Philharmonic ends ‘Masterworks’ series with ‘100 Years of Music’
Saturday’s “100 Years of Music” concert marks the end of the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s Masterworks Series.
Not just for this season, but for good — and for good reason, according to Philharmonic music director Donato Cabrera.
“A concert should be a concert,” says Cabrera, who’s eliminated “Masterworks” and “Pops” designations for the Philharmonic’s 2015-16 season. “There should not be something that demarcates it as this style or that style.”
After all, “does ‘Pops’ assume” the featured works “aren’t masterworks?” he asks. And does the Masterworks designation “mean we’re not going to have fun?”
Saturday’s “100 Years of Music” features a trio of definite masterworks.
John Adams’ foxtrot “The Chairman Dances” (inspired by Adams’ opera “Nixon in China”) opens the Smith Center concert, signaling Cabrera’s commitment to works by contemporary composers — and saluting his friendship with Adams.
That friendship began when Cabrera was resident conductor at the San Francisco Opera — and found himself working alongside Adams during rehearsals for the world premiere of the composer’s opera “Dr. Atomic.”
“(Adams) could probably sense — nervous isn’t quite the right word — I was so excited to be part of such an amazing (experience),” Cabrera recalls. Subsequent collaborations at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York’s Metropolitan Opera cemented their friendship.
“His music is so wonderful and so full of energy,” Cabrera says.
Working backward through a century of music, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, featuring award-winning pianist Joyce Yang, demonstrates that the composer “certainly was a tunesmith,” Cabrera says.
And not just because you’ve heard the 18th variation in countless movies and TV shows, notably “Somewhere in Time.”
Rachmaninoff’s rhapsody displays “wonderful moments of orchestral brilliance,” Cabrera notes, adding that the orchestra is “very interactive with the soloist.”
Speaking of that soloist, Yang describes performing the piece as “really climbing Mount Everest.”
That’s partly because of the 20-minute rhapsody’s technical challenge, she says.
But it’s also emotionally draining, Yang adds, attributing the latter to “the competition between the head and the heart. You have to pay attention to both.”
Easier said than done, because every time Yang’s tempted to concentrate on technique, “you get swept away by all this emotion (and) the will to get it perfect goes out the window,” she says.
“We’re all on this incredibly dramatic boat,” Yang says. “It’s really like a tight pingpong match between the orchestra and pianist.”
Rachmaninoff’s sense of nostalgia provides “a wonderful tie-in” to the concert’s conclusion: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, Cabrera’s choice for the Philharmonic’s season closer.
“If there ever was a piece that could be called a war horse (the Tchaikovsky symphony) is it,” he says, from its “questioning, mysterious beginning” to the final movement’s triumphant march,” which provides “a wonderful sense of apotheosis, of reaching one’s goal.”
That feeling, to Cabrera, serves as a summation of this season — and the Las Vegas Philharmonic as a whole.
Two other aspects of Saturday’s concert — or, more precisely, the preparation for it — also reflect Cabrera’s first year as music director.
During this week’s rehearsals, Boys &Girls Club members were scheduled to attend a rehearsal and visit with the conductor. Music students from the Las Vegas Academy also were expected at the orchestra’s dress rehearsal to listen to the music — and talk with the musicians.
Also, a representative of the acoustical design firm Akustiks has been spending the entire week with him and the orchestra, Cabrera says, “fine-tuning” Reynolds Hall’s sound design.
During the visit, Cabrera planned to leave his customary onstage spot to listen to the orchestra members, in various seating configurations, from the hall.
“One would hope that the best seat in the house is on the podium, with the conductor, but that’s hardly ever true,” he explains. “You’re too submerged in the sound of the orchestra.”
Overall, “my impression is, generally, the acoustics are very good” in Reynolds Hall, Cabrera says. “The hall itself produces a wonderful sheen to the sound — but I’m always onstage. I haven’t had the luxury of sitting in the hall.”
No wonder, he adds, “I’m so looking forward to having a chance to listen.”
So is the Philharmonic’s audience.
“There’s a sense that, in many ways (Saturday’s program) defines who I am — and what we’re going to be doing in the future,” Cabrera says. “So get ready for a fun ride.”
For more stories from Carol Cling visit bestoflasvegas.com. Contact her at ccling@reviewjournal.com and follow @CarolSCling on Twitter.
Preview
What: Las Vegas Philharmonic: “100 Years of Music”
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday (preconcert conversation starts 6:45 p.m.)
Where: Reynolds Hall, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave.
Tickets: $26-$96 (702-749-2000, www.lvphil.org)
