Sam Wong conducts the Honolulu Symphony
in his debut at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Photo by Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin

Just six months ago, the orchestra was near death. Concerted community effort and tremendous sacrifice by the musicians resuscitated the patient, but nearly three years of strife left raw wounds. The winter and spring of artistically stimulating and increasingly well-attended programs put the HSO on the mend.

Wong, ironically a Harvard-trained M.D., has sewn the final sutures. His vigor, spirit, knowledge and commitment have imbued the orchestra with calmness and confidence. This allows the musicians to focus on making music, and to shine in a way they have not been able to in years.

A festive atmosphere permeated the Concert Hall last night. Balloons were scattered throughout the lobby. Large arrangements of torch ginger and bird of paradise graced either side of the stage, and a smaller spray of ginger rested at the base of the conductor's podium. Interspersed with the first half's three pieces were speeches of thanks and lots of lei giving.

Wong himself spoke of the evening as a wedding feast, but it felt more like a baby luau: celebrating that the child has made it through infancy, and looking forward to the joy and promise of the years to come. The conductor was the luau's enthusiastic emcee, his leadership style combining the physical grace of a hula dancer with the slightly kolohe spirit of a true entertainer.

The program opened with the audience joining the orchestra for "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Hawai'i Pono'i," the traditional way the HSO has opened new seasons. While the season does not begin until October, the anthems felt stirringly appropriate for the beginning of a new era.

The concert's first half also carried a "new world" theme, featuring an American composer and two Europeans who found rhythmic and melodic inspiration on journeys to America.

Antonin Dvorak's "Slavonic Dance No. 8" got things off to a rousing start. Crisp attacks and aggressive brass lent a heraldic air. Melodies flew as the tempo whirled. Noteworthy in this piece and throughout the evening was the fearless virtuosity of principal oboist, Scott Janusch.

Next up was a smooth orchestral arrangement of Duke Ellington favorites. "Eleven hits in eleven minutes," Wong noted as he dedicated the piece to the late Ella Fitzgerald. The medley provided a jazzy interlude uncommon in a classical program, showing a willingness to mix it up and appeal to all tastes. Moreover, the Ellington showcased the orchestra's big sound: majestic, lush and rollicking in turn.

Maurice Ravel's "Piano Concerto in G" featured Tokyo-born, Honolulu-raised and Julliard-trained soloist Lisa Nakamichi. She showed a deft, light touch and refreshing clarity in tackling this piece of many moods.

Ravel himself told a reviewer that into this concerto "he had poured his thoughts into the exact mold that he had dreamed." The first and last movements overflowed with coloristic effects, jazz-inspired rhythms, and mysterious interludes, reminiscent of Disney's "Fantasia." The middle movement was pure lyrical reverie, evoking the mournful beauty of a Chopin nocturne.

After a first half bursting with energy, Johannes Brahms' "Symphony No. 2" balanced the evening with the weight of a more traditional work. Dignified yet sunny, the symphony was chock full of the noble melody and sweet harmony that make Brahms so universally appealing. Conducting expressively and without a score, Wong demonstrated that he knows the music not just by heart, but also with his heart.

The program came full circle with an encore that echoed the opening number. Brahms' "Hungarian Dances" were the model for Dvorak's own dances. Wong led a witty rendition of the familiar "Hungarian Dance No. 5" to close out a joyful concert.

"That which does not kill you makes you stronger," the saying goes. With Sam Wong at the helm, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra is moving from surviving to thriving.

Elisabeth A. Crean has bachelor's and master's degrees in European history with an emphasis in music, and has performed and taught music.