MASTERWORKS IV

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS...

OUR LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC .....WITH GUEST CELLIST SERGEY ANTONOV.

THE CONTINUING GLORY OF ALL THIS STARTS WITH THE PRECONCERT PREVIEW...IT DID ON THIS NIGHT WITH ANTONOV AND LV PHIL CONDUCTOR DONATO CABRERA.
CABRERA MENTIONED THAT WE NEED A FANCY NAME FOR THIS PRE TALK INFO SESSION..I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT...NOTHING YET...WHATEVER THEY CALL IT ...IT IS WORTH ARRIVING 45 MINUTES EARLY...IT IS IDEAL FOR THE INQUIRING MIND LIKE MINE.

ON THIS NIGHT WE LEARNED THE ORCHESTRA WOULD BE SET UP DIFFERENTLY THAN USUAL.... WITH FIRST VIOLINS STAGE LEFT ...SECOND VIOLINS STAGE RIGHT...CELLO AND BASS IN THE MIDDLE IN FRONT OF THE HORNS ...ALL THAT FOR ALL THREE PIECES ON THIS NIGHT...WE WERE PREVIEWED TO LISTEN FOR THE ECHOING STRINGS LEFT TO RIGHT...I DID...I DID...I DID...IT WAS WONDERFUL.

WE LEARNED IN THE PRE TALK THAT MENDLESSOHN WAS A RICH KID AND WHILE COMPOSING AT AGE 8 HIS FAMILY HIRED AN ORCHESTRA TO HELP HIM ALONG...I AM GLAD THEY DID....MENDLESSOHN...STILL PERLMANS FAVORITE COMPOSER AND THAT IS ALL GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

WE LEARNED IN THE PRE TALK THAT ANTONOV ...A NATIVE RUSSIAN...WON THE TCHIAKOVSKY GOLD MEDAL COMPETITION IN 2007...AND HE HATES COMPETITION..SOMETHING HE ASSUREDLY IS FINISHED WITH....WE LEARNED TOO HE HAS A CARETAKER FOR HIS CELLO .....A 200 YEAR OLD CELLO WITHOUT A NAME BUT CARED FOR AND MAINTAINED DAILY....IT WAS ALL WONDERFUL.

THEN THERE WAS A CONCERT...DEAD MUSICIANS...SCHUBERT LIVED TO 31...SCHUMANN TO 45....MENDELSSOHN TO 38....INCREDIBLE THAT WE HAD HIS GROUP OF GENIUSES...AND FOR SO SHORT A PERIOD OF TIME.....THEY PRETTY MUCH OVERLAPED LIFETIMES AND DID NOT KNOW EACH OTHER.

SCHUBERTS...ROSAMUNDE LED OFF...PERFECT...JUST 11 MINUTES..

THEN SCHUMANN'S CELLO CONCERTO...A PIECE IN THREE UNINTERUPTED MOVEMENTS...A PIECE THAT DONATO SAID HAD NEVER BEEN DONE IN LAS VEGAS AND A PIECE ANTONOV SAID HE REALLY LIKE...IT WAS A STANDING OVATION DELIVERY WITH THE PERFECTLY MARRIED SOLOIST AND LV PHIL.....GLAD I WAS THERE FOR THE PREMEIR.

MENDELSSOHN'S  SUMPHONY NO.4....THE FINALE...MUSIC TO CLOSE YOUR EYES TO AND ABSORB THE WONDER THAT WAS ABOUT....I DID !

TOO BAD THE ORCHESTRA DOESN'T GO EVERY NIGHT...I COULD !

NEXT UP....MARCH 28...POPS IV "SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR"....702 749 2000

COUNT ME AS TOTALLY OVERPOWERED BY THE WONDERS OF THIS MUSIC IN WHAT IS NOW AN ACCEPTABLE SMITH CENTER SOUND VENUE FOR ORCHESTRA.

100 A+......110 A+ A+ FOR THE PRE SHOW.