Restrained but rich at the Bowl

Stéphane Denève’s “French Masters” Hollywood Bowl concert Thursday night with the Los Angeles Philharmonic suggested that, at 35, this visiting conductor is fast becoming a French master himself.

Building on his impressive Bowl debut Tuesday, Denève turned from Dvorák and Prokofiev to Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Debussy and Ravel. Clearly, this repertoire is in his blood.

The concert’s centerpiece, Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Egyptian”), featured soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. For such a reputedly lightweight work (Saint-Saëns was called, sometimes disparagingly, the “French Mendelssohn”), it came off as more than just a facile, charming showpiece. Sure, there was the predictable, rousing finale, played with finger-blurring speed by Thibaudet, but it was justified by the elegantly shaped, restrained and richly colored reading that came before. For once, the Bowl’s amplification system produced a remarkably natural piano sound, supporting Thibaudet’s clean, plush tone.

Best of all, there was Denève, Thibaudet and the Philharmonic playing as one -- alert to every phrase and nuance in this evocative score. (The nickname refers to the fragrant Near Eastern sonorities in the second movement.) Denève has proved himself a first-rate collaborator with other soloists, but the ardor he evoked from Thibaudet and the Philharmonic seemed intensely personal. Perhaps that’s because Thibaudet served as best man at Denève’s recent wedding.

In the concert’s second half, the Philharmonic sustained its extraordinary high level of playing, starting with the supreme masterpiece on the program, Debussy’s “La Mer.”

A subtle, intricate, atmospheric and forward-looking score, “La Mer” is not ideally suited to the Bowl. Details are too easily lost in the cool night air. That said, Denève and the orchestra produced a delicate yet powerful account of these three symphonic sketches. Denève carefully attended to Debussy’s diverse textures and changing tonalities, blending an array of colors with keen sensitivity. Even when the composer’s roiling sea turned calm, the Bowl audience remained rapt.

Gentler, more warmly sensual moods were evoked in Denève’s interpretation of Ravel’s “Daphnis and Chloé: Suite No. 2.” Culled from the third part of the complete ballet, the suite employed the singers of the Pacific Chorale to enchanting effect in the opening “Sunrise” section. They also added a savage touch to Ravel’s brilliant orchestration in the “Danse générale” bacchanal finale.

The concert began with Berlioz’s overture to “Les Francs-juges” (The Judges of the Secret Court), an uncompleted opera. The weakest composition on a stellar program, it still gave the brass section -- solid all night -- a chance to display an appropriately aggressive attack.