When Marilyn Garst invited violinist Brandon Christensen to be part of the 2025 Unitarian Chamber Music Series, lightning struck.
“I knew immediately I wanted to play Prokofiev and Sarasate,” Christensen said. Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins and Sarasate’s “Navarra” were “pieces I had performed in a recital very early in my training. I wanted to play them one more time.”
Christensen’s mental starburst set in motion a recital with unusual instrumentation – two violins and piano.
“Who would I love to perform with?” he asked himself. “The choices were immediately obvious to me: Richard Silvers and Mika Inouye.”
The trio will perform at 7 p.m. Friday in the Unitarian sanctuary.
If you go
WHAT: UUFD Recital Series: violinists Richard Silvers and Brandon Christensen and pianist Mika Inouye.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive.
ADMISSION: $20 adults, $8 students and children. Cash or checks.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit https://tinyurl.com/yect5my5 or contact Marilyn Garst: 385-8668; mmgarst1940@gmail.com.
In addition to the Prokofiev sonata and Sarasate’s joyous, dancelike “Navarra,” the program will feature something totally unexpected by Shostakovich and a work probably not heard here before: Christian Sinding’s Serenade No. 1.
“Richard found this totally amazing work, which we all think is probably the best Romantic-era piece for this instrumentation that have ever heard,” Christensen said. “It’s a huge piece, monumental both in its scope and complex harmonic structure, but very accessible with truly ravishing melodies.”
Sinding who?
“Christian Sinding,” Christensen said. “Along with Edvard Grieg, Sinding was the standard-bearer of Romantic- era Norwegian music. He’s relatively unknown in the States despite being a masterful composer. His use of melody and heroically virtuosic piano writing can be compared to Brahms or Schumann.”
At nine minutes and counting, Sinding’s Serenade will be the major work on the program. So, Christensen said he knew they needed lighter music to round out the performance.
As unlikely as it sounds, why not a bit of Shostakovich?
“Mika brought arrangements from music Shostakovich had written for film and stage,” he said. “They are simple, tuneful, dancelike – and short – definitely not the Shostakovich you are used to.”
Ask any musician about building a dream recital and you’ll hear this formula: Choose beloved works, find challenging new music, balance dark and light, and perform with friends for an audience of chamber music lovers.
That’s the life.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
