Violin virtuoso Milenkovich finishes Philharmonic season

Marilyn LaRocque

Friday, May 3, 2002 | 8:54 a.m.

What: Las Vegas Philharmonic Season Finale Concert.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Artemus Ham Hall.

Tickets: $20, $40, & $60.

Information: 895-2787.

Violin virtuoso Stefan Milenkovich will play Tchaikovsky's brilliant Violin Concerto in D, Opus 35, with the Las Vegas Philharmonic on Saturday night as the orchestra concludes its third season under the baton of Music Director Harold Weller.

The concert at Artemus Ham Hall on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus, will also feature the Symphony No. 2, "Magic Mountain," by Hovhaness and Respighi's "Pines of Rome." The diverse program encompasses 160 years of music history and very different styles.

Although Milenkovich is only 24 years old, Weller describes him as a "very mature artist." He performed at the Philharmonic's Connoisseur Series "Soires" (recitals) in 2000 and 2001 and was a huge success, so he was invited back as guest artist this year.

Milenkovich first performed professionally at age 7. He played for President Reagan at age 10, performed for Pope John Paul II at 14 and has done so three times since. He played his 1,000th concert at age 16.

In addition to concertizing throughout the world, Milenkovich is a teaching fellow at Julliard's DeLay Institute.

"Stefan's career is as accomplished as careers of many artists in their 70s," Weller said. "His Tchaikovsky is very exciting, and he is playing a 1700s Stradivarius (on extended loan through The Stradivari Society). "I'm anxious to hear it with the orchestra, and he is as proud as punch. It's like he has a whole new lease on life to have this venerable instrument."

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) composed his only violin concerto during a psychological crisis brought on by a disastrous marriage that triggered a suicide attempt. Yet the work is one of his most brilliant, with a cadenza that is spectacular and a mood so exuberant his deep depression is nowhere to be found.

The two other works on the program provide an exciting contrast of musical style. Ottorino Respighi's (1879-1936) "Pines of Rome," which concludes the concert, is a showpiece that is practically a hum-along since it is a frequently played audience favorite. Respighi describes musically four "stands" of pines, those at the Villa Borghese, near a Catacomb, at Janiculum, and along the Appian Way. An organ and antiphonal brass ensembles add drama and power to the final movement.

By contrast, "Mysterious Mountain" by Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) ranks among the most fascinating and understandable modern-era works.

"You can really tell Hovhaness' music when you hear it," Weller said. "His music is very different than that of other contemporary American composers. His exotic orchestration effects and his harmonic vocabulary create a definite musical fingerprint and produce a wonderful sound.

"This program will give our audience an opportunity to hear the orchestra as a very versatile instrument," Weller said. "We've reached the end of our third season, the busiest we've ever had with concerts out of state and accompanying Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli and the Nevada Ballet Theatre's 'Nutcracker.' So we have played together a lot. I think it will be a stunning concert."com