Philharmonic kicks off season

The Las Vegas Philharmonic, along with guest star violinist Giora Schmidt, kick off the orchestra's season and masterworks series Saturday with "Opening Night with Tchaikovsky."

Schmidt, a young virtuoso, is making his debut with the orchestra but not with Philharmonic conductor David Itkin.

Earlier this year, the two, who have performed several concerts together over the past few years, brainstormed ideas for the Philharmonic's opening concert.

"We said, 'You know, we've never done Tchaikovsky before.' Which is unusual, it's usually the first concerto" that a guest violinist performs for an orchestra, Itkin says.

Schmidt, a protege of virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, is the kind of extraordinary player whose music inspires audiences, Itkin says.

The orchestra will open the concert with Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia," followed by the violin concerto. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 closes the evening.

"Every piece of music that you play gets you interested in a different way," Itkin says. "Sometimes it's emotional, sometimes it's intellectual or sometimes it's spiritual."

"Finlandia" is a deeply spiritual and patriotic piece that Sibelius wrote to celebrate his love of his country, Finland.

"It's so popular, it may as well be their national anthem," Itkin says.

It also has become ingrained in American music, appearing in many hymnals, he adds.

Itkin describes Tchaikovsky's music as pure and raw.

"Tchaikovsky sounds like monstrous waves of emotion, huge crests of joy, these big gulfs of melancholy and an overwhelming rush of adrenaline," Itkin says. "That's why he's so popular, he's a constant adrenaline rush."

Beethoven's Symphony No.7 is "extremely joyous music, supreme innocent joy," Itkin says. The second movement of the symphony is the most famous part, which Itkin describes as deep and dark.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal. com or 702-380-4564.