Phil 'er up

When the New York Philharmonic debuted in 1842, founder Ureli Corelli Hill chose "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" for the orchestra's first performance. (You know this one. Think: bum bum bum BUM bum bum bum BUM .)

It was the piece's first public hearing in America. It bombed.

"People thought it was very strange," Barbara Haws, archivist for the Philharmonic, explains. "It was not Mozart. It was jarring in its tempos. They weren't used to it."

More than 150 years later, when the Philharmonic performs in UNLV's Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on Wednesday, it will try the piece again. This time, the selection is bound to get a better reception. Local music lovers describe it as "a classic" and "a war horse." The house is expected to be completely full.

" 'Beethoven's Fifth' is as big as they come," Myron Martin, director of UNLV's Performing Arts Center, says. "People are going to get their money's worth."

What a difference a century can make.

And what a difference a single year can make.

Last year, when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra came to Las Vegas, sales for the performance, quite frankly, tanked.

This year, a concert by the New York Philharmonic, which arrives as part of UNLV's 23rd annual Charles Vanda Master Series, has been nearly sold out for weeks. The St. Petersburg State Symphony did quite well when it stopped by UNLV in October, and the Russian National Ballet's "Sleeping Beauty" is expected to do the same in February.

Could a community go from art-apathetic to art-embracing in the course of a year?

Maybe so, according to Martin, who points to signs of cultural awakening all around the valley: art exhibits at the Bellagio and the Rio, and the upcoming appearance of Luciano Pavarotti to open the Mandalay Bay in April. This will be Pavarotti's first visit to Las Vegas since his poorly-attended appearance at the Thomas & Mack Center in the '80s.

"We're just starting to blossom as a cultural community," Martin, who took over the job in July, declares. "Each year, as we grow and things make us more culturally aware, (it) starts to fan the fire of a community that wants the arts. Now, people have learned what to expect. They're saying, 'We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the New York Philharmonic' -- and they're going to take it."

Stephen Caplan, director of the Sierra Winds and an associate professor of music at UNLV, says that unfortunately, support of Las Vegas' cultural events seems to be hit or miss.

"They had Kathleen Battles, a wonderful soprano, she packed the house, but (soprano) Leontyne Price was here, she's as big a name, and they only got half the crowd," he notes. "Itzhak Perlman sold out, but there have been equally big violinists who didn't. You never know why, nobody's been able to figure it out -- that's why arts organizations are struggling. Sometimes you hit it right, but nobody can figure out what makes it happen or not."

The New York Philharmonic's sell-out crowd, for example, may be more a reflection of the established subscriber base of the master series, the relatively small size of the venue and the prominent reputation of the New York Philharmonic, than a marked rise in local arts appreciation.

Phil Burger, program director for KNPR 89.5-FM, a sponsor of the event, suspects that name recognition plays a large part in public interest in the Philharmonic.

"Not only are they a good orchestra, but they're a name orchestra," he says. "As soon as you put the 'New York' name in front of it, they have an immediate appeal. It's a group you want to see live."

"In Las Vegas, the audience will come out if it's a name," UNLV spokeswoman Barbara Hall agrees. "We knew this would sell out, because anyone who's into classical music and finds out the New York Philharmonic is here is going to be very excited. People who aren't involved in the classical world have heard of it, and people who are involved become awed."

The New York Philharmonic certainly has a heft to its name. Founded in 1842, it can claim a longevity equal to some European counterparts, such as the Vienna Philharmonic, which was founded the same year. It has also performed more concerts than any other orchestra in the world, never interrupted by war or other natural disasters. Under the direction of Kurt Masur since 1991, the Philharmonic is not only America's oldest, but may be its dearest, orchestra.

"Even though there are many first-rate orchestras," Haws says, "being America's oldest orchestra and the first to broadcast, for many people who listened on the radio or watched Leonard Bernstein's television concerts, it holds a special place in (their) hearts and minds."

When the Philharmonic spent a two-week residency in Cologne, Germany, the orchestra was greeted by banners hanging from the rafters, posters slathered on every pole, and even Kurt Masur-themed watches.

"It was one of the greatest outpourings of public appreciation," Haws recalls. "A lot of times, it's a different city a day, there isn't enough time to develop that. Having a sell-out tells you a lot."

Though a Las Vegas sell-out is an encouraging sign, half of the tickets for the 1,800-seat Ham Hall were pre-sold to subscribers, and many were given directly to sponsors such as Citibank, which underwrote much of the cost to bring the tour to Las Vegas.

"We have a core group of people who truly appreciate the arts," Martin says, "and they are people who buy tickets for everything."

A 1,800-seat venue may be within this group's capacity to fill in Las Vegas, but larger venues, such as the Aladdin Performing Arts Center, which hosted the Bolshoi Ballet in October 1996, and the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which welcomed the Boston Pops in December 1996, may hold more seats than there are local arts aficionados.

Attracting crowds is a chicken and egg proposition: Touring companies will stop here more often and for longer stays if there is a perceptible demand, and audiences will be encouraged to come out if prestigious touring companies regularly pass through town.

"In some years, we've not been able to compete," Martin admits. "Las Vegas has now reached critical mass -- we have a big enough population, we make sure we (become a stop on tours). People should be proud of the fact that the Performing Arts Center is now one of the preferred stops for touring companies. In another time, it might have been more difficult, Now, we're a place where they say, 'We want to play for you.' "

Hall adds that if corporations really want to attract quality people to live and work in Las Vegas, it would help if they'd work to bring in more cultural attractions such as this one. "This is the kind of thing you want to be able to say we get," she notes. "Families ought to know we have something like the Philharmonic come."

Hopefully, it won't take another 20 years for it to come back: Due to its busy schedule, the Philharmonic rarely tours, last traveling the U.S. in 1990 and only visiting Las Vegas twice, once in 1960 under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, and again in 1981 under Zubin Mehta.

"It's about time (they returned)," said UNLV flute professor Dr. Rick Soule, who has fond memories of jamming with a Philharmonic flutist the last time the orchestra was here. "I would characterize it as a major event in Las Vegas."

Hall agrees. "This is like the Super Bowl of the Super Bowl. It's the Barbra Streisand of classical music," she says. "We get excellent, but we don't always get the top of the top.

"This," she adds, "is first class."

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