Teen violinist shines with Philharmonic

Audience members applauded appreciatively Saturday night as the slight 16-year-old in a pale blue gown walked to center stage. "She is so cute," someone whispered.

True enough, but there's little about Shannon Lee's violin work that could be called cute. Searing, emphatic, complex, skilled, but not cute.

Her talent combined with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, under the direction of conductor and music director David Itkin, for a rousing evening.

Lee brought the emotion and involvement that Niccolo Paganini's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6" deserves, her ability taming its complex scale and range. Lee's bow and fingers ultimately extended the length of the strings. The orchestra put its soul into the long introduction and accompanied Lee well, never overpowering her.

After intermission, Itkin conducted the orchestra through a rich, boisterous "Symphony No. 5, Op. 47" by Dmitri Shostakovich. The orchestra moved skillfully through its rich harmonies and close, formal structure. After a straightforward first movement and a quick second, the orchestra played the third movement with the richness and emotion it deserved. The piece concluded with brightness and celebration, with an underpinning of uneasiness, captured with the horns, drums and the overlaid tones of the rest of the orchestra.

The evening opened with Mozart's "Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527." With its allusions to the bright, and dark, emotions of the title character, it was a rich "amuse-bouche" to complement the rest of the evening.

Unfortunately, Itkin must continue to serve as chief fundraiser. A pre-curtain talk announced the 2009-10 season, but mostly stressed the Philharmonic's continuing need for significant funds. In these economic times, such action may be necessary, but it also can destroy the illusion of escaping reality into music.