Kim Kashkashian

[koko]

In German: www.members.eunet.at/eisenberger/curriculum/kashkashian.html

 

In English; Discography and Biography: www.ecmrecords.com/ecm-cgi-bin/bio?108

 

Violist Kim Kashkashian has established herself as one of the most accomplished artists of her generation. Inspiring world-wide critical acclaim, she has been hailed as "a musician of formidable talent." The New York Times has joined in these accolades, praising her "rich, mellow timbre and impressive artistry."

 

In recent seasons, Kim Kashkashian has appeared as soloist with the major orchestras in New York, Berlin, Vienna, London, Milan, Munich and Tokyo including performances with Ricardo Chailly, Christoph Eschenbach and Ricardo Muti. She has performed recitals at the Metropolitan Museum and the 92nd Street "Y" in New York City, in Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

 

Kim Kashkashian's quest for new directions and forms which she obtains through intense and continuous work with composers is an active part of her musical life. As a result of these relationships with such composers as Gubaidulina, Penderecki, Kancheli, Kurtág, Mansurjan, Pärt and Eötvös, she has extensively enlarged the repertoire for the viola. Her commitment to chamber music, which began during years of participation at the Marlboro Music Festival where she was strongly influenced by her work with Felix Galimir, continues through appearances at the Salzburg Marlboro, Lockenhaus and Stavanger Festivals. Current ongoing partnerships include duos with pianist Robert Levin, percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky, and harpsichordist Robert Hill.

 

A frequent Guest Artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Chamber Music at the "Y" series and Music from Marlboro, Ms. Kashkashian has performed with the Tokyo, Guarneri, and Galimir Quartets and toured with a unique quartet which included violinists Gidon Kremer and Daniel Phillips and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

 

Recordings by Kim Kashkashian give an index of the range of her activities. After earlier recordings of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and Divertimento KV 563 with DGG and Sony, her extensive discography with ECM comprises many works including the complete Sonatas from Hindemith, the Shostakovich Sonata op. 147 (Robert Levin, piano), the solo concerti from Britten, Penderecki, Kancheli and Schnittke as well as works by Linda Bouchard and Paul Chihara for viola and percussion (Robyn Schulkowsky), the Bach Sonatas for viola da gamba and cembalo (Keith Jarrett), music from Eleni Karaindrou for Theo Angelopoulos' film Ulysses' Gaze and a chamber music CD with works of Kurtág and Schumann together with Eduard Brunner, clarinet and Robert Levin, piano. Ms. Kashkashian's recording, with Robert Levin, of the Brahms Sonatas won the Edison Prize in 1999. Her most recent recording of concertos by Bartók, Eötvös and Kurtág was released in June 2000, and won the 2001 Cannes Classical Award for a premiere recording by Soloist with Orchestra.

 

Ms. Kashkashian's extensive teaching activities have included professorships at the University of Indiana in Bloomington and at Conservatories in Freiburg and Berlin, Germany. In September 2000, she began teaching viola and chamber music at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

 

Born in Detroit, Michigan, of Armenian descent, Kashkashian graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where she studied with Walter Trampler and Karen Tuttle.

 

Highlights of the 2001-2002 season include concert and recital appearances in Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Rome and Milan as well as the release of a new recording of works by Luciano Berio

 

On Kashkashian:

 

"... the best violist in the world." New York Daily News

 

"Her playing is notable for its songfulness, a weightless soaring that conveys a wealth of emotion." Philadelphia Inquirer

[Azat]

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