Each note tied into emotion
J. norman | Austin, TX United States | 09/05/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ideally, music should affect the listener in a manner sympathetic to the composer's intent; if it's a sad song, maybe the listener gets a little sad. A happy song, you get a slight smile maybe.
This album, as a whole, is almost unreal in the visceral way that each note is sutured to the emotional intent of the composer. As a listener, I am grateful for the opportunity to be moved by this fantastic music. As a failed viola player, I am amazed by the skill presented. And as a human, I am moved by the messages contained within the notes, the lingering emotion that haunts the back of my ears for hours after the headphones are silent. In many ways, this album is a lush illuminated illustration of how fantastic well crafted music can be."
Another exceptional addition to her catalogue...
Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 09/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Violist Kim Kashkashian has shown, over the course of her recording career at ECM, that she seemingly has a magic touch when it comes to programming her recordings. Her choices come from the `expected' realms of classical music (her recording of Brahms' sonatas for viola and piano, with Robert Levin) to composers whose work, while exceptionally thoughtful and beautiful, has not enjoyed the exposure of more `known' composers, most likely due to its challenging nature and more obscure inspirational sources (her previous recordings of the work of Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian, as well as this current release, falling into this category). It's a shame - I know her work is highly regarded and much appreciated by both critics and listeners, but the wider listening audience is missing out on something very special indeed if they pass on her work simply because they don't recognize names.
For Neharót, she draws from the oeuvre of four composers - Betty Olivero (Israel), Tigran Mansurian (Armenia), Komitas (Armenia) and Eitan Steinberg (Israel). The works offered here draw from the classical tradition, but also from other, age-old sources such as Armenian chant, laments and Hasidic melodies. She takes these melodies to the deepest chambers of her heart and transforms them, using her instrument as few musicians can, giving voice to their soul - and when I use the word `voice', I do so very consciously, for there is a voice-like quality to her playing that brings depth of emotion and a living warmth to her music. Her tone, in her capable hands, can be pristinely intellectual or (as described by Paul Griffiths in his well-written notes to the disc) `earthy' as needs dictate. She truly sings these pieces through her viola - it's a marvel to experience.
Griffiths speaks of `memories we did not know', referring to the chords struck within the listener on hearing this music - and his description is a perfect one. One can debate the validity of so-called generational or inherited memories - but few people are without the experience of feeling a sense of familiarity with something they've never before heard, as if the remembrances are carried in the blood, or DNA. Cultural tendencies and customs are taught, but think about that feeling of an emotion or action simply being `right' touches our thoughts on a subconscious level, many times without being aware of it. These pieces - thanks to the skill of the composers and that of the performer - ring that memory-bell with a delicacy that belies the strength of deeply hidden layers of the past.
I've enjoyed Kim Kashkashian's work for years - with each new release, I look forward to hearing composers I've never heard before, music performed with warmth and sensitivity, delicacy and strength, always left with the feeling that her viola is `speaking' directly to me. This could well be my favorite recording of hers - but it's hard to say, with so many of them ranking so high in my esteem and so dear to my musical heart and soul."
