Salonen Plugs In to Power of Haydn, Prokofiev

Esa-Pekka Salonen has justifiably built a reputation as a conductor of music of the 20th century. But, lo and behold, he turns out to be a Haydn interpreter of uncommon sophistication.

He opened a three-part Los Angeles Philharmonic program Wednesday in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with Haydn’s early Symphony No. 6 (“Le matin”), followed by Nielsen’s Flute Concerto and a suite of his own construction drawn from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Salonen’s Haydn was no precursor to the uncouth, revolutionary Beethoven, but an aristocratic figure of impeccable, absolutely reliable taste. For all that, there was no lack of energy, high spirits, charm or wit.

Nothing in the playing stood out ostentatiously, but everywhere could be noticed craftsmanship of the highest order, executed by colleagues who surely must be friends, like Haydn’s original band. Indeed, the composer’s mentoring of his musicians was evident in the virtuosic passages he gave them, performed here with zest by a number of principals and guest horn player William Ver Meulen.

No less virtuosic was Janet Ferguson, the orchestra’s principal flutist, as a captivating and seductive protagonist in Nielsen’s impish, sunny, episodic, two-movement concerto. Salonen accompanied devotedly, and Jeffrey Reynolds played the humorous bass trombone solos delightfully.

The Philharmonic, happily, is not your typical ballet pit band, so Prokofiev’s score could be heard in all its sumptuous color and detail. And unencumbered by having to synchronize the music with the movements of dancers’ bodies, Salonen could enjoy greater freedom in tempo and elasticity of line. Juliet’s death was not heart-rending, as it can be in the theater, but elsewhere the conductor brought out the drama and the power of the music with unusual persuasion.

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* Los Angeles Philharmonic repeats this program Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. $11-$65. (323) 850-2000.