By Staff Reports
(HONOLULU) – The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (HSO) has announced the 2014-2015 Halekulani Masterworks Season, which opens Saturday, September 13, 50 years to the day after the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall’s formal opening in 1964, which also featured the Symphony. To celebrate the thousands of classical, pops, education, opera and ballet performances that have made up so much of the HSO’s history at the Blaisdell, the program will feature two of the works performed at the 1964 premiere, Tchaikovsky’s Overture-Fantasy to Romeo and Juliet and selections from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Both works were chosen for the 1964 concert to mark the 400th birthday of William Shakespeare.
The second half of the program will feature a brand new ballet choreographed by Minou Lallemand to the music of Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes and performed by the Oahu-based Onium Ballet Project. The concert will conclude with Ravel’s ever-popular Bolero. Maestro Stuart Chafetz, who has performed at the Blaisdell for 25 years both as a conductor and as a Symphony musician, will be on the podium. The concert will be repeated on Sunday, September 14.
The Bard, Ballet & Bolero
Saturday, September 13, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14, 4:00 p.m.
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Onium Ballet Project
Minou Lallemand, artistic director
Tchaikovsky – Overture-Fantasy to Romeo and Juliet
Mendelssohn – Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Britten – Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Ravel – Bolero
The HSO season will continue with 11 more Masterworks programs featuring a parade of some of the world’s most talented artists, including Hawaii’s own Jake Shimabukuro premiering Byron Yasui’s Concerto No. 1 for Ukulele and Orchestra, commissioned by the HSO and conducted by HSO Artistic Advisor JoAnn Falletta.
French Impressions
French conductor Bruno Ferrandis and Italian pianist Fabio Bidini team up for an all-French program.
Sunday, October 19, 4:00 p.m.
Bruno Ferrandis, conductor
Fabio Bidini, piano
Debussy – Printemps
Satie – Gymnopedies Nos. 1 & 3
Ravel – Piano Concerto in G
Debussy – La Mer
Concerto for Two Pianos
Twin pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton will make their Hawaii debut with conductor David Stewart Wiley performing Poulenc, Hovahness and Beethoven.
Sunday, November 23, 4:00 p.m.
David Stewart Wiley, conductor
Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianos
Beethoven – Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”
Hovahness – Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain”
Poulenc – Concerto for Two Pianos
Constantine Conducts Brahms
Andrew Constantine makes his first Honolulu appearance with violinist Michael Ludwig.
Sunday, November 30, 4:00 p.m.
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Michael Ludwig, violin
Sibelius – Violin Concerto
Brahms – Symphony No. 1
Ode to Joy
Maestra JoAnn Falletta will conduct this New Year’s favorite featuring the Oahu Choral Society.
Sunday, December 28, 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 30, 7:30 p.m.
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Oahu Choral Society
Esther Yoo, artistic director
Wagner – Selections from Act III of Die Meistersinger
Beethoven – Symphony No. 9, “Choral”
Sir Neville Marriner
The acclaimed maestro of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields will make his long-awaited Hawaii debut with the remarkable violinist Augustin Hadelich.
Sunday, January 4, 4:00 p.m.
Sir Neville Marriner, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Berlioz – Overture to Beatrice and Benedict
Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto
Mozart – Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”
Quinn Kelsey and Marjorie Owens
Hawaii’s world-famous opera star Quinn Kelsey and his wife Marjorie Owens will perform an evening of opera highlights conducted by Stephen Lord.
Sunday, January 25, 4:00 p.m.
Stephen Lord, conductor
Marjorie Owens, soprano
Quinn Kelsey, baritone
Arias and selections by Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Massanet, Verdi and Wagner
Four Seasons
Violinist Jennifer Koh returns to Hawaii to perform The Four Seasons by Vivaldi with Conductor Xian Zhang.
Sunday, March 1, 4:00 p.m.
Xian Zhang, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
Rossini – William Tell Overture
Vivaldi – Four Seasons
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 2, “Little Russian”
Russian Masters
Pianist Natasha Paremsky and conductor Victor Yampolsky present two Russian masterpieces.
Sunday, March 22, 4:00 p.m.
Victor Yampolsky, conductor
Natasha Paremsky, piano
Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 3
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5
¡España!
Carlos Miguel Prieto leads a Celebration of Spanish music featuring cellist Mark Kosower.
Sunday, May 3, 4:00 p.m.
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Mark Kosower, cello
Revueltas – Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca
Lalo – Cello Concerto
Falla – Three Cornered Hat
Otomo Returns
Naoto Otomo returns to collaborate with star American pianist Orion Weiss.
Sunday, May 10, 4:00 p.m.
Naoto Otomo, conductor
Orion Weiss, piano
Akutagawa – TRIPTYQUE for String Orchestra
Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 25
Bartok – Concerto for Orchestra
Season Finale with JoAnn and Jake
JoAnn Falletta conducts a world premiere concerto featuring ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and Gustav Mahler’s titanic Symphony No. 1.
Saturday, June 6, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 7, 4:00 p.m.
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele
Yasui – Concerto No. 1 for Ukulele and Orchestra (world premiere)
Mahler – Symphony No. 1, “Titan”
Current subscribers may renew by calling 94-MUSIC (946-8742). Subscriptions are available online, by phone, and at the HSO box office (3610 Waialae Avenue). Single tickets go on sale August 15.
About the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra
The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2011 and made its debut in 2012. The new HSO carries on the legacy of the Honolulu Symphony, which was founded in 1900 and performed for more than a century. The orchestra employs 84 professional musicians and presents classical masterworks, pops, education and community programs.
The mission of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra is to present the highest-quality performances of great music, bringing national and international distinction to the orchestra and its community; to delight and educate audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and enhance the cultural vitality and quality of life in these Islands; and to operate in a financially sound manner.
For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.HawaiiSymphonyOrchestra.org.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HawaiiSymphony