Concert showcases range of symphony

THE Honolulu Symphony Orchestra revealed its eclectic talents Friday night, proving its ability to accompany a great soloist with delicacy as well as taking the front position with muscle. Internationally renowned conductor Andreas Delfs did a remarkable job leading the orchestra, appearing more than comfortable substituting for Jon Seaman, who originally had been scheduled for the concert.

Honolulu Symphony When: 4 p.m. today Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall Tickets: $12 to $65 Call: 792-2000 or visit www.honolulusymphony.com

Although in quite different ways, Benjamin Britten's "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (1946) and Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C Minor (1876) involve the musicians' complete and attentive participation, and often call for the display of individual talents. Edvard Grieg's Concerto for Piano in A Minor (1868) requires a particular skill as well, but perhaps an even more difficult one: complying with grace to the soloist's leading role. And I am talking about an exceptional soloist.

JON NAKAMATSU, winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997, performed with a crisp, crystal clear touch, discerning each note as if it had a life by itself. But his dramatic phrasing made the performance cohesive and fluid. His cadenza in the first movement was effortless but spectacular, and his interpretation of the pungent Norwegian folk themes was passionate but light. The orchestra shadowed him gracefully under the knowledgeable baton of maestro Delfs.

Britten and Brahms' pieces framed the concerto, giving the symphony room to "speak loud." Britten's piece attracted some younger people to the audience, and that was refreshing to see. I did see a little one playing a Nintendo Game Boy during the performance, but what can you do?

The work is easy to listen to, systematically built, and fun to watch. All sections, and sometimes individual instruments, are considered as different "fronts," each playing a variation on a very catchy tune, a "Theme of Henry Purcell." Clarinets and flutes came out shining for their precision and incisiveness. The percussionists were a joy to hear and to watch.

IN THE BRAHMS piece, Beethovenian grandeur and Brahmsian gracefulness came together. The first movement opened with a dramatic, persistent note by the timpanist -- Stuart Chafetz is truly one of a kind -- and double basses. The winds took the first theme, followed by the exquisite sound of oboist J. Scott Janush, who also played the second theme of the second movement with great musicianship.

The grand scale of the last movement closed the concert with the theme that critics have often connected to Beethoven's "Hymn to Joy," and with the grand but somehow ostentatious quality of an overwhelming climax.

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