THE LYRICAL QUALITY OF VIOLIST KIM KASHKASHIAN
By Tom Manoff
NPR – National Public Radio
?storyId=17932346
Jan 8 2008
January 8, 2008 – Although Kim Kashkashian is a world-famous violist,
the first word that comes to my mind when I hear her name is not
"viola," but "lyricism" – that quality of music to be songlike,
and to flow easily with emotion. Kashkashian’s ability to make her
instrument sing is the wellspring of her new CD, Asturiana.
The word "lyricism" also shares some meaning with the word "lyric,"
which hints at how songs tell a story. The words are important to
Kashkashian, and you can hear how they underlie her interpretations by
following each lyric in the liner notes. The title track is a song from
the Spanish province of Asturia. The words, in part, read: "Seeking
consolation / I drew near a green pine tree / Seeing me weep, it wept."
More than most classical traditions, Spain’s is deeply connected to
its folk and popular music. Flamenco is one of these styles, and in
"Asturia" by Manual De Falla, the piano imitates a guitar, and the
viola a gypsy singer.
Kashkashian collaborator Robert Levin, a pianist, always has something
interesting to impart to familiar repertory. As famous as this music
may be, Levin emphasizes bits of melody, harmony and rhythm that
have been hiding inside the piano part, which adds another level
of interest to the performance. But it’s the melodies that matter
most. Striking in their beauty, and captivating in the emotions they
impart, they will leave you singing.