Multicultural views of ‘eforeEspana!’

Outsiders’ fascination with Spain rather than the music of that country formed the basis of the program of mostly French, Cuban and Hungarian compositions titled “eforeEspana!” at Hollywood Bowl on Saturday.

Even Manuel de Falla’s “Three-Cornered Hat” represented authentic Spanish music processed and stylized for a Parisian ballet audience. And the three excerpts played by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under John Mauceri flattened out all the unpredictable surges and eddies that take this score beyond its obvious Iberian vivacity and use of folk forms.

Mauceri’s leadership proved more effective in such pop challenges as “Tico, Tico” and the title tune from “I Love Lucy,” as well as three excerpts from Miklos Rozsa’s weighty “El Cid” film score. In one of his introductions, Mauceri spoke of Falla sometimes sounding like Rimsky-Korsakov, but surely Rozsa deserved the same observation here, with impossibly lush and even candied exoticism.

Georges Bizet’s prelude to “Carmen” and Emmanuel Chabrier’s “Espana” featured focused and very clear playing, especially by the winds and upper strings, while three pieces by Ernesto Lecuona provided accompaniment for six guest women dancers appearing with Madrid’s Noche Flamenca company. Artistic director Martin Santangelo conceived these group showpieces as gracious examinations of the artifacts of flamenco -- the fan, for instance, or the fringed shawl -- manipulated in unison along the front edge of the Bowl stage with formal elegance.

However, authoritative guitar playing by Jesus Torres and impassioned singing by Antonio Vizarraga supported the two essential performances of the evening: bold solos by Noche Flamenca’s dance divas Isabel Bayon and Soledad Barrio.

The feisty Bayon emphasized speed, galvanic shoulder action and extreme dynamic contrasts. Barrio, however, sustained a sense of unbearable tension, sometimes turning her back to the audience and confronting Vizarraga, sometimes thrashing her skirt as if tearing herself apart.

Classical ballet can look tiny and flat at the Bowl, but somehow the twisty emotionalism of these forceful flamenco solos, with arms thrown upward and the torso always in turmoil, made a strong impact, even with the heelwork underamplified compared to the guitar and vocals.

Lacking any sense of forward momentum, Mauceri’s interpretation of Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” closed the program, punctuated toward the end by great balls of fire courtesy of Sousa Fireworks. Smaller spurts of flame also took place inside the Bowl shell.

Falling exactly on the beat, these eruptions led to the usual generalized and noisy barrage of overwhelming, multicolored pyrotechnics. But the tact and musicality of the earlier effects deserved praise -- and emulation.