Wonderful time with Anne Akiko Meyers

Yesterday, David hung his handicapped placard on his rear view mirror and the parking attendant allowed him to park in this handicapped stall, which was located next to the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Note David’s cane. He was so happy he didn’t have to walk very far:

As we approached the entrance to the hall, we were greeted by the sweet sound of violins, performed by talented young members of the Suzuki School:

This was the interior of the concert hall, as viewed from the top of the balcony, where we sat:

Here I am, wearing long distance glasses, which I use only to see the stage at the Blaisdell:

And here is David, smirking as usual:

We adored the featured soloist, Anne Akiko Meyers, who is an acclaimed American violinist. Recently, she was awarded lifetime use of the 1741 “Vieuxtemps” Guarneri del Gesu violin, considered to be the finest sounding violin in existence. At yesterday’s concert, she performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor. I especially loved the second movement’s pizzicato segments. She received a standing ovation, and for an encore, she played “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” a song she said she always associates with Hawaii.

The conductor, Junichi Hirokami, was born, raised, and trained in Tokyo. Having conducted all over the world, he is now Chief Conductor of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. David and I enjoyed the pieces by Khachaturian and Strauss, which sounded lush.  Kudos to the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra!  They never fail to impress us.

All in all, we had a wonderful time, made all the better by the handicapped parking for David.