I had never been much of a fan of the viola until I heard some of the varied recordings of Kim Kashkashian. Her viola played on the soundtrack of Ulysses Gaze the music of Eleni Kariandrou, on an album of Berio’s transcriptions of Sicilian folk songs, and on music of the Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian. In all her work with modern music she has shown a predilection for the song form.
This new release presents transcriptions for viola and piano of vocal songs coming from the folk milieu. She and her partner at the piano developed the transcriptions themselves, attempting to communicate a wide range of emotions in the pieces – flamboyant, sensual, violent, tender, passionate or reflective. The album title comes from the initial selection by Falla; four pieces by Granados follow, drawn from a collection of 12 Tonadillas written “in the ancient style.” The characters in the songs were inspired by Goya’s art. Montsalvatge is also represented by four songs. The major Falla suite is a transcription of his Seven Popular Spanish Songs, of which one is also again titled Asturiana.
One can easily listen without paying attention to the specific composers or songs. Just let them flow in a wonderfully atmospheric series of improvisations on the Spanish theme, full of color, dynamic contrasts and drama. Those of us who in general prefer the instrumental to the vocal can still partake of the expressiveness of the vocal line without having to hear lyrics. Everything about this collection puts it on a very high level and rates a top recommendation.
– John Sunier
