Banjo master Béla Fleck came to town as hundreds of thousands in Sonoma County returned to their homes on the heels of the Kincade fire. Due to limited rehearsal time, the orchestra played only one of the four movements of Aaron Copland's Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo. But Fleck played every note of his virtuosic Juno Concerto, delighting the audience.

 

[Pictured: Béla Fleck and his son Juno, namesake of Juno Concerto. Courtesy: Béla Fleck]

 

Even Fleck's encore, which varied from night to night, astonished with its shapeshifting mastery. Here's how one writer put it:

 

"Returning to the stage with huge applause, the soloist launched into what surely was the longest encore in the Hall’s history, an eight-minute improvisation that was captivating and richly satisfying. The waiting Orchestra members appeared to love the exhibitionism and false cadences in the encore, the best encore in my memory since Lang Lang’s deliciously tasteless “Minute Waltz” in Weill’s inaugural 2013 concert." Terry McNeill, Classical Sonoma. 

 

This concert was broadcast on Sunday, December 1.