Rubardt puts exclamation point on Phil auditions

Monday, Feb. 19, 2007 | 7:29 a.m.

The echoes of Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony floated like blossoms on a warm breeze through UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Guest conductor Peter Rubardt had coaxed fragrant beauty from the Las Vegas Philharmonic on Saturday night.

And the audience was on its feet, roaring and ready to crown Rubardt as the philharmonic's next music director.

The conductor of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra in Florida was the third and final candidate auditioning to replace maestro Hal Weller.

Rubardt made a strong case with a crowd-pleasing program.

He started safe with Mozart's Symphony No. 35. The "Haffner" is a spirited little piece, and the orchestra filled it with joy.

Rubardt embodied that joy. But rather than hamming it up for the audience, he locked into the musicians.

He displayed control - baton high in his right hand and easily visible for players, his left hand giving delicate direction, and facial expressions - arcing eyebrows, coaxing mouth - cueing subtleties.

He whipped the orchestra through the fourth movement - truly presto - and ended with a flurry of violins.

Had he peaked too early? Or was this a promise of things to come?

The evening's second piece - Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 - is tough for an audience. A bit long, it combines broad vistas with atonal passages and complex rhythmic changes. It demands concentration from the listeners.

The Steinway at the front of the stage hid the conductor and cramped the orchestra.

But it put the focus squarely on young Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear. He delivered big time.

Goodyear's passion and technical virtuosity were stunning. He melded with the orchestra, pounded out open chords, and burned through solo passages - sometimes hand over hand - up and down the keyboard.

When Goodyear strode off the stage, he wore the look of a man thinking, "Man, I nailed that."

The crowd called him back three times.

Hard to believe this was the first time Goodyear had performed the piece in public.

After intermission, Rubardt put the exclamation point to his audition.

Rachmaninoff's Second is a glorious work. It is unashamedly beautiful and easy to like if played well.

The orchestra rose to the task. The orchestra passed around the lyrical melodies, swelling to the climax of the first movement. After that big finish, you wondered if the players had anything left.

But they galloped through the brisk second movement, embraced the romantic third, and roared to the finish.

Now the tough choice must be made.

Rubardt is fresh in everyone's mind. But all three conductors brought out the best in the orchestra.

David Commanday was a showman who likes challenging modern works. David Itkin connected with the audience from the podium.

No matter who is picked, Las Vegas music fans should have capable hands to lead the orchestra into the new Smith Center for the Performing Arts.