31.08.2022 | Artist
Kim Kashkashian, widely regarded as one of the greatest violists in the world, celebrates her birthday today. The San Francisco Chronicle has hailed her as “an artist who combines a probing, restless musical intellect with enormous beauty of tone”, a judgment borne out by each of her ECM recordings.
A committed proponent of contemporary music, Kashkashian has enjoyed creative relationships with György Kurtág, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Giya Kancheli, and Arvo Pärt, and commissioned works from Peter Eötvös, Ken Ueno, Thomas Larcher, Lera Auerbach, and Tigran Mansurian among others. Her long relationship with ECM New Series has produced an extensive discography – more than 30 albums across a wide range of music – and numerous awards, including a Grammy for her recording of Music for Viola by Kurtág and Ligeti. Kashkashian’s account of the Brahms sonatas received the Edison Prize, and her album of music by Bartók, Eötvös, and Kurtág received the Cannes Classical Award. Other critically acclaimed recordings include the complete Hindemith sonatas, Voci with Music of Luciano Berio, Hayren (music of Tigran Mansurian and Komitas), the Bach Sonatas for viola da gamba (with Keith Jarrett), Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel, Giya Kancheli’s Vom winde beweint and Abii ne viderem, as well as music of Eleni Karaindrou for the films of Theo Angelopoulos.
On her most recent release, Kim Kashkashian joined the Boston-based Parker Quartet, for whom she has been a mentor, to play music of Antonín Dvořák.
Many happy returns!
