Going Fourth: McGee’s ‘Rhapsody’ highlights annual LV Phil concert

Thursday, June 30, 2005 | 8:27 a.m.

Over the years the story of Las Vegas has been detailed in fiction, nonfiction, television, film, photography and figurative art.

But we've yet to hear from classical music composers telling our story through the voice of a full orchestra - a feat to be accomplished Monday at the Las Vegas Philharmonic's annual Fourth of July concert, where Richard McGee's "Las Vegas Rhapsody" will debut.

The eight-minute instrumental narrative is one of three commissioned works written to celebrate the Las Vegas Centennial and the only one to tell the city's history.

Narrated live by Mayor Oscar Goodman, it takes us musically through three major eras of Las Vegas: the primitive, tribal sounds of the area's early American Indian cultures; the Copland-esque Western sounds of its railroad years; and, finally, the jazzy big-band sounds that reflect the gaming boom from the 1950s to today.

Compared to other cities, capturing Las Vegas musically is not that difficult, said McGee, associate conductor of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and chairman of the Performing Arts Department at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

"This town is loaded with personality," McGee said. "From the moment they asked me to write the piece, there were ideas bouncing around in my head."

Not only does the July 4 performance mark the debut of "Las Vegas Rhapsody," it also celebrates the first year that the popular event, which draws nearly 4,000 for its patriotic numbers and fireworks display, is being televised.

Viewers can watch "Star Spangled Spectacular" on Cox cable channel 96. The concert each year celebrates the nation's independence and the philharmonic's birthday. This year the philharmonic turns 7. To celebrate, the orchestra has added music from "The Magnificent Seven" to its lineup of traditional patriotic numbers.

Additionally, this year's concert will feature a tribute to Howard Hughes using two large screens to show slide show highlights from Hughes' life, accompanied by music from "The Boy Who Could Fly."

The program also features a centennial march by local composer Bernard Baskin. The evening ends with a fireworks show by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale.

Regarding the live broadcast, Harold Weller, Las Vegas Philharmonic music director, said, "We're very excited about that. It's kind of a milestone for us. Next year we'll probably be looking at a wider distribution, possibly throughout the Western region."

Even though, as Weller said with a laugh, "Fireworks over the television is like getting a kiss over the telephone. You gotta be there."

But the broadcast, hosted by Steve Schorr of Cox Communications, means more exposure for the Las Vegas Philharmonic and, of course, "Las Vegas Rhapsody," a piece that incorporates a variety of musical styles.

Regarding the early railroad years, McGee said, "It takes on a more Western film score. There's not much of a way around that. Then in the early 1900s there is Hoover Dam and Nellis (Air Force Base), which helped keep the city alive, so that portion is much more introspective."

The piece concludes with a jazzy, big-band sound to reflect the growth of the Strip.

McGee said he tried to write something approachable so listeners could "walk away whistling," and he wrote it in a way that it could be performed with or without narration.

Mainly, he said, "This has to evoke images. It makes it more like composing music for television or film.

"I was really flattered to be asked to do it. There are so many great composers and arrangers in town. Virko Baley, Don Hannah."

Being a big fan of movie music, McGee said that his familiarity with the genre influenced his work on the piece.

"I'm a big fan of John Williams," McGee said, referring to the composer for "Schindler's List," "Hook," "E.T.," "Star Wars" and "Jaws."

"That man is a genius for setting music with images. It will be interesting 100 years from now to see who will be the great composers of our time. Some of them will be film composers.

"That option simply wasn't available in Tchaikovsky's time or Beethoven's time."

While commissioning composers for anniversary celebrations is common, it's more often done in the form of a symphonic piece that takes on a life of its own afterward.

"In America, some of the best works of symphonic literature are the result of an anniversary," McGee said. "But these were standard symphonic pieces. A historical piece is a little bit unusual."

Regarding the future of "Las Vegas Rhapsody," McGee said with a laugh, "There's not a lot of market for 100-year anniversary pieces. It might be played this one time and that might be it."

But, he said, "I had a great time writing it."