MUSIC REVIEW : Philharmonic in Uneven Form at Bowl

The conjunction of hyper-familiar repertory and uncharismatic performers did not promise much magic, Thursday at Hollywood Bowl. It did suffice, however, to draw a crowd of 13,792--very strong for a weekday event.

The lure for most was undoubtedly Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Collectors of that experience received a performance that was truly distinctive, if not for all the right reasons.

Conductor Michael Morgan took an uncommonly leisurely and lyrical approach to the first movement, with neither the crackling speed currently fashionable nor the emotional vehemence generally produced by earlier stylistic generations.

His results were clarified details rather than cohesive argument, compromised by the untidy and often contradictory playing of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Morgan did find real poetry at the core of the Andante, in some beautifully transparent string passages. He allowed the scherzo and finale to develop their wonted energies in competent routine.

The orchestra’s inconsistent attention to Morgan’s intentions was also quite manifest in the opening, Brahms’ “Academic Festival” Overture. It too was slow--even Morgan’s national anthem plodded--and concentrated on murky ruminations possibly too subtle for the Bowl.

All hands, however, rallied behind Sidney Weiss in the Brahms Violin Concerto. The orchestra’s concertmaster needed all the steady support he could get in the beginning. Playing a new instrument of his own craftsmanship on a cold night, he entered the fray with distressed intonation and uneven sound.

He settled down in the gorgeous lyric theme. Through the rest of the concerto, he projected his characteristic shy elegance and even produced a measure of energetic dash in the finale.