MasterWorks debut
stars violin virtuoso

The Honolulu Symphony Halekulani MasterWorks series premieres this weekend with Dvorak's New World Symphony and the Hawaii return of violinist Cho-Liang Lin. Better known as Jimmy Lin, this virtuoso will dazzle the crowd with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's passionate "Serenade." Following his expressive "pyrotechnics," Maestro Samuel Wong will lead the orchestra in Antonin Dvorak's celebratory New World Symphony.

Honolulu Symphony Halekulani MasterWorks season opener features Cho-Liang Lin (above) Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall In concert: 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $26, $38, $48, $56, $69 (includes service fees) Call: 792-2000 or Ticketmaster at (877) 750-4400

Lin charms audiences worldwide with his exquisite technique, refinement and energy. Born in Taiwan, Lin spent his childhood listening to old masters of the violin, from Jascha Heifetz to Zino Francescatti and Isaac Stern. He preferred fiddling around to his math homework, much to the dismay of his nuclear physicist father. After a brief stint in Australia, young Lin arrived at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, ready to ascend to stardom.

Led by the late pedagogue Dorothy DeLay, Juilliard has produced many sensational violinists. Perlman and Zuckerman carried the torch early, and younger violinists Midori and Sarah Chang also flourished at the school. Between the two generations is Lin, who quickly became a favorite of DeLay when he joined her studio. Her teaching was meticulous, and she admired his thinking process, which she defined as "elegant, if that could ever be possible." In performances, Lin achieves a combination of heart and soul with a fine sense of logic, and reflects her teaching.

In his last performance here in Hawaii, I admired his rare skill: the ability to seamlessly combine brain, fingers and soul. Some musicians achieve flawless virtuosity but lack charisma; Lin manages to stay faithful to the music, master challenging passages and bring personality to his interpretations.

Lin's virtuosity will be showcased in the "Serenade." Composer Leonard Bernstein, better known for crossing musical boundaries with such works as "West Side Story," was equally proficient at writing in the classical form. The "Serenade" was his musical version of Plato's dialogue, "The Symposium." There's no need to understand the philosopher's work to enjoy the music. Simply put, the music is a series of love-related statements and follows Plato's form through a succession of speakers, or in this case, movements of music. Lin's lyricism will be on display in the opening movements, undeterred by the orchestral darkness, while his dexterity will be in demand in the jazzy finale.

THE YEAR 2004 marks the centennial of Dvorak's death, and to commemorate this anniversary the symphony will present some of his most popular works, starting with Symphony No. 9, which is also referred to as From the New World or the New World Symphony. Filled with celebrated melodies, the title celebrates the Czech composer's stay in the United States and reflects his impressions of this country.

Thanks in part to composer Johannes Brahms, who actively promoted his colleague's work, word about Dvorak's talents spread fast in Europe and aroused the curiosity of New York's society leaders. In 1892, Jeanette Thurber, the wife of a wealthy American businessman, invited the composer to head the newly established National Conservatory of Music in New York. Dvorak would serve in this position for three years.

Upon his arrival, Dvorak immersed himself in American culture and familiarized himself with native American music and Negro spirituals. In composing the New World Symphony, Dvorak was determined to create original themes and not borrow from American folk songs, but he once said of this work that "everyone with a nose must smell America."

Perhaps his creativity was influenced by his own cultural heritage. Some scholars have argued that Slavic musical elements can be heard throughout the work. In effect, one might hear and see native Americans turn into Czech peasants! I believe the melodies are so evocative that men and women of different cultures have embraced the composer's exciting music as their own.

Literary works also played a role in the New World Symphony. In the second movement, the English horn, not to be confused with the brassy French horn, opens with a famous melody inspired by the readings of Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha." Its moving lyricism invokes the burial of the hero Minnehaha.

Toward the end of his time in America, Dvorak delivered a personal message to his fellow musicians. He felt that although Americans could accomplish ground-breaking marvels of all sorts, in music they were content to produce poor European imitations. He suggested that the route toward developing authentic American music could be found in its own heritage. Interestingly, what he unknowingly prophesied was the emergence of jazz as an American art form; a genre that future American classical composers such as Leonard Bernstein would realize in their own music.