Symphony keeps
it in the ohana

By Ruth O. Bingham
Special to the Star-Bulletin

"This is sort of our version of 'All in the Family,' joked Honolulu Symphony executive director Michael Tiknis as he introduced yesterday afternoon's "guest" artists: the symphony's principal oboist Scott Janusch and concertmaster Ignace ("Iggy") Jang. And their parents.

Searching for soloists, orchestras often overlook their own members, but the concert revealed how much can be gained by searching close to home. No apologies necessary, Mr. Tiknis, even in jest.

Oboist Scott Janusch opened the concert with Vivaldi's Oboe Concerto in D minor, RV 454, with multi-talented music director Samuel Wong conducting from the harpsichord, much as Vivaldi might have. Aside from a few difficulties in ensemble in the first movement and a tentativeness in improvising, Wong's performance was admirable. He balanced playing and conducting with finesse, and although a harpsichord does not carry easily in such a large hall, his playing supported and filled out the orchestral parts well.

Wong called Janusch "the poet of the orchestra," a fitting appellation, for his performance excelled with a beautiful tone and outstanding expression. As an encore, Janusch presented his own arrangement of Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, in which his tone and expression were, if possible, even more beautiful.

Owing to its smaller orchestra and Baroque dimensions, the Vivaldi gave the impression of an introduction to the larger Romantic work that followed. In between, the orchestra more than tripled and was rearranged by the Blaisdell's sloppily dressed stage hands the only aspect of the concert that was unprofessional.

Violinist Jang performed Max Bruch's Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, a work well-known and loved by violinists everywhere, by a composer otherwise almost unknown. Owing to a series of tribulations, Jang happily played a 1783 violin of exceptional tone with a distinctive voice in each range.

Bruch's concerto is a passionate Romantic outpouring that he almost titled a fantasy. It does more than just showcase the violin: at times, the orchestra recedes into the background as mere accompaniment. The concerto requires physical as well as technical strength, a rich singing legato, and a broad emotional range.

Jang has all of that. His first movement Vorspiel was passionate but controlled, his long yearning melodies of the second movement sang exquisitely, and his fiery technique swept through the third movement.

Wong closed the concert with Schumann's Rhenish Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, from 1850. Composed as the German Confederation was forming, the symphony reflects Schumann's strong nationalist sentiments in its references to Beethoven and the Rhineland: the countryside, the people, their folk dances and cathedrals.

Each of the five movements featured the brass in solos, fanfares and choirs, and although the choirs suffered from weak trumpets, the trombones and especially the French horns deserve a special note of praise for difficult parts played well.

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