By Kristen Peterson

Tue, Oct 2, 2007 (7:02 a.m.)

Las Vegas Philharmonic music director David Itkin explained to the audience how Brahms swapped "flourishes and fanfare" for "elegance and delicacy" in his second symphony.

The maestro may as well have been talking about his season-opener with his new orchestra.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic's performance Saturday was elegant, delicate and articulate.

Splashy intros and rousing fanfare were eschewed for a whistle-clean performance of Berlioz's "Roman Carnival." Even with the murky sound of Artemus Ham Hall, the precision continued through a Mendelssohn violin concerto, featuring the talented Kiril Laskarov, and Brahms ' Second Symphony.

Under Itkin's attentive baton, there was never any doubt that this is a serious orchestra.

Same musicians, different presence. It's exactly why Itkin was hired. His job is to take the symphony, now in its ninth season, to a new level.

The audience was pleased, offering a standing ovation for each work.

It's a good reminder that the person at the podium defines the orchestra, says concertmaster DeeAnn Letourneau, who has known Itkin for years and been a guest soloist for him. "David's reputation precedes him. He expects excellence from everyone he works with. He's not afraid to look you in the eye and say, 'That's not good enough.' And he has such a high level of belief in this orchestra."

In turn, the orchestra was crisp and prepared. They gave other musicians their due moment, something Letourneau equates with almost a fun chamber music like romp.

"People get settled into Brahms," she says. "Most of the times you just run through it. He got different sections to listen to each other."

The effort for excellence went beyond rehearsal and interpretation. Before the concert, Itkin removed the row of flowers that traditionally lines the front of the stage so that attention was on the orchestra, not the flowers. Moreover, he didn't want the flowers to block any sound.

Details, details, details.