Las Vegas Philharmonic pops concert lacks sizzle

The Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra presented a pops concert on Saturday, but there didn’t seem to be much “pop.”

The evening’s theme was “Lights, Camera ... The Oscars.”

Oh, the performance was OK, but only OK. Guest artists were soprano Teri Dale Hansen and tenor/baritone Nat Chandler.

That’s not a knock on Chandler, just an observation that his rather exceptional voice is often able to assume more than one tonal color as called for by the tune and the lyrics.

Hansen, on the other hand, seldom displays more than one vocal quality and that one is typical of Broadway and its outgrowths.

What was missing? Stage presence and life.

True, the philharmonic allows precious little rehearsal time for pops programs, and when soloists, conductor and orchestra are coming together for the first time it is unreasonable to expect polish, never mind sizzle.

Randall Craig Fleischer was the seventh in a parade of guest conductors this season, all of them presumably being scouted to fill the empty post of music director beginning in the fall.

Fleischer might have brought some “pop” to the evening but unfortunately he did not. In fact, one often had the sense he wished he were somewhere else.

The orchestra, too, often appeared disengaged — regrettable since there were few seats left empty and the near-capacity audience seemed ready to be wowed. But the wows were few and far between.

There were indeed some bright moments. Chandler paid glowing tribute to Jerome Kern with a splendid version of “The Way You Look Tonight,” one of the most romantic of all ballads. He later sang the best offering of the first half, Lerner and Loewe’s “Gigi.”

Then, when joined by Hansen, came the best duet of the evening, “A Whole New World ” from Alan Menken’s “Aladdin.” Other Oscar tunes included “The Trolley Song,” “Over the Rainbow” and highlights from “Evita.”

Things brightened up a bit after the intermission.

What would an Oscar tribute be without a medley of hits by John Williams? That’s what opened the second half, including themes from “Star Wars,” “Super­man,” “Jaws,” and “Harry Potter.” A pair of Henry Mancini classics followed: “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses.”

The best-performed orchestral outing of the evening was a medley from Bill Conti’s “Rocky.” This was where the players seemed to come alive and the music’s intended excitement shone through.

Other second-half offerings included “Chariots of Fire,” “Unchained Melody” from “Ghosts,” and “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic.”

As the program drew to a close I’m sure the audience looked forward to an exciting finale, but it wasn’t to be. The closer was “The Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing.”

Remember the sensual heat generated by Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze to close out the film?

It’s unfair to expect similar excitement in The Smith Center for the Performing Arts’ less-than-intimate setting, but one would have preferred to see the artists stand and sing rather than attempt a not very well-rehearsed dance routine.

It was barely three seasons ago when the Philharmonic Pops performed an evening of music from the movies. Both orchestra and audience enjoyed the presentation thoroughly.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s offering fell short.