Violinist, Mozart Nicely Matched

There was Mozart at the Hollywood Bowl again Thursday, and that is often all it takes. Add the immediately rewarding as well as eminently promising debut of 17-year-old German violinist Julia Fischer, and who would pine for fireworks?

The Los Angeles Philharmonic podium was entrusted to conductor Peter Oundjian, who had made his own Bowl debut at the previous concert. He seemed straightforward in manner and technique, but left a rather scattered first impression with the overture from “The Marriage of Figaro.” His outline was clear if conventional, but filled in somewhat haphazardly.

With the “Jupiter” Symphony, No. 41, Oundjian reminded us of the particular Mozartean eloquence that the Tokyo String Quartet had when he was its first violinist.

Except for some odd hesitations in the Menuetto, there was a natural, unforced brio to his interpretation. He let the contrapuntal complexities of the finale build organically, in a pristine texture of balanced sound.

In the prevailing Bowl acoustic, there was not quite as much punch to the accents or dynamic dimension as we might expect in a concert hall.

But the Philharmonic, reduced to a chamber orchestra, played with spirit and grace nonetheless.

That was certainly true of Fischer as well. She brought an elegant sparkle to the Violin Concerto No. 4, projecting a real sense of musical motivation and structure.

Her playing was secure in detail and stylish in rhetoric, emphasizing formal charms over unbuttoned spontaneity.

Best, she knew what to do with the slow movement. Fischer had enough confidence in the composer and herself to let the music sing clearly and directly, supporting it with warm sound and powerful linear cohesion.