Chamber music concert in Sacramento presents "gems of Ukraine" (04/14/02)

Chamber music concert in Sacramento presents "gems of Ukraine"

by Adriana Shmahalo

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - "Ukrainian Music Gems Shine in Chamber Music Concert" was the headline over a music review published on March 5 in the Sacramento Bee by art critic Patricia Beach Smith.

The well-publicized concert, "Jewels of Ukraine," took place on Sunday, March 3, at the California State University of Sacramento music hall. The program consisted of the Concerto in D Major by Dmytro Bortniansky for bandura and string quartet, and the Suite-Cycle "Four Trips to Ukraine" for bandura and piano by Yuriy Oliynyk with the well-known pianist Thomas Hrynkiw.

In the words of the Ms. Smith, "the sound of the bandura combined the sounds of a music.

The brilliant passages and charming themes of the Bortniansky concerto were beautifully brought out by Ms. Herasymenko Oliynyk with the excellent and sensitive support of the string quartet comprised of musicians William Barbini (first violin), Kineko Okumura (second violin), Igor Veligan, (viola), and Julie Hochmann, (cello). The balance between the bandura soloist and the strings was skillfully maintained in the classical tradition of the music.

The following suite by Mr. Oliynyk, featured "Spring Dance," alluding to the prehistoric rituals performed in Ukraine as well as the hahilky festivals conducted in many regions of Ukraine. Next came the mysterious sounding movement "Harvest Rites." The exotic nature of this movement was underlined by whole-tone glissandos on the bandura and 7/8 rhythms that were supported by the subtle accompaniment of Mr. Hrynkiw. The third movement followed with colorful harmonies that represented the "Multicolored Autumn" in Ukraine, as indicated by the title. The fourth movement, "Winter Contrasts," is a piece full of fun, drawing on childhood memories of wintertime in Ukraine by the composer, with a brief quotation from a Ukrainian Christmas carol stated in the bandura and followed by a statement in the piano part.

The suite was presented in its entirety for the first time on the West Coast. The long applause of the overflowing audience rewarded the performers of this premiere.

The balance of the program was filled with the wonderfully romantic cello sonata by Ukrainian composer Victor Kosenko, performed by Messrs. Bonnell and Hrynkiw with passion, brilliant technique and fine balance between the two instruments.

After the intermission the audience was treated to "Souvenir de Florence" by Peter Tchaikovsky, whose music often features Ukrainian melodies and whose family tree includes partial Ukrainian roots. The four movements of this string sextet were played with a fine musical temperament and rhythmic precision. Two additional musicians joined the string quartet for this performance, violist Jim Een and Mr. Bonnell.

The "Jewels of Ukraine" concert was suggested by Mr. Hrynkiw, an award-winning concert pianist of Ukrainian descent, who has been a longtime accompanist of violinist William Barbini, music director of the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento.

The concert became a part of a series of concerts featuring the music of different countries. Through the input of violist Igor Veligan, a recent arrival from Ukraine, who is now a member of the Chamber Society's String Quartet and a Sacramento-based composer, and Mr. Oliynyk, faculty member at American River College, the concert program was finalized. The concert turned out to be one of the highlights of the season.

In retrospect, one wishes that performances of this caliber that include American audiences and musicians would occur more often in California and elsewhere in the United States. Ukrainian music and the Ukrainian concert bandura would undoubtedly capture wider audiences and contribute greatly to the popularization of Ukrainian culture.

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