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Crescendo
Bill Zehfuss
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Let music transport you
Guest conductor James Paul and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra will capture the excitement of Paris and New York this weekend in a high-energy program of music by Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin.
Honolulu Symphony
In concert: 8 p.m., Friday; 4 p.m. Sunday
Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall
Tickets: $12 to $65
Call: 792-2000 or visit www.honolulusymphony.com
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Each piece in this concert offers a unique picture of America and will transport the audience to both the City of Light and the City that Never Sleeps!
The program opens with Bernstein's "Three Dance Episodes" from "On the Town," depicting three sailors on a 24-hour pass in the Big Apple. "On the Town" began life on Broadway and was made into a 1949 film starring Gene Kelly.
The work begins with a crash as we are transported to the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. The first melody heard after the opening is a short solo by my instrument, the trombone, a unique instrument because it changes notes with a hand slide rather than valves. The trombone returns to prominence during the final episode when it plays the "Wonderful Town" melody that makes this piece famous.
Pianist Ian Parker joins us as soloist for Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, in which the composer used experiences from his musical life in New York and on tour to depict a special time in American life. The trumpet is featured in extended solo passages during the quiet middle movement. The work ends with a musical depiction of train travel. Gershwin spent countless hours traveling by train and makes it the focus of the interplay between piano and orchestra.
We return to dockside New York with "On the Waterfront." Bernstein's music depicts the struggles of ex-prize fighter Terry Malloy to stand up both to his brother Charley and the corruption that poisons life on the waterfront. This piece began life as a film score (the 1954 film starred Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger), but Bernstein's powerful music speaks to us in a direct and emotional way. Allow the music to transport you to a different place!
The concert concludes with Gershwin's tone poem, "An American in Paris," a wonderful piece that captures all the energy and excitement of life in this city. Everything from car horns to police whistles is used to evoke a special moment in time. Even the tuba is featured in a special moment. Gershwin's colorful score was adapted by Vincente Minelli as a vehicle for Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron to explore the life of a home-sick artist in Paris.
Bill Zehfuss is principal trombonist for the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
