L.A. PHIL SHINES WITH MAHLER, PUPPETS, `BOLERO'.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

On Thursday evening conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen led the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his 15th opening-night gala, the fourth at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Same-old, same-old, right?

These days, there's nothing old about the Phil, which seems to be continually blossoming under Salonen's baton, and in a playful program Thursday, the ever-energetic maestro (now only a youthful 48) reminded us again of the heights to which he has taken the orchestra, which now should really be considered a city treasure.

The night began with Ravel's ``Mother Goose Suite,'' originally a set of piano duets that the composer transformed into a ballet. It is a work that is both charming and emotional, something that childhood can be, and the orchestra effortlessly and seamlessly captured the piece's expressive ebb and flow. It would be almost tempting to call the Phil a well-oiled machine because of its precision and Salonen's strong hand, but there is nothing machinelike about the sound, which had a simmering brilliance.

No strings attached

Falla's ``Master Peter's Puppet Show'' followed, featuring Basil Twist's imaginative puppetry. The show -- which had life-size puppets watching a traditional puppet show -- was performed behind and above the scaled-down orchestra. Three singers -- Awet Andemicael, Kyle Ketelsen and Agustin Prunell-Friend -- sang the parts of the three main characters. While the music and story are witty, the eye-catcher was Twist's puppets, highlighted by a full-size Don Quixote walking through the orchestra (aided, of course, by two figures in black) to the edge of the stage.

The beat of `Bolero'

The last work of the evening was Ravel's ``Bolero.'' Some may dismiss the iconic work as simply a crowd-pleaser, but that would overlook its cleverness and heart. To the beat of an exacting rhythm played on a snare drum, ``Bolero'' begins with a simple theme that is restlessly reworked before it comes crashing down at the end. It is a piece in search of perfection, which it never achieves, and because of its nature, a flawless performance of ``Bolero'' is impossible.

Even as the work marches toward its boisterous finale, the work requires a delicacy few orchestras pull off. Thursday's performance may not have been perfect, either, but Salonen and the Phil came as close as anyone gets.

After the performance, there was a gala dinner held in a tent on Grand Avenue to benefit the Musicians Pension Fund and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, which raises money that allows music students and teachers from L.A. to attend concerts.

Thursday's performance will not be repeated; Salonen and the Phil are moving on to a program of Mahler's Third for the rest of the weekend.

Rob Lowman [phone]

robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com

MAHLER'S THIRD

What: The Los Angeles Philharmonic, under Esa-Pekka Salonen, performs the composer's third symphony with mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as soloist.

Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 8 tonight and 2 p.m Sunday.

Tickets: $39 to $135. [phone] or laphil.com.

CAPTION(S):

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Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will spend tonight and Sunday with Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in D minor -- the composer's longest piece.