WELL-CHOSEN MUSIC STIRS HOLLYWOOD BOWL CROWD.

Byline: - Rob Lowman

Composer John Williams conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic gave us an array of Americana - with tunes ranging from ``Battle Hymn of the Republic'' to overture from ``Carousel.'' Singer-songwriter James Taylor gave us something new (``The Frozen Man''), something traditional (``The Water's Wide'') and something old (``Fire and Rain'') in his eight-song set.

But the real fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl's July 4th concert were the real fireworks. As Williams led the orchestra in a hit parade of John Philip Sousa's famed marches, including ``Stars and Stripes Forever,'' rockets - sometimes with red glare - exploded in the sky on the appropriate beats, adding to the celebratory feel of the music.

Most of the sold-out crowd then stuck around to hear Williams perform two of his own works, the themes from ``Star Wars'' and ``Raiders of the Lost Ark.'' In between the two, he was joined by Taylor for a rendition of ``America the Beautiful,'' as many in the audience waved small American flags.

Earlier in the evening, the Philharmonic performed a segment from Aaron Copland's ``A Lincoln Portrait,'' a ``beacon'' among American orchestral works, noted Williams.

As the orchestra performed the almost simple but impressive music, Taylor read the text, much of it taken from Lincoln's own words, including:

``Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. ... The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. ... The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.''

The inclusion of Copland's work was an apt choice for the occasion. It should be noted that security personnel could be seen walking the hills above the Bowl - a sign of our new trial.