Student and Teacher in Sync at Bowl

Great fiddle playing seems to be a staple at the Hollywood Bowl this summer, with the debut of Elisabeth Batiashvili there last week and the return Tuesday night of charismatic, accomplished 24-year-old Leila Josefowicz, who first played in this setting before she was a teenager.

It is no secret that we are in a golden age of violinists, and one of the reasons is superior teaching. Josefowicz, for example, while at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, studied with Jaime Laredo, the guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Tuesday. Student and mentor shared the spotlight twice on this evening, first in Bach’s D-minor Concerto for Two Violins, then, as finale, in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364, for Violin and Viola.

The playing of the two proved exceptional, stylish and highly satisfying. With easy virtuosity and exquisite matching of tone, Josefowicz and Laredo--the conductor-violinist-violist is a major chamber music figure we sometimes take for granted and shouldn’t--performed this familiar music effortlessly and in genuine rapport with orchestra and audience.

The slow movements in particular, directional, single-minded and beautifully poignant, pleased the most.

To play this softly, but with deep projection, in an outdoor amphitheater the size of the Bowl takes not just great technique but also great courage. And musicianship this subtle and articulate must be cherished.

Separating the two solo vehicles, Laredo conducted a smooth and warmhearted account of Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony. The orchestra played with an easy panache.