Philharmonic’s pops season gets off to a swinging start

For one night, UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall became a big, swinging, showroom.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic, under the direction of guest conductor and pianist Vincent Falcone, was lively and bright Saturday as it accompanied Clint Holmes in a tribute to Frank Sinatra.

This was a slimmed-down version of the orchestra, with about 50 musicians polishing off Sinatra standards arranged by Falcone, Nelson Riddle and others over the years as if they had been playing in smoky spots on the Strip all their lives.

Falcone, who was Sinatra's musical director for nearly a decade, knows what to do and continues to do it well.

Falcone and Holmes, who most recently appeared with the Philharmonic as the narrator in 2007's "Peter and the Wolf," offered some interesting chat about Sinatra and his work during a show that included more than a dozen Sinatra standards.

There were no great risks; all this music has been played, successfully, many times before. Nor did Holmes attempt to imitate Sinatra, instead adding his own moves and tones. Holmes works without breaking a visible sweat, with energy and with a frequent, affable smile or wink.

The evening opened with a breezy "I've Got the World on a String" and included Sinatra standards such as "Fly Me to the Moon" and "The Lady is a Tramp," along with "Luck Be a Lady" and some less commonly heard offerings.

Throughout the evening, the horns and percussion played their parts well, while the strings added a surprisingly lush tone to numbers that could have been almost throw-aways -- standards, certainly, but not typical orchestra fare. One example was "It Was a Very Good Year," as the strings gave it extra, rich gravitas. Sound throughout the evening did not disappoint.

This was an auspicious and accessible start to the light pops season, with smooth tunes and polished performances all around.