MUSIC REVIEW : Buckley in Philharmonic Debut

The day after the introduction of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s music director-elect may not have been a good time to make a debut with the orchestra. Not only was the occasion thoroughly upstaged, but the orchestra gave Richard Buckley rather unsettled performances Tuesday evening at Hollywood Bowl.

There was also a different soloist than originally scheduled. Leon Bates replaced Ken Noda, who acquired “an indisposition” a week ago, in Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto.

Given the exigencies of the Bowl rehearsal schedule, the substitution should not have caused artistic problems, but Bates seemed to have quicker ideas about the piece than Buckley. At some points, Bates’ tempos seemed faster than he could handle articulately. Otherwise, he spun out a bright, focused and often sparkling account.

Buckley apparently wanted a more mellow, plumper sort of interpretation. He led a down-sized orchestra in a genial, balanced accompaniment, responsive to Bates’ goading on the tempo issues.

In the opening, Mozart’s Overture to “Don Giovanni,” Buckley tried for transparency and tension. He got a scrambled, scrappy reading, in which speed and an almost frenzied sort of energy were the prime components.

After intermission, Buckley and the full orchestra turned to Mahler’s First Symphony. The conductor, who turns 36 on Sept. 1, accepted Mahler’s judgment in dispensing with the “Blumine” movement and offered a formally clear view of the work.

As realized in sound, though, his approach proved superficial. The Philharmonic played with greater cohesion than before, producing a measure of bucolic charm in the second movement. But the fierce contrasts and struggles of the work were so lightly tackled, that the various recapitulations on the road to triumph in the finale sounded like pro forma redundancies.

Attendence: 10,469.