MUSIC REVIEW : Boulez Conducts Debussy at Philharmonic

Orchestral virtuosity for its own sake has never been a high priority in the aesthetic of Pierre Boulez, as the French conductor has demonstrated numerous times in his visits to the Los Angeles Philharmonic over the decades.

Showiness, however--as a byproduct of musical probing, pointed articulation, instrumental clarification and deep analysis--has been the felicitous result of his guest leadership of the orchestra more often than not. Thursday night, opening the Philharmonic’s final series of weekend concerts in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for this season, Boulez again let the orchestra display its chops--while producing exceptional music-making.

He did it most thoroughly in the works that opened and closed this last Music Center program of 1991-92: Bartok’s Four Pieces, Opus 12, and the five works that make up Debussy’s “Images” for orchestra.

In performances that realized kaleidoscopic, and often very specific, moods, Boulez and the orchestra seemed to pinpoint both pictorial and emotional elements, while providing the continuity to integrate both suites.

Bartok’s first post-”Bluebeard’s Castle” opus retains much of the mystery and vehemence of that previous, larger canvas; in a transparent instrumental reading, these Four Pieces exerted their considerable power to reach the listener.

A similar and remarkable clarity gave Debussy’s “Images” its widest imaginable dynamic and coloristic range, without resort to orchestral blasting or overstatement of detail. The care, attention and instrumental virtuosity in these performances belonged to the Philharmonic players, of course, but the catalyst and authority for them resided on the podium.

At mid-program, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, the American soprano who often seems to collaborate with Boulez here, brought her familiar ease of delivery and intelligence to Berg’s “Sieben Fruhe Lieder” and to Debussy’s “Trois Ballades de Francois Villon.”

In the Seven Early Songs, the orchestra, wallowing in many opportunities for strong statement, tended to overplay, consequently often covering the singer’s attractive but not voluminous tone. In Debussy’s more cannily orchestrated set, Bryn-Julson was heard to better advantage. The festive audience--non-capacity but highly attentive--listened hard and responded appropriately.

On to Ojai.