Musical diplomats from L.A.

On his trip to Germany last week, George W. Bush canceled a town meeting once it became clear that German public opinion wasn't going his way. A dislike of a specific U.S. president may not necessarily mean a pervasive German anti-Americanism. After all, American popular culture and fast food are avidly consumed in Germany, as they are in much of the world.

But there are also many in Germany who blame American popular culture and fast food for poisoning minds and bloating bodies. If, for them, Washington is one center of American wrongdoing, Los Angeles, as the entertainment capital of the world, is another.

And that makes the Los Angeles Philharmonic's weeklong residency in Cologne, beginning Wednesday, of substantial diplomatic importance.

Ostensibly, the Philharmonic will be giving three performances in the Philharmonie, Cologne's main concert hall, to offer German audiences a taste of Esa-Pekka Salonen's work with his orchestra. But the presenters are using the occasion to take a broader look at Los Angeles culture. L.A.-centric movies, ranging from the obvious choices, such as "Chinatown," to recent experimental work by James Benning, will be screened in conjunction with these concerts. An evening will be devoted to L.A. writer James Ellroy. A new German play about Stravinsky, described as being about a Russian making his way in Hollywood, will also be part of the discourse.

The German media treat culture with great seriousness, and this L.A. festival is likely to get quite a bit of attention, coming as it does on the heels of Bush's visit and the latest Academy Awards ceremony's cocktail of stage-managed triviality, excess and sentimentality. You can only imagine.

You can only imagine, that is, if you weren't at Walt Disney Concert Hall over the last two weeks for the series of concerts called "3 x Salonen." In each of three programs, Salonen paired one of his major scores with a spectacular Philharmonic specialty: Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," Berlioz's "Symphonie Fastastique" and Bruckner's Seventh Symphony. The atmosphere was electric, the mood celebratory, what with Salonen having just signed a new contract to remain with the orchestra until at least 2008.

What is happening between the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its music director is remarkable, and we do well to share it with the world. Technically, we cannot claim Salonen as a product of our culture. He grew up in Finland, a country with possibly the best music education in the world. He made his career in Europe. But in his dozen years at the helm of the Philharmonic, Los Angeles has transformed Salonen, and he has transformed Los Angeles. So, yes, we can claim him.