Roman Rudnytsky

Concert pianist Roman Rudnytsky brought his extraordinary keyboard prowess to Kendal at Granville last evening to gift us with a memorable concert. The program consisted of eight works, from a variety of periods, each of which Mr. Rudnytsky introduced with a few words designed to set historical contexts. The result was that we were at once educated and delighted. At the end of the evening a packed Amelia Room showed its appreciation with a standing ovation. 

To point up the differences between the Classic era and the Romantic era, Mr. Rudnytsky opened the recital by offering Brahms's lovely nineteenth-century "Intermezzo in A" before Haydn's fiery eighteenth-century "Sonata in D." Programs ordinarily present works from these two eras in chronological order, allowing the listener's mind to move from the orderliness of the Viennese music to the shifting shapes of the Romantic era. By turning this convention on its head, Mr. Rudnytsky succeeded in foregrounding both the lyricism of music from the later period and the clarity of music from the earlier period. 

Debussy's beautiful "Clair de Lune" was Mr. Rudnytsky's example of the Romantic era's shift into one of its offshoots, Impressionism. This famous piece stood out from among all the others on the evening's program because its effect rested solely on its wispy and poignant simplicity.

Three examples of nationalism in music followed. The first was a composition that was unfamiliar to me, "Hutzul Dance," by Antin Rudnytsky, the performer's father. It was a delight, built upon folk tunes and rhythms from the composer's Ukrainian homeland. Percy Grainger's "Molly on the Shore" drew on an Irish folk tune, and Fryderyk Chopin's "Ballade No. 3 in A Flat" showcased the great composer's musical vision in his younger days, when his Polish homeland bore most heavily upon his musical imagination.

The final two pieces were virtuoso compositions by Franz Liszt – the "Grand Galop Chromatique" and the "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2," the latter being familiar to the many Kendal listeners who recall television ads from the 1950s. Only pianists with a full command of keyboard technique and the confidence to go public with it offer these challenging works. Mr. Rudnytsky's performances were dazzling. This is called closing a concert with a bang.

Our printed program informed us that Mr. Rudnytsky, a Juilliard graduate, had recently retired after a long career as piano instructor at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University. It added that he has traveled the globe to present concerts and recitals. Reflecting on these biographical points, we at Kendal can only surmise that over that career Mr. Rudnytsky has brought great happiness to a great many people. For that's sure what he did for us.