ARTISTS

Halekulani MasterWorks: “Sibelius Symphony No. 2”
Honolulu Symphony Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Sharon Isbin, guitar
             

CONCERTS

Saturday, November 15 - 8 p.m. & Sunday, November 16 - 4 p.m.
These concerts take place at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
 

PROGRAM

KODALY: Dances of Marosszék
RODRIGO: Fantasia para un gentilhombre
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2 in D Major
 

TICKETS

$19, $26, $40, $52, $70 (including service fees)
Military and seniors receive a 20% discount.
Student/youth and chaperone/parent tickets are $10.
Groups of 10 people or more are eligible for $10 flat rate tickets.
Tickets are sold at Ticketmaster outlets (1-877-750-4400), Macy’s,
Times supermarkets and www.ticketmaster.com
Call the Box Office at (808) 792-2000 (weekdays) or (808) 524-
0815 ext. 245 (evenings) for more information.
E-mail: boxofficemngr@honolulusymphony.com
www.honolulusymphony.com

Honolulu – The magic of Spain comes to the Honolulu Symphony concert stage this November as classical guitarist Sharon Isbin and Maestro JoAnn Falletta join the Symphony in the next installment of the Halekulani MasterWorks series on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 4 p.m. Recognized as the “Monet of the classical guitar” by the Atlanta Journal, Grammy-Award-winning Isbin will perform a masterpiece by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, the virtuosic Fantasia para un gentilhombre. Sponsored by Pacific Cardiology, this exquisite concert program also features the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and his poetic Symphony No. 2 in D Major. Tickets start from $19. These concerts are eligible for the Symphony’s new “Holiday Duets” savings package.
 
The concert begins with a charismatic and vivacious collection of Romanian dances from Transylvania, Zoltan Kodaly’s Dances of Marosszék. The dances – which you might find listed on Top 100 lists of 20th Century classical music – are accessible, highly enjoyable and filled with Eastern European charm.
 
It is a challenge to find music more romantic or inspirational than the works of Rodrigo, which with every note recall the beauties of Spain – the exotic landscape, aromatic fruit trees, architectural splendor and rich musical history. All those who appreciate the guitar, whether they are enthusiasts of classical or pop music, will relish the complexities of Fantasia para un gentilhombre and its ability to set the imagination soaring and lift the spirit. As a showpiece for Spanish classical guitar and Isbin’s forte, the work is unparalleled.
 
The grand masterwork that is Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 is the crowning glory of this concert event. The symphony features the powerful inspiration of the Nordic influences of Finland united with the essence of Italy, where this work was “born.” The epic finale has become a hallmark of the Sibelius oeuvre.
 
“In his 1901 masterpiece, Sibelius sketches the austere landscapes, the endless winter skies, the jagged mountains, the vast green forests, the brilliant northern lights of the country he adored,” said Falletta. “Filled with an icy passion and a frigid sweetness, this symphony is a romantic tour-de-force that culminates in an enormous emotional climax.  You will never forget the dramatic sweep and passion of this extraordinary masterpiece.”
 
About Sharon Isbin
Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, Grammy Award winner Sharon Isbin has been hailed as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time.” She is also the winner of Guitar Player magazine’s “Best Classical Guitarist” award, the Madrid Queen Sofia and Toronto Competitions, and was the first guitarist ever to win the Munich Competition. She has given sold-out performances throughout the world in the greatest halls including New York’s Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, London’s Barbican and Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Paris’ Châtelet, Vienna’s Musikverein, Munich’s Herkulessaal, Madrid’s Teatro Real and many others. 
 
Isbin has served as Artistic Director/Soloist of festivals she created for Carnegie Hall and the Ordway Music Theatre (St. Paul), her own series at New York’s 92nd Street Y, and the acclaimed national radio series “Guitarjam.” She is a frequent guest on national radio programs including All Things Considered, St. Paul Sunday, and Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. 
 
Isbin’s catalogue of over 25 recordings—from Baroque, Spanish/Latin and 20th Century to crossover and jazz-fusion—reflects remarkable versatility. She received a 2005 Latin Grammy nomination for “Best Classical Album” and a 2006 GLAAD Media Award nomination for “Outstanding Music Artist” (alongside Melissa Etheridge) for her Billboard Top 10 Classical disc with the New York Philharmonic of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and concerti by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce and Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos. Her “Dreams of a World: Folk-inspired Music for Guitar” soared onto top classical Billboard charts, edging out The 3 Tenors, and earned her a 2001 Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance,” making her the first classical guitarist to receive a Grammy in 28 years.
 
Isbin performs 60 to 100 concerts a season and has appeared as soloist with more than 160 orchestras. Born in Minneapolis, Isbin began her guitar studies at age nine in Italy, and later studied with Andrès Segovia and Oscar Ghiglia. A former student of Rosalyn Tureck, she collaborated with the noted keyboardist in preparing the first performance editions of the Bach lute suites for guitar (published by G. Schirmer). She received a B.A. cum laude from Yale University and a Master of Music from the Yale School of Music. 
 
Isbin is the author of the Classical Guitar Answer Book, and is Director of guitar
departments at the Aspen Music Festival and Juilliard School (which she created in l989 becoming the first and only guitar instructor in the institution’s 100-year history).
 
About JoAnn Falletta
Few artists are as important to the fabric of their communities as JoAnn Falletta. Acclaimed by The New York Times as “one of the finest conductors of her generation,” she serves as the Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
 
Falletta has been invited to guest conduct many of the world’s finest symphony
orchestras. Highlights of her recent and upcoming guest conducting appearances include the Seoul Philharmonic, the Orchestra National de Belgique, the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester, Ensemble Kanazawa (Japan), the Orchestra of Asturias (Spain), the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Orchestre National De Lyon, the Northwest German Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Lisbon Metropolitan Symphony, and the orchestras of Dallas, Toronto, New Jersey, Seattle, Utah, Colorado Louisville and San Antonio. 
 
Falletta is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards, including the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award for exceptionally gifted American conductors, the coveted Stokowski Competition, and the Toscanini, Ditson and Bruno Walter Awards for conducting, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra League’s prestigious John S. Edwards Award. She is an ardent champion of music of our time, introducing over 400 works by American composers, including more than 80 world premieres. Hailing her as a “leading force for the music of our time”, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored JoAnn Falletta with her 10th ASCAP award in 2008.

Falletta’s growing discography, which currently includes over 50 titles, consists of recordings with the London Symphony, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Virginia Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Czech National Symphony, the Philadelphia Philharmonia and the Women’s Philharmonic, among others. Together with English Horn soloist Thomas Stacy and the London Symphony Orchestra, Falletta received a 2006 Grammy nomination for “Eventide” Concerto for English Horn, Harp, Percussion, and String Orchestra, by Kenneth Fuchs, from the CD “An American Place” (Naxos American Classics). Her 2007 recording of the music of Respighi and her 2003 recording of Griffes Orchestral Music, both on the Naxos label with the Buffalo Philharmonic, were selected as Editor’s Choice Recordings by Gramophone.
 
Falletta received her undergraduate degree from the Mannes School of Music in New York, and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School.
 

SAVE WITH HOLIDAY DUETS!

This season, the Honolulu Symphony introduces a new, wallet-friendly concert package starting from only $30 for two concerts. With “Holiday Duets,” music lovers can double their musical pleasure by combining a ticket to Honolulu’s most popular festive concert, Beethoven’s Ninth, with a second concert of their choice to create a personalized “duet.”  Simply purchase a ticket to Beethoven’s Ninth and then add-on a second ticket for only $10. Limited to concerts during November, December and January. “Holiday Duets” offer excellent savings and are available for $30, $44, $59, $69, and $92. Please call (808) 792-2000 for more information.