A Smooth Tour of France

Now in mid-career, Jahja Ling served a long and apparently fruitful apprenticeship as a young conductor, beginning in 1982 at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. His return to the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night, a year after his belated Dorothy Chandler Pavilion debut, proved felicitous.

Only the varying acoustical distortions of a sound system not yet normalized in this summer season kept the level of pleasure on a lower plane. The Indonesian American’s balanced program of music by French composers was efficiently realized by the orchestra. The special bonus was the appearance as soloist of L.A. Philharmonic principal concertmaster Martin Chalifour, who played the “Poeme” by Ernest Chausson and Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.

Stylishness, technical brilliance and interpretive pungency have marked Chalifour’s solo outings with the orchestra since his arrival in 1996; this appearance lived up to the violinist’s own heady standards.

Directness and nuance together characterized his playing of Chausson’s sturdy showpiece, and the aggressive lyricism of the Saint-Saens work suited Chalifour’s gifts perfectly. Ling and the orchestra proved sensitive partners.

Even given the acknowledged tightness of Bowl rehearsal schedules, this performance, beginning with Bizet’s “Carmen” Suite No. 1 and closing with the Third, or “Organ” Symphony by Saint-Saens, emerged smoothly and uneventfully executed.

The guest conductor may not have brought great individuality to these familiar works; his striking worth may be in refusing to impede their motion and progress. Knowing when to leave music alone and when to let the orchestra do its best, without meddling, is a special talent in itself.

With orchestral keyboardist Zita Carno at the electronic organ, this “Organ” Symphony made all its points, with handsome orchestral balances and solid contributions from the winds. It’s a lovable work, perfectly appropriate to the outdoors; on Tuesday, it seemed just the right music for a balmy night.