The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 157

1 2 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1995 LOS ANGELES TIMES as VegasLaughlin A Hot Name, Decent Voice Help Ballads ALBUM REVIEW pop At the Flamingo Edgewater hosts New Year's celebration featuring the Harry James Orchestra Flamingo sponsors iirr, square dancing The Edgewater Hotel and Casino in Laughlin will host bandleader Art Depew and the Harry fames Orchestra on New Year's Eve. Like the late Harry James, Art Depew is a trumpeter who started his career at an early age. Depew, who started performing in the early '50s, has played with some of the biggest acts of that era, including Tommy Dorsey, Tex Be-neke, the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Harry James. Depew has been directing the Harry James Orchestra since James' death in 1983. The show starts at 9 p.m.

For information, call the Edge-water Hotel and Casino at (702) 298-2453. The Flamingo Hilton Laughlin sponsoring its second annual Square and Round Dance Weekend Fling Dec. 15 and 16. The first day will include a come reception from 6 to 7 p.tn'4' pre-rounds from 7 to 8 p.m. and a'' level square dance starting at 8 p.m..1 Day two will include round anil square dance workshops, rounds and a level square dance at" 8 p.m.

For more information about the Square and Round Dance Week-', end Fling, call (800) FLAMINGO' (352-6464). Desperado coaster named tallest in the world UL The Desperado roller coaster at Buffalo Bill's Resort Casino has received a mention in the 35th edition of the Cuinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest roller coaster. The Desperado is a non-inversion coaster with an initial lift height of 209 feet and a vertical drop of 225 feet. The ride boards inside the hotel and travels outside the building and around the property. The Desperado was launched in August, 1994, and within a year the roller coaster had carried more than one million riders.

For information, call (702) 386-7867. ENRIQUE IGLESIAS "Enrique Iglesias" Fonovisa "If you leaveYou'll take my heart with you And without youI don't know which way to go" is the translation of the opening lines of the first single from Enrique Iglesias' debut album. Or how about: "To kiss your mouthdeserves a hallelujah," from Chein Garcfa's "Experiencia reli-giosa" (Religious Experience)? That's about all you need to know about this album of standard, predictable romantic ballads, written mainly by noted producer Rafael Perez-Botija. Only Marco Antonio Solfs' spicy "Inventame'' (Invent Me), the last track, offers a little imagination. The rest, mostly co-written by Iglesias and Roberto Morales, are the usual corny hymns of love that will succeed only because of Iglesias' decent voice, good looks and, yes, illustrious last name.

-ENRIQUE LOPETEGUI New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars IGLESIAS: Making Own Kind of Music Continued from Fl tars have enjoyed considerable success, ntne have been able to surpass their parents' achievements. I Argentina's Emmanuel Ortega son of '60s hero "Palito" Ortega, now a politician), Mexico's up-and-coming Alejandro Ferndndez (son of mariachi legend Vicente Fernandez), Cristian Castro (son of actress-singer Verdnica Castro) and Spain's Marcos Llunas (son of Dyango) are only a few of the youngsters who are trying to fol-lpw in their parents' footsteps with varying degrees of credibility. While he doesn't establish himself as an outstanding singer on his debut album, Iglesias shows that he can at least hold his own with a microphone enough to make it a hit anyway. The album is currently at No. 1 on the Latin charts, "He will be a superstar in no time," predicts Seth Briggs, his vocal trainer.

One asset: Aside from some trademark Julio inflections and phrasings, his voice does have its own character. "If my name were Pepe Grillo, you'd never think of Julio Iglesias after hearing my voice," Iglesias says. "Of course, there are things here and there, because I think my father is the greatest. But my thing completely different." Mostly written by the singer and friend Roberto Morales, "Enrique Iglesias" was coordinated by the successful Spanish producer-composer Rafael Perez-Botija, who also wrote three of the songs. "He came up with 20 songs, but I insisted on having at least five songs of mine," Iglesias said.

The album was rounded out by a song written by Chein Garcfa and another by Marco Antonio Solfs of Los Bukis fame. Although bilingual, Iglesias is not planning an English-language career right away. "I sing English rockers even better than my Spanish ballads," he said. "If I'm going to succeed, I'll succeed in any language at any time. But now I was inspired to do this record in Spanish.

Then we'll see. .1 As the son of one of the most successful singers ever, Enrique Iglesias is Latin pop's first son. He knows that helps but that it isn't San Francisco-based singersongwriter Chris Isaak will perform at the Aladdin Theatre in Las Vegas at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6.

Tickets are $15 and $30. For information call (702) 736-0419. For tickets, call Ticket-master at (702) 736-0480. For home delivery, fBSWfkJfl call 1-800-252-9141. A-VlHiiAl s-.

il III MSsS R- Vl 111 I loows From Rooms! Rooms! Rooms! Availability at all Las Vegas Hotels! Hotels, air rwl-nne; hnw tirUh nrnunt nnrl mnral Isk About Our Exclusive Wedding Packages I enough. "You can be the son of the King of the World, but if you are not good, you won't get anywhere. "Even my dad if he makes a bad record, people won't buy it. I must work as hard as anybody else. But it's also fair that if I'm successful I get due credit for what I do, not for who I am.

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Suites, Weekends, Holiday and Convention Periods Higher. Subject to Availability. All Major Credit Cards Accepted.Expires 22996. 'RUSALKA' Continued from F10 encountered in any previous "Rus-alka" mustered in America. The source was easy to isolate: Charles Mackerras.

-Here, at last, was a conductor who knows the idiom, loves the inherent tradition, and savors the rolling lyricism and primitive drama in equal measure. Here was an intellect that respects the expressive niceties of the text, even in a language most of the audience cannot understand. Here was a musician who encourages the orchestra to play with precision that never precludes warmth, a technician who listens for the inner voices and toys elegantly with the shimmering textures. And here, at last, was an artist who understands the frailties of the human throat. Born in Schenectady, N.Y., raised in Australia, trained in Prague and professionally centered in London, Mackerras may be the world's leading champion and exponent of JanScek in particular and Czechoslovakian music in general.

Having just celebrated his 70th birthday, he conducts "Rusalka" with the enlightened care of an expert who has devoted a lifetime to refining its grateful challenges. The truth of the matter, however, is more delightful. Until Sunday, he had never conducted the opera at all. It took "Rusalka" 94 years to lfeach San Francisco. With Mackerras wielding the baton so author -'itatively, one can almost forgive the inevitable cliches about late being better than never.

And with Fleming singing the heroine's music with such gentle rapture, such arching melancholy and such dynamic poise, one can almost accept the fact that California has missed the definitive Rusalka of our time, Gabriela Lucky New York experienced both sopranos in the role. Fleming all wounded innocence and ethereal purity was nicely complemented in San Francisco by two splendid colleagues. As the witch Jezibaba, Felicity Palmer cackled and cajoled with gleeful magnificence and with incisive mezzo-soprano tones that never sank to cartoon excess. As the amorous Prince, Sergei Larin conveyed heroic ardor without strain, even at top range, and actually managed to sing softly in moments of painful introspection (Dvorak would seem to suit this husky Russian tenor better than Puccini Philip Skinner exuded properly woeful sympathy as the paternal water sprite. Too bad his dusky basso seemed a size too small for the role.

Stephanie Sundine exuded dangerous erotic wit as the Foreign Princess. Too bad her dark spinto soprano wobbled under pressure. Michel Senechal, character tenor par excellence, made a major event of the minor utterances allotted the Gamekeeper, deftly seconded by Zheng Cao as the reticent Kitchen Boy. The trio of wood nymphs Nicolle Foland, Kristin Clayton and Pamela Dillard exerted euphonious charm worthy of the finest Wagnerian Rhinemaidens or Straussian nymphs. It was a happy afternoon at the opera.

Rusalka" continues at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness San Francisco, Thursday at 7.30 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. (student senior rush tickets $25; standing room $8).

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emswmizJ 1 rC OPENINGS Orange County openings can be found in What Goes On, F2. 7 0PR0CK CORNERSHOP (Alligator Lounge. 3321 Pico Santa Monica. (310) 449-1844). Tjinder Singh leads this Anglo-Asian ensemble, whose current album is called "Woman's Gotta Have It." iAIso: Cibo Matto, Further 8 p.m.

MUSIC EROICA TRIO (Bovard Auditorium. USC, (213) 740-7111). The touring ensembleviolinist Adela Pena, cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio and pianist Erika Nick-renz plays works by Mozart, Ives, Suk and Brahms. 7 m. LOS ANGELES DOCTORS SYMPHONY (Gindi Auditorium, University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive, (310) 476-9777).

Music director Ivan Shulman conducts works by Weiner, Franck and Mendelssohn; pianist John Novacek is soloist in Mozart's Concerto in A. K. 414. 8pm. DANCE CAL STATE LONG BEACH DANCE COMPANY (Martha Knoebel Dance Theater, 1600 Atherton (310) 985-7000).

The company dances works by Graham, Newman. Slayton, Kennedy, Munro, Woo and Tentmdo. 8 p.m. Also Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m. STAGE "PASSION, PAIN AND AN OCCASIONAL VODKA TONIC" (Cinegnll, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd (213) 466-7000).

Irina Maleeva in a solo, musical comedy written and directed by Jack Wrangler. 8 30 p.m. Also Thursday, For SforU It's uko to cjJI. 111 Line" Book Review has gift books covereJ. Part of your survival guile for the holidays.

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