At 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC), violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will perform a recital including works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Ukrainian composers Silvestrov and Skoryk. This will be part of the HPAC’s Sunday Music Series performances.
Carla Trynchuk, professor of violin at Andrews University, and Elena Braslavsky, faculty at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, first met as students at The Juilliard School in New York City. Braslavsky first approached Trynchuk in the hall while Trynchuk was waiting for her violin lesson. Since then, they have been reunited various times to perform together. “It’s been fun to keep up that friendship and collaboration over the years,” expressed Trynchuk.
This is not their first time performing together at the HPAC. In recent years, it has become an annual tradition for the duo to perform together. Two years ago, in 2024, Trynchuk and Braslavsky were involved in a car crash the day before their recital at the HPAC. Both sustained injuries but chose to go on with the recital. They are determined not to let anything get in the way of their performances.
The first piece on the program is a work by J.S. Bach, his Sonata No. 4 in C Minor, BWV 1017. Trynchuk reflected, “We keep coming back to Bach because it’s always great music. It’s always satisfying to play.” Braslavsky has extensive experience with baroque music, so this piece seemed fitting for the program.
Next on the program is Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96 by Beethoven. Though Trynchuk has played all of the Beethoven Violin Sonatas, this will be her first time performing it with Braslavsky. This Sonata is very introspective, especially in the last movement, contrasting with the typical fast and loud finales that are often heard in music of this era.
Trynchuk and Braslavsky will then play Debussy’s Sonata in G Minor before concluding the recital with three pieces by Ukrainian composers. Trynchuk comes from Ukrainian heritage, and ever since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, she has made an effort to add at least one piece by a Ukrainian composer to her programs to bring awareness to the situation.
Two of those pieces, “Melodies of the Moments, Cycle III” and “In Memoriam P.I.Tsch., Cycle VI,” were written by the same composer, Valentin Silvestrov. Silvestrov is Ukraine’s most famous living composer. Trynchuk said that out of all the pieces on the program, she is most looking forward to these two. “[Silvestrov’s works] are so beautiful in their simplicity… they feed my soul.”
The final piece of the evening, “Carpathian Rhapsody,” was also composed by a Ukrainian composer, Myroslav Skoryk. Trynchuk expressed that this piece “is very virtuosic, and passionate, and very folksy. So I’m quite sure people will love it.”
Trynchuk is looking forward to performing this recital as she enjoys working with Braslavsky. “She’s really easy to work with, and she’s such a good musician. She’s so solid. So it’s just really fun to collaborate.” Watching their friendship and dynamic collaboration will make Feb. 22 an exciting evening.
The concert is free admission and tickets are not required. More information can be found on the Howard Performing Arts Center’s website.
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