Program a great showcase for great music

By Ruth O. Bingham

•	'Exotic Nights' Honolulu Symphony Orchestra's Halekulani MasterWorks Series Guest conductor Christopher Wilkins 4 p.m. today Blaisdell Concert Hall $16-$59 792-2000, (877) 750-4400.

The music on Honolulu Symphony's program Friday night was all top-notch, from Toru Takemitsu's recent "Archipelago S" and Debussy's ground-breaking "La Mer" in the first half, to Rimsky-Korsakov's ever-popular "Scheherazade" in the second.

At first glance, the program seemed an odd combination, but its themes and styles connected smoothly, offering surprising insights. The program became a study in musical waves (stylistic as well as ocean waves), tracing influences backward in time, from Takemitsu's love of Debussy to Debussy's passion for Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade."

It was, however, the orchestra's performance under the direction of guest conductor Maestro Christopher Wilkins that created great music.

Wilkins, appearing for the first time in Honolulu, proved to be a very skilled conductor, working mostly without scores and focusing on interpretation.

Using a wide variety of expressive movements, he maintained tight control while eliciting a warm, full sound and highly responsive playing. Expression, ensemble and balance were all excellent as he guided the orchestra though numerous shifts in tempo. In short, the extra rehearsal he requested paid off.

If there was a criticism to be made, it was that he worked the music more than strictly necessary, infusing additional drama even where effects were built in and the music could speak for itself.

Wilkins, known for his innovative programming and departure from, as he put it, "the encrusted traditions that no longer seem relevant," delivered an eloquent introduction to the philosophical Takemitsu, enticing the audience to listen to a new piece with interest.

Takemitsu's "Archipelago S," composed in 1994, two years before his death, divided 21 musicians into five separate "islands" for antiphonal effects, requiring a time-consuming but worthwhile rearrangement of the stage afterward.

Takemitsu's style, clearly influenced by Debussy, was reminiscent of an artist painting with sound-colors: atmospheric and sensual, with sweeps of sound and motives that coalesced into themes traded between "islands" and echoing across distances. Although the impact was orchestral, the music was chamberlike, with one player per part and the whole consisting of exposed solos.

In fact, all three works, but especially the Takemitsu and Debussy, were filled with solos that were less solos than individual threads woven into multicolored tapestries. A list of outstanding solos, too lengthy for this space, would likely come close to matching the personnel list.

One, however, must be mentioned because of its length, prominence, and quality, and that is concertmaster Ignace Jang's "Scheherazade": It was as magically entrancing as the character's tales.

Friday night's program was, as Wilkins promised, "a great showcase for the orchestra ... a very difficult program." True. But it was his and the orchestra's performance that created great music.