I was 10 minutes late to Monday night's Eastman Philharmonia concert at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, which meant that I missed the opening work on the program, "Atmospheres" by György Ligeti. But what I didn't miss was being told that there was an estimated 600 people at the concert -- which featured the works of Ligeti, Messiaen, and Stravinsky -- compared to a typical audience of approximately 400 people.

The Eastman Philharmonia lists 126 instrumentalists in the program, selected from third- and fourth-year students at the Eastman School of Music. Generally, this orchestra performs under conductor Neil Varon. For this concert, Brad Lubman conducted the Ligeti and the Stravinsky, and Jerry Hou conducted the Messiaen.

"Poèmes pour Mi" by French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) is a cycle of nine songs, from which five were selected to be performed Monday night - Paysage (Landscape), La Maison (The House), L'épouse (The Bride), Le Collier (The Necklace), and Prière exaucée (Prayer, fulfilled). This work was composed for Messiaen's wife, Claire Delbos (referred to by Messiaen as "Mi"), and he wrote both the text and the score.

True to Messiaen's lifecycle of work, "Poèmes pour Mi" is a blend of his passions for life, nature, and religious ecstasy. Also true to Messiaen, it is a huge score, with complex rhythms, a wide dynamic range, and, for the soprano, a wide register and a demand for power to lift the voice up and over the instruments.

Conducting was Jerry Hou, currently studying for his DMA at the Eastman School of Music under conductor Neil Varon, and serving as "cover conductor" with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Of particular note to this work, Hou has studied contemporary music performance with Pierre Boulez.

Soprano Yunjin Kim was the soloist. She is currently studying for her master's degree in vocal performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music, and has already appeared in numerous opera productions.

The Eastman Philharmonia did a terrific job with the Messiaen. Kim is a powerhouse, with the range and expressive dynamic needed to deliver what the composer conceived. I am often frustrated with what appears to be the acoustics of Kodak Hall for soloists, but Kim proved the exception. The only spot where Kim was indistinguishable from the orchestra was a section of several lines of fast wording in the lower register. Kim's operatic training served her well. She did not use a score, her entire body communicated the text and the meaning, and both the conductor and the orchestra worked seamlessly with her phrasing.

The second half of the program featured "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), with Brad Lubman at the podium. Signature to Lubman's style are sharp attacks, an assertive and driving pace, and impeccable timing. The best moments of the performance were the simultaneous orchestra-wide stops in the midst of enormous sound, in response to Lubman's Jamaican traffic-cop conducting gestures.

What to work on? Two things, in particular. When you show me that you can stop with that level of precision, then I look to the musicians to enter with that level of precision. Any instruments coming in as two or more, using breath, must learn to breathe together, before the exhaled note. At different times, the bass, the first cello, and several of the first violins were literally giving their whole bodies over to the rhythms. Whether it's Ligeti, Messiaen, Stravinsky, or any other of the so-called new-music composers, there is a physical demand to the work that exceeds the playing of the notes with precision.

And, mind those little wisps of notes, especially from flute, piccolo, bassoon. For the audience, a big sound with a pounding rhythm takes over the brain. The few notes carried by a flute, for example, must be pure, clear, and compelling from the very first note through the entire passage. Think of what happens when you admire a beautiful landscape like Niagara Falls, and suddenly, a bird darts across your vision. Is it a bird you register but don't follow with your eyes, or does the bird capture your attention and take your gaze from the waterfall?

It was a lovely concert, well programmed, and with the very memorable soprano soloist.

All concerts by the Eastman Philharmonia are free and open to the public. The next concert takes place Monday, February 27, at 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Neil Varon will be conducting works of Dvorak and Brahms.