MUSIC REVIEW : Violinist Lin Brings Elegance to Mozart

Elegant, fluid Mozart with violinist Cho-Liang Lin was the centerpiece Thursday at Hollywood Bowl. The second and final summer program from Bruno Weil and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra proved a long but generally light and varied event, all drama and grace before intermission, evaporating charm afterward.

Lin focused his considerable skills and generous spirit on Mozart’s Concerto in B-flat, K. 207. He brought clean, fluent playing to bear without exaggeration on the slender piece, ennobling the gallant sentiment with concentrated lyricism. He turned to Raymond Leppard at cadenza time, with affecting, stylistically cohesive results.

He also offered the substantial bonus of the Adagio in E, K. 261. Here, however, Lin produced a dry and wiry sound that did not project all the glory of this big-tuned movement. The piece came fully to life only in the thoughtful cadenza by Hindemith, delivered with beautiful simplicity of utterance.

Weil and the orchestra backed Lin with considerate temper. Their sound was a bit clotted at the beginning of the Adagio, but soon resolved itself into an airy, accommodating fabric.

The center of emotional gravity in Weil’s program was placed at the beginning, in the form of Haydn’s “Trauer” Symphony No. 44, in E minor. The conductor demonstrated the power of integrated tempos, allowed the slow movement its expansive blossom, and kept the finale crackling without sacrificing nuance or balance.

After intermission came Schubert’s Third Symphony. Perhaps the late launch time or the oppressive humidity blunted some sensibilities, but Weil seemed to bring out all the derivative and juvenile aspects of the piece, without much compensation in an approach seemingly predicated simply on forthright geniality.

He did get impressively blithe and efficient work from his musicians, however. The chamber orchestra delivered a bright and sparkling sound in appropriate but nonetheless remarkable contrast to their dark and furious efforts in the Haydn Symphony. Tootling, Schubertian joy from clarinetist Gary Gray topped the list of distinguished, pertinent solo contributions.