4 Thursday, April 13, 2017 Island Beat Hawaii Tribune-Herald Photo: ERIC CHALIFOUR Martin Chalifour will perform on a 1711 Stradivarius violin once owned by the renowned 20th century composer Fritz Kreisler. HPAF Stradivarius series continues The Hawaii Performing Arts Festival announced a second series of Stradivarius concerts, Monday, April 17, at a private Kona residence and Wednesday, April 19, at the Honokaa People’s Theatre featuring Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Chalifour will perform on a 1711 Stradivarius violin once owned by the renowned 20th century composer Fritz Kreisler. Pianist Cary Lewis of the Lanier Trio will accompany Chalifour. “This violin belonged to one of the most famous violinists the world has ever known,” Chalifour says. “I first encountered the instrument 22 years ago and was struck by how new it looked and felt. Contrary to other Strads that had been ‘played on’ for 300 years, this one had sat in a treasure vault and was forgotten about in England for almost a hundred years! It hardly has any cracks and retained much of its original beautiful reddish varnish.” Chalifour says the main asset of the instrument was initially its awesome power. “The negative flip side is that it did not have enough color and tonal subtleties for my taste,” he says. “That was changed later by making an expert adjustment to it, but I had to switch to another instrument for a long time. I’m now super happy with it and there is less tension in the violin strings. The Kreisler has found its true voice.” Hawaii Performing Arts Festival executive director Genette Freeman says it’s not often audiences get to experience classical music in such an intimate setting, let alone be in such close proximity to such a special instrument. “The opportunity to hear closely and personally the unique tones of a Stradivarius don’t come along every day,” she says. “The rich tones are said to have come from the unique finish applied to his instrument over 300 years ago by Antonio Stradivari. I like to let my mind wander and imagine the people who have owned it and played it, the lives they led, the struggles they might have endured.” Stradivarius string instruments, still sought by the world’s best musicians, represent the height of musical achievement. Chalifour, a native of Quebec, joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1965. Gaining musical recognition from an early age, he came to wide prominence upon receiving a Certificate of Honor at Moscow’s International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986, with a laureate at the Montréal International Musical Competition the following year. His professional achievements have made him a much-sought-after orchestral violinist, soloist, and chamber musician. “(At these Big Island concerts) the public is going to hear some of the most charming Viennese music, derived to the era that produced timeless waltzes of Johann Strauss (Blue Danube, etc.), plus these compositions will be by Fritz Kreisler and played on his violin, which is incredible,” Chalifour says. “On the same program, you’ll hear Handel and Beethoven (who also spent a lot of his career in Vienna.)” Tickets for the Kona concert are $80 and include wine and light refreshments. Seating for this performance, which starts at 7 p.m., is very limited. The Honokaa People’s Theatre concert is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased at www. HawaiiPerformingArtsFestival.Org or by calling 333-7378. Proceeds from these concerts support the HPAF student scholarship program and the 2017 Summer Festival. Forty percent of the ticket price is considered a tax-deductible donation to HPAF.
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