My favorite memory of the Honolulu Symphony at the Blaisdell Center Concert Hall is a performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf when I was a schoolboy. When I say that I’ve never slept better, I don’t mean to imply that it was boring. I mean that it was one of the most sublime experiences I’ve ever had (so was a Blues Traveler concert I saw there once).

 

The Honolulu Symphony kicked off its 2009 Halekulani Masters Series last weekend with an appearance by the seemingly unlikely trio of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, composer and double bassist Edgar Meyer, and North Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain. It’s been a long time since that wonderful afternoon of Prokofiev when I was a kid, but I’m happy to report that the Honolulu Symphony continues to provide that same rapturous experience.

 

Executive Director Majken Mechling gave a moving speech about the Symphony’s goals and its hopes for the future. A longtime symphony supporter was recognized with a warm ovation before the symphony thrilled the room with The Star Spangled Banner and Hawai’i Pono’i. It was a deeply stirring start and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A furthered my belief that the Honolulu Symphony is among the finest orchestras in the world.
 

After the intermission, Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer took center stage to perform a triple concerto for banjo, double bass and table Meyer himself composed. A tapestry weaving elements of classical, bluegrass and otherworldly table, the piece was masterful in its incorporation of the symphonic element. By the time the lights were turned on, the trio graciously accepted no less than three standing ovations. At one point, Hussain joked, “Sit down, we’re going to play some more.”

 

It’s hard to discern locals from visitors at an elegant affair like the symphony, but I’m sure there were a more than a few lucky and akamai tourists who were able to fit it into their vacation itinerary. If more did, maybe concerns about its financial future would be less grave.