Gifted bandurist performs at concert of New York ensemble (05/30/99)

Gifted bandurist performs at concert of New York ensemble

by Christyna Bodnar Sheldon

NEW YORK - Roman Hrynkiv was the surprise guest at the New York Bandura Ensemble's April 24 concert in New York City. When I decided to write about his remarkable performance, I had trouble finding the right words to express what I wanted to share about his bandura playing. Words such as "musical genius," "virtuoso player," "accomplished bandurist," and "great musician" all seemed inadequate because they conveyed only the literal truth about Mr. Hrynkiv's performance. They did not convey, however, the spirit and soul of his playing, that quality which unites the player, the music and the audience in a rare and precious bond.

Perhaps the best way to explain the effect his playing had on the audience is by recalling the moment when I first understood the meaning of the word "catharsis." It happened in the outdoor theater at Epidaurus, Greece, where I say a performance of Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" in ancient Greek. The powerful play drew sobs and tears from the audience, but nonetheless gave them a sense of inner peace. Mr. Hrynkiv's bandura playing produced such beautiful sounds that it led me to experience a similar feeling of catharsis. This young Ukrainian from Kyiv has received international acclaim for his outstanding bandura playing and for his excellent musicianship. Those who have heard his CD have been invigorated by the sounds of his compositions, interpretations of classical music and arrangements of Ukrainian folk music. But only by witnessing a live performance can an admirer of Mr. Hrynkiv's recorded sound become fully aware of his scope, his power, his genius.

He is able to make his bandura sound as though many instruments were being played simultaneously, as though more than two hands were playing the instrument. Without any dramatic gestures, Mr. Hrynkiv moves his fingers over the strings as though the bandura had no individual tones and could produce only patterns of tantalizing sounds. The music ripples, builds, echoes, repeats and flows through space with such mesmerizing power that all other realities fade.

Sometimes Mr. Hrynkiv brings his cheek close to the neck of the instrument, as though trying to get ever closer to his bandura and its sounds. Even though he is totally absorbed in his music and his playing, he seems to reach out for his listeners to bring them along on a wondrous musical enterprise that goes beyond the sensual, becoming ethereal and spiritual. When he finishes playing each piece, the bandurist greets the applause with a humble beatific smile that reveals how much the music has moved him.

Do not miss an opportunity to hear Mr. Hrynkiv play, no matter how far you have to travel or how many plans you have to change. You will come away feeling that he has played his music just for you; and you will be grateful that there is a young genius like Roman Hrynkiv to spread the fame of Ukraine's bandura.

Christyna B. Sheldon is an English teacher at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the staff at Yale University's Center for the Study of Learning and Attention. She has been a singer all her adult life, and three and a half years ago began to study bandura with Mychajlo Adrec. She now performs occasionally as a singer/bandurist for Ukrainian communities in New Haven and Hunter.

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