Greek gods! Beasts and birds! Shenanigans! Peace offerings! Toga parties! Tonight’s performance by the Las Vegas Philharmonic, titled “A World in Harmony,” was a veritable fun-house of images. I’ll try to limit my use of exclamation points.
The evening kicked off with Gioacchino Rossini's overture to The Thieving Magpie, a piece that can be summed up in one word: mischief. The opera tells the story of a maid wrongfully accused of stealing a silver spoon, only to be exonerated when the true thief—a magpie—is discovered. Rossini's overture, composed under intense pressure, premiered in Milan on May 31, 1817. According to Rossini, he wrote the overture on the day of its opening, under the watchful eyes of stagehands ready to throw him out of the window if he failed to deliver the pages on time. The performance was a resounding success, and the stagehands only had to handle the scene props.
Next on the program was Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2, composed just before his return to the USSR in 1936. The concerto, which follows the traditional three-movement form, was seen by some as a musical olive branch to the Soviet regime. Prokofiev, aware of Stalin's disdain for avant-garde music, crafted a piece that was both innovative and palatable to the authorities.
Award-winning violinist Chee-Yun took center stage, her performance characterized by rapid arpeggios and a machine-like precision in the energetic first movement. The second movement offered a more relaxed, integrated sound, while the third movement's tricky ¾ rhythms and unexpected percussion elements kept the audience on their toes. Despite the concerto's complexity, it lacks the catchy melodies that stick in your head, unlike Rossini's overture.
Samuel Barber, one of America's most celebrated 20th-century composers, was known for his Neo-Romantic style, often drawing inspiration from literature. His Music for a Scene from Shelley is a prime example, inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley's epic poem Prometheus Unbound. The poem reimagines the Greek myth of Prometheus, who is punished by Zeus for stealing fire and giving it to humanity. Barber's composition captures the grandeur and drama of this mythological tale, transporting the audience to a world of gods and titans.
The evening's marquee piece was Ottorino Respighi's Feste Romane (Roman Festivals), the final installment in his trilogy about Rome, following The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome. Composed in 1928, Feste Romane is renowned for its vivid depiction of ancient Roman scenes, so much so that one conductor described it as "almost intolerably realistic."
The first movement, "Circuses," opens with competing trumpet fanfares, setting a chaotic scene of rowdy crowds and wild animals. The second movement, "The Jubilee," depicts pilgrims on their journey to Rome, with a soft andante passage by the strings that gradually builds in tempo and volume, culminating in a triumphant arrival announced by a horn fanfare and church bells.
The Las Vegas Philharmonic's performance of "A World in Harmony" was a night to remember, filled with musical masterpieces that transported the audience through time and space. From the mischievous overture of The Thieving Magpie to the grandiose scenes of Feste Romane, the evening was a testament to the power of music to evoke vivid imagery and deep emotions.
This Markdown-formatted article provides a detailed and engaging account of the Las Vegas Philharmonic's performance, enriched with historical context, interesting stats, and authoritative sources.
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