LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

11th season for this slice of heaven...I am so proud to live in a city with this music available to me !

Negatives first.

My email to conductor Daviid Itkin 3 years ago has fallen on deaf ears...they still start late so he is oblivious to, tolerant of or the cause behind it....7 minutes this evening...never acceptable for any reason so any grade everywhere you lose a point a minute for late !

It was 130 degrees in Artemus Ham Hall tonight...great AC in the lobby.

Regardless of how many announcements you make ...some jackoff doesn't get the message...video-audio in the arena ...I have a solution for this !

Late seating still allowed here....I have a solution for this too !

No crying babies tonight but another jerk had to hurdle his seat at halftime to crawl over me for his exit !

I can only report what I get and my name was in the program for making a contribution so I feel my credibility is strong.

Oh yah the concert...it was great.

As a professiosnal sports announcer and longtime sports fan I have always thought there was nothing anybody ever said before any game that I wanted to hear...I still feel this way only now I don't care whether or not they play at all. NOT HERE !
At 715 CONDUCTOR David Itkin came out with soloist Giora Schmidt and made my day. These pre game previews are only sensational...so much to learn and so appropriate and timely to help us enjoy the program more. Itkin,altho not my top choice three years ago has won me over and his talk tonight was as good as the Gettysburg address...every word in order and meanful...they brought out a piano for him to help guide us...they did 25 minutes here and on time... A+ 101 for the pregame

Sibelius 11 minutes, it was ok.

Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in D.Op.35 just the greatest piece of music ever soloist Schmidt able to the task of what is a 37 minute violin solo. Schmidt just 26...13 years with Perlman guiding and Juilliard....what more do you need ? I am for zero population but willing to make an exception here ! After the first movement the immature crowd broke into a long standing ovation...Schmidt sucked it all in and then so out of character stepped forward and said, "does this mean I can go home"? It was great, he finished the final two movements and then did a four minute encore from Bach. Add one to my short list of heroes !

That damn 23 minute intermission...you only got 87 minutes of music for you buck tonight...as I say lots of dead time.

Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A, Op.92...Itkin mentioned he was a Beethoven fan...I am not but, what do I know compared to him...I do know taste and this was his best and I really enjoyed it...our fine Las Vegas Philharmonic (47 string 62 total)in fine form here tonight. Next October 3, more of the same... hopefully with air conditioning !

92 A-