OPENING NIGHT AT THE PHILHARMONIC:

Monday, Oct. 16, 2006 | 7:26 a.m.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic opened its season with a flourish.

The combination of a hot soloist and crowd-pleasing program had the crowd on its feet Saturday night at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Guest conductor David Commanday set the bar high as the first candidate auditioning to replace musical director Hal Weller, who is retiring after this year.

If the orchestra picks Commanday, the music director of the Peoria Symphony, it appears to be in good hands. The orchestra responded well under his baton.

He launched right into the familiar overture from Rossini's "Barber of Seville" and put the crowd in a good mood.

But then he challenged the audience with John Corigliano's "Chaconne" from "The Red Violin." No amount of back-story about the haunted violin could prepare listeners for the rhythmic and tonal onslaught.

Guest violinist Lara St. John, dressed in a flowing red gown, teased a few quiet notes that rippled through the orchestra like a stone in water. The orchestra worked hard to keep up with the world-class soloist through this give-and-take - sad melodies echoing through a still night, flurries of dissonance like breaking glass, the low thrum of a muted tuba. It was added pleasure to watch the interplay between violinist and conductor.

It's much easier to love the gypsy melodies of Pablo de Sarasate's "Ziguenerweisen." St. John, hair and fingers flying, threw herself into this joyous work and the orchestra moved with her note for note.

But the showstopper was Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Commandy controlled dynamics and tempo, allowing the music to breathe and coaxing grand emotion from each section of the orchestra in turn.

It was almost a shame that he sat the orchestra back down for an encore of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings as beautiful as it was.

The audience loved it and perhaps more telling, the players were smiling broadly as they took their bows.

The next two guest conductors have a tough act to follow. Fortunately both are blessed with top-notch guest artists: David Itkin gets cellist Matt Haimovitz next month, and Peter Rubardt has pianist Stewart Goodyear in February.

The real winners should be classical music fans in Las Vegas.