Another Side of Mancini at the Bowl

Henry Mancini tried a bit more of a stretch than usual at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday. In the past, his summer concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic have been little more than amiable tours through his laundry list of Greatest Hits. Not so this year.

There were plenty of familiar Mancini melodies coursing through the weekend’s program--”Peter Gunn,” “Charade” and “Days of Wine and Roses” among them--but even they were treated to somewhat unusual interpretations.

One of the most interesting pieces was one of the most unexpected. Mancini dug way back into his Universal Studios past to uncover a cue he composed for “The Creature From the Black Lagoon,” atmospherically titled “The Monster Gets Mark.” It was pure, ‘50s movie music, completely unlike what we have come to expect from Mancini, but totally fascinating in its illustration of his very early ability to bring vigor and color to the most mundane assignments.

A collection of Italian movie music from such films as “La Dolce Vita” and “Cinema Paradiso” by Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone was less appealing. Only Rota’s “Godfather” theme, with its remarkable evocation of place and time, seemed worthy of concert presentation. A brief, well-orchestrated Ellington medley sparkled primarily via Ray Pizzi’s passionate tenor saxophone solo on “In a Sentimental Mood.”

Mancini made a generous allocation of time to the evening’s soloist, 14-year-old flutist Gregory Lawrence Jefferson. Blessed with a gorgeous tone and a fast-emerging style, the young performer brought a distinctive new style to such Mancini classics as “The Pink Panther” and “Moon River.”

The Philharmonic sounded relaxed and comfortable with the program’s less-than-demanding scores. Mancini’s opening “Strings on Fire” and a few of the inner workings of the “Black Lagoon” cue were the only items requiring much more than cursory attention.