Native Hawaiian composer’s new work inspired by Lahaina noon
HONOLULU — Native Hawaiian composer and violinist Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti will premiere a new work this month inspired by Lahaina noon, the Honolulu mayor’s office said Friday.
The Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts commissioned the composition together with Chamber Music Hawaii. The chamber will perform the work at noon on May 26.
Lahaina noon refers to the moment when the sun passes exactly overhead at midday and objects with smooth sides appear to have no shadow. The phenomenon occurs in May and July and can only be observed in the tropics.
In Hawaiian culture, Lahaina noon is viewed as a time of great mana, or power, when the sun is overhead and the shadow retreats into the body.
The work will debut at a celebration honoring the 45th anniversary of Sky Gate, a 1977 sculpture by the late artist Isamu Noguchi. At Lahaina noon, the sculpture projects a perfect ring.
Sky Gate is located on the lawn between Honolulu Hale and the Frank Fasi Municipal Building.