Season’s last concert was Philarmonic at its finest

The final concert of the 2013–14 Masterworks season bore the theme “Love Around the World,” for reasons best known only to those who chose the theme, since the scope of the music performed was limited to Mexico and Spain, with a touch of ancient Persia and Russia thrown in. But that is quibbling, since many members of Saturday’s large audience headed home with smiles and the clear impression that the season’s best effort had been saved for last.

That impression was due in large measure to three factors: the guest conductor, Alondra de la Parra, soloist Pablo Villegas and the orchestra itself.

De la Parra is a petite woman of 34 whose delicate appearance gives lie to her energy and commanding presence. Born in New York, raised in Mexico and schooled in London with later professional training in Mexico City and the Manhattan School of Music, her numerous credits show successful conducting experience in North and South America, Europe and the Orient.

Her program began with “Danzon No. 2” by Arturo Marquez, a short and pleasant tribute to Mexican popular music. This was followed by the all-too-brief “Intermezzo” from Ricardo Castro Herrera’s nearly forgotten opera “Atzimba.” This work, while quite romantic, showed virtually no Latin influence. Instead there were direct references to Wagner and even Rachmaninoff.

Then an astonishing talent took the stage, the evening’s featured soloist, guitarist Pablo Villegas, playing Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” for guitar and orchestra. While guitar concerti certainly are not abundant, this is perhaps the most frequently heard work in the classical guitar literature.

In it, Rodrigo has captured the essence of native music that is enduring. But words do not do justice to the musicianship, artistry and technical mastery Villegas brought to the Smith Center on Saturday. The audience was spellbound, and when the final chord was played it erupted into enthusiastic applause.

That, however, was but a precursor to the tumultuous reception given to the artist’s encore, an unaccompanied piece by Francisco Tarrega which demanded unparalleled technique. Villegas met the demand, and more.

The Concerto is in the customary three movements. The first emphasizes a typical Flamenco rhythm, with measures of 3/4 alternating with 6/8, a strongly festive device. The final movement, too, is fast in tempo and dance-like. It is the second movement, however, that marks this concerto as the most memorable. It is hauntingly beautiful and could best be described as a dirge, that is if there were not such underlying joy.

After intermission, de la Parra unleashed the orchestra’s full forces on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” a suite in four sections (not really movements) depicting in a loose manner, the story called in recent times, “The Thousand and One Nights.” In it, the Sultana Scherezade prevents the Sultan from murdering her, as he had her countless predecessors, on their wedding night. She does so by spinning tales so fascinating, and by halting each telling at mid-point, that the Sultan allows her to live so he can learn the outcome on subsequent nights.

Scheherazade is portrayed by a solo violin (voiced beautifully by Concertmaster DeAnn Letourneau) playing a theme that occurs in all four sections. Aside from this there is no real programmatic structure other than representative themes spread throughout the suite. It is in this work, though, that the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s burgeoning sound was released. It is not a characteristic sound, at least not yet, but strings especially were rich and full and somewhat darker than we have noticed in the past. Was that due to conductor de la Parra’s expectations? If so, by all means bring her back!