New Recording Features Artistry of Kashkashian, Mansurian

By Ara Arakelian

BOSTON, Mass.—The creative German recording company ECM has issued a new album by violist Kim Kashkashian, featuring works by Tigran Mansurian and Isreaeli composers Betty Olivero and Eitan Steinberg. With the exception of a solo piano interlude (“Oror”) by Komitas, the disc’s offering is music entirely written for (or dedicated to) the illustrious violist who has contributed enormously to the expansion of the repertory of this often-neglected string instrument.

“In a certain way, the genesis of this record mirrors life,” says Kashkashian. “You can’t always make plans, you can’t foresee how things work together. Sometimes, important events just come to you, element by element, piece by piece.” The album, titled “Neharot,” which means river in Hebrew, reveals the multi-faceted connections between three contemporary composers from Israel and Armenia. Their four works are based on traditional laments of the Near East, Armenian chant, and Hasidic melody, and emphasize Kashkashian’s extraordinary vocal expressiveness and wonderful tone.

Olivero’s “Neharot, Neharot,” is a moving composition for the unusual ensemble of viola, accordion, percussion, two string ensembles, and pre-recorded voices. Written at the time of war and destruction—it was composed in 2006 during the Isreaeli-Hezbollah conflict—the work evokes emotions of grief and sorrow, all conveyed through the magical tonal abilities of Kashkashian, the two orchestras playing at times in harmonic dissonances, and with accompanied taped voices of women weeping and singing in mourning rituals. (The title of the work translates to “rivers, rivers,” a reference to the rivers of tears shed.)

“The challenge,” says Kashkashian, “is not to perform like a classical violist, but to try to match the singers in a vocal way rather than instrumental.” This is gripping music that portrays some darker aspects of the human condition, yet at the same time hints at prospects of hope and resolution (nehar also means ray of hope.) The Munich Chamber Orchestra brings equally committed participation to this performance under the leadership of Alexander Lieberich.

Tigran Mansurian’s newest work, titled “Three Arias (Sung out the window facing Mount Ararat)” is another major work featured in the album. Dedicated to Kashkashian, it was recorded last year during its premiere in Boston by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, with Gil Rose conducting and Kashkashian as the soloist. As the title implies, the work projects yearning and a sense of longing for a homeland lost: the holy Mount Ararat, the mountains of Sasun, and the ruins of the ancient Armenian capital Ani known for its ancient cathedrals—sites that are now over the border in Turkish territory.

Reflecting a musical language that’s deeply rooted in the Armenian song, Mansurian’s arias are instantly accessible. Kashkashian’s performance penetrates the soul; one immediately begins to identify with the articulated longing, whether or not you have seen the physical landscape. The third aria, with its echos of Komitas’ “Antouni,” is particularly memorable.

Mansurian, who was born in Beirut but moved to Armenia in the 1940’s, is widely considered as one of the most prominent living Armenian composers today. He enjoys a celebrity-like status in Armenia as well, where he saw several of his compositions performed in Yerevan in celebration of the 70th anniversary of his birth. The Detroit-born Kashkashian, who performed the “Three Arias” with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra last month, recalls the experience of walking on the streets of Yerevan with Mansurian: “People from all facts of life, even teenage girls, stopped him to say hello and exchanged a few words with him… This wonderful and humble man is treated like a pop star in Armenia!”

The disc also contains Mansurian’s “Tagh for the Funeral of the Lord” for viola and percussion, and a work by Eitan Steinberg for viola and string quartet. Released in time for the holiday shopping season, the CD—with its excellent liner notes by Paul Griffiths, and black and white photographs that is a hallmark of ECM—is available at most online music outlets.

Kashkashian to Perform Music by Mansurian in 3-City Concert Tour

Composer Tigran Mansurian and violist Kim Kashkashian continue the fruitful collaboration they started more than a decade ago. The duo, accompanied by percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky, will appear together in concerts next month, starting in Boston on Wed., Dec. 2 with a free recital at Jordan Hall of the New England Conservatory of Music, where Kashkashian is a faculty member.

The program will feature new music by Mansurian, written for Kashkashian, along with works by Komitas Vartabed. A common thread in presented works—hayrens and taghs transcribed for viola, piano and percussion—is the centuries-old Armenian folk song, the inspirational force that remains near and dear to these world-renown musicians.

The trio will repeat the program in Philadelphia on Sun., Dec. 6 at a 3 p.m. concert presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, before traveling to New York to perform at the eclectic setting of “Le Poisson Rouge” later in the evening.

For more information, see the Weekly’s Calendar section.