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What's the difference between a violin and a viola?  You've probably heard that one. The viola has been the butt of jokes for years. Kim Kashkashian has probably heard them all. The funny thing is, she chose the viola after first having picked up the violin at age eight. Kashkashian says she's still a closet violinist. Her true passion however, is the viola. That exhilarating passion can be heard time and time again on her new release with pianist Robert Levin titled "Asturiana." 


"Asturiana" is a collection of traditional Spanish and Argentinean songs - without words. Many of these songs were intended to be sung, or performed by larger groups of musicians. On this recording, Kashkashian and Levin share their own unique arrangements of these songs.

 "Song with or without words," Kashkashian explains, "is the most potent of cures."  It allows the spirit to soar. Her fascination with song dates back to her childhood. She has vivid memories of her father singing Armenian folk songs with heartfelt abandon to whomever would listen. Kashkashian has been trying to mimic that same sense of melody and emotion with her viola ever since. On this new release, Kashkashian meets that challenge with her musical partner Robert Levin. 


 The composers on this recording understood the power not only of flamboyance, but also of understatement. These original transcriptions by Levin and Kashkashian over several years of performing and experimenting. The first thing I noticed is the expansion of the original vocal lines. This gives the viola plenty of opportunity to sing with sensual tenderness, joy or sadness. 


Levin and Kashkashian fell under the spell of Manuel de Falla's popular Spanish songs years ago. There are seven songs in the set. Each has its own unique character.  The title track, "Asturiana," is one of these Spanish songs. This piece is so spacious, so simple. What's in between the notes is just as significant as the notes themselves. Each pause is a breath in preparation of the next beautiful phrase. The piano and viola tell the story quietly, yet with full expression. The "Jota" follows with toe-tapping dance-like rhythms. The viola's melodic line draws the listener in to hear more of this musical tale. 


The repertoire of this duo expanded after Robert Levin heard songs by Guastavino and Montsalvatge performed at a chamber music seminar he teaches at Harvard. "Cancion de cuna para dormir a un negrito" by Montsalvatge is an African-American lullaby. Kim Kashkashian's artful phrasing and Levin's gentle touch lull the baby to sleep with tenderness.


There are plenty of high-energy pieces on this collection, including "Hand in Hand," by Argentinean composer Carlos Buchardo. To depict the two young lovers in this song, Kashkashian uses double-stops, which generates gorgeous close harmonies. 


The viola's dark sound has inspired many composers to write very somber, mournful music for it. Kim Kashkashian believes an instrument can become anything, depending on the hands and the imagination of the person who's using it. Through her incomparable tone and her artistic choices on this new collection of "Songs from Spain and Argentina," Kashkashian and pianist Robert Levin prove that a little imagination goes a long way.


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Julie Amacher

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Tenderness, joy, flamboyance, or sadness: all these have been evoked in song by composers of the Hispanic world. On a new disc, Kim Kashkashian expresses those moods -- on the viola.

New Classical Tracks: An instrument can become anything

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