting American composers. But Watson, who has worked with many of these musicians, has no guarantee that the same players will commit to the Bowl Orchestra’s five-weekend concerts later this summer.

“We’ve asked the first chair players to do the whole season and are trying to get the same people throughout the summer,” said Watson, who has taught at USC for 23 years. “It makes things more comfortable for the conductor.”

According to orchestra manager Anne Parsons, who was brought on board this year from the Boston Symphony/Boston Pops to facilitate formation of the new orchestra, players are “booked programmatically.” For example, for the Independence Day concerts, musicians are engaged for the week that includes two rehearsals as well as performances. For the Gershwin program at the Bowl the weekend of July 12, bookings span a two-week period and include a three-day recording session, July 15-18, to be held at the former MGM studios in Culver City.

“Every time we make a call it depends on the repertory and the project,” explained Parsons, adding that varied instrumentation needs will determine the makeup of the orchestra.

“Our goal is to develop a constituency that is loyal to us and we feel loyal to them. But until we can promise more stable employment we won’t be able to do anything but book one season.

“In essence, each season we will be starting from scratch even although we will go back to the same list (of players),” said Parsons during an interview at her office in Cahuenga Pass.

But above all, added Parsons, the key to making this experimental arrangement work is allowing musicians the “flexibility” to choose a Bowl concert over a studio date--or vice versa.

Dennis Karmazyn, Bowl Orchestra principal cellist, has made a good living in the studios and in the concert hall.

He believes the term free-lance does not adequately reflect the capabilities of these musicians, many of whom have appeared with the Pasadena and Glendale symphonies as well as with local chamber ensembles.

“In L.A. you have some of the finest musicians in the country who are basically earning a living sight-reading,” explained Karmazyn, who has played with the Pasadena Symphony and for American Ballet Theatre.

As Max Herman, president of the Los Angeles Musicians Union, pointed out: “You’re talking about people who can make more money doing motion pictures in one day than in a week at the Bowl.”

Herman has had a number of meetings with Ernest Fleischmann, Philharmonic executive vice president and managing director, in order to arrive at a “negotiated agreement.” Herman said the union is cooperating fully in an effort to get the orchestra launched, but his approach is cautious and slow.

“We are trying to fit the needs of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the needs of our musicians,” Herman explained.

“You cannot tie up these people, who are the best in the world, only for 10 or so concerts. If you want to tie people down, then you have got to pay more,” added Herman who declined to discuss specific salaries.

“This orchestra is new and we don’t know where we are going. But we want to see it work because next year we will have a record to go on and to negotiate a contract.”

James Kanter, Bowl Orchestra and Pacific Symphony principal clarinetist, played on the “Dreams” album and has been asked to return for the Bowl dates this summer. He said the decision now rests with management--the Fleischmann, Parsons, Mauceri team--to decide which players to retain on the orchestra’s roster.

“Everyone in management is proceeding cautiously to be sure they don’t wind up making commitments to players they don’t want to keep in the longterm, and the players also are treating this cautiously,” Kanter said during a break from a recent recording gig.