MASTERWORKS 1

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

THIS THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC KICKOFF FOR THE 2013-2014 AT THE SMITH CENTER...DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS.

RANDOM THOUGHTS WHILE THEY ARE FRESH IN MY MIND.

I CANNOT BE PROUDER OF THIS SYMPHONY IN MY HOME TOWN.

NOT TOO MANY PATRONS SAW THE NASCAR TRUCK RACE AND THE SYMPHONY TONIGHT...I KNOW TWO THAT DID....DID NOT FEEL TOO BAD ABOUT MISSING THE LAST 335 LAPS OF THE RACE AND NONE OF THE SYMPHONY !

NEGATIVES FIRST....PRE SHOW TALK....2 MINUTES LATE...AUDITIONING CONDUCTOR CASE SCAGLIONE....GOOD TALK...GOOD INFO...TOOK QUESTIONS ...TOO BRIEF....MY  PERSONAL BATTLE WITH THE SOUND SYSTEM AT THE SMITH ON TOP OF MY PRE SHOW AGENDA...SCAGLIONE ASKED ..."CAN YOU HEAR ME"....SOUNDED LIKE HE WAS IN A BARN.....TEN MINUTES LATER IN THE PRE TALK....HE ASKED  "IS THIS FEEDING BACK"....IT WAS....11 MINUTES INTO HIS TALK THEY TURNED AN OVERHEAD SPOTLIGHT ON HIM...STARTLING HIM AMUSINGLY....JUST WHAT IT IS...MY ISSUES ARE WITH THE SOUND NOT THE SYMPHONY... GOSH WHY WOULD I GO TO A SYMPHONY....TO HEAR...DO YOU THINK ?

AMAZINGLY AFTER THIS IT GOT A LOT BETTER.

SCAGLIONE JUST 31...... HERE FOR HIS SECOND AUDITION FOR PERMANENT CONDUCTOR...HE EASILY WON ME OVER...HE WAS GLIB...WELL SPOKEN HISTORICAL....JUST WHAT I WANTED...AND IN THE QUESTION ANSWER PERIOD HE COULD NOT HEAR A QUESTION FROM THE REAR AND JUMPED DOWN OFF THE STAGE TO APPROACH THE QUESTIONER....I THOUGHT THIS WAS SO FIRST CLASS...IT MADE HIM LOOK LIKE A REAL GUY AS WELL AS ONE OF THE WORLDS MAGNIFICENT BUDDING CONDUCTORS.

THE PROGRAM.........IT WAS OPERA THEMED WITH VERDI, PUCCINI AND MOZART THEMED OPERA MUSIC FOR VOCALS.....I AM NOT THE WORLDS GREATEST OPERA FAN...HAVING ONLY HEARD ONE.... AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ....THAT WAS LA BOHEME....TONIGHT SOME OF THAT AND WELL DONE BY TWO VOCALISTS.

BEING THE WORLDS GREATEST FAN OF THE SYMPHONY AND POSITIVELY PARTIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC....I AM NOT CRAZY OF VOCALS GETTING IN THE ROAD OF STRINGS....32 VIOLINS...10 CELLOS AND 5 BASS TONIGHT....REALLY ENOUGH TO MAKE MY DAY RIGHT THERE...GRAB 47 STRINGS WITH 2 HARPS AND I AM PRETTY WELL SET....I THOUGHY THEY ALL HAD AN ALL STAR NIGHT AND MELDED PERFECTLY WITH THE VOCALS.

SCAGLIONE RATHER LOW KEY....NOT OVERPOWERINGLY ACTIVE....HE GOT THE RESULTS....JUST LOVELY SOUND.....NICE EVENING FOR THE ORCHESTRA    ....WHERE DOES THE CREDIT LIE....THIS GUY IS A WINNER.

THEY DID SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST WITH 22 MINUTES OF STRAUSS....ROSENKAVALIER SUITE...IT PLAYED TO ALL ELEMENTS OF THE ORCHESTRA....MORE HORNS AND DRUMS THAN IN MOST STRAUSS COMPOSITIONS BUT IT WAS UP AND DOWN AND IN AND OUT AND OVER AND UNDER AND EXTREMELY WELL COMPOSED, WELL CONDUCTED AND WELL PLAYED.

I FELT THE SOUND SYSTEM FOR ORCHESTRA TONIGHT AT THE SMITH CENTER WAS AT ITS BEST...NO ISSUES.

GEE HOW LUCKY WE ARE IN LAS VEGAS TO HAVE THIS MARVELOUS ORCHESTRA !

NEXT ......OCTOBER 12    LV PHIL.....POPS 1 "DANCING AND ROMANCING"   702 749 2000...I AM THERE !

STILL CAN'T CUT ANYBODY ANY SLACK .....YOU LOSE ONE POINT ON YOUR SCORE FOR EVERY MINUTE LATE...THUSLY THEY START AT 93...BUT THIS WAS OVER THE TOP QUALITY TO 102

SOOOOOOO ITS 95 A