More Illumination From Norrington, Philharmonic

Distractingly calm--so calm, he seems to wander on- and offstage like a lost pedestrian--Roger Norrington stands before the Los Angeles Philharmonic with only one apparent goal: to make sensible music.

To start his second week here, the British conductor led the orchestra in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday night, producing eminently apprehensible, attractive and authoritative performances.

These readings illuminated their composers’ thinking and underlined many details in the scores. That those composers turned out to be--in this holiday season of beloved but familiar music--Purcell, Haydn and Vaughan Williams, in non-holiday expressions, was a bonus.

Not that all music-lovers may feel a need to revisit Ralph Vaughan Williams’ colorful Symphony No. 2, which the composer dubbed “A London Symphony.” It is a charming piece whether one takes its programmatic paths seriously--that is, tries to follow them in detail--or just wants to enjoy the general British atmosphere. It may be an acquired taste, however: the sound-equivalent of a series of postcards, and just as deep.

In any case, Norrington coaxed from the Philharmonic a genuinely magnificent and kaleidoscopic performance, one rich in solo details, in full-throated orchestral perorations, in sighs, whispers, in references to both natural and urban life. He did all this while giving shape to a work some have found amorphous, and making it seem integrated. It is not a masterpiece, but it sounded irresistible Thursday night.

Haydn’s “London” Symphony, No. 104, on the other hand, is a masterpiece, as well as an effective symphonic showpiece. Norrington’s quiet, understated ministrations and the concentrated, polished expertise of the Philharmonic showed off its resplendence.

To begin, there was also great polish in a handsome, squeaky-clean performance of Norrington’s suite from Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen,” music that flowed out of the Philharmonic as generously as more familiar excerpts from Rossini or Verdi.

* L.A. Philharmonic, conducted by Roger Norrington, repeats this program tonight at 8 and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. $8-$60. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 365-3500.