Kim Kashkashian Essentials

Parsing out her immense talents across dozens of albums, one could say that Armenian-American violist Kim Kashkashian has found her greatest expression in Baroque, Romantic, and world music alike. The Michigan native has been working for decades to offer up authentic, refined readings of works by Bach (Sonata for Viola da gamba and Harpsichord No. 3 in G Minor) and Brahms (Sonata for Viola and Piano No. 1 in F Minor). Kashkashian has particular flair for new music from farther afield, as heard in her dreamy performance of Montsalvatge's Canciones negras; her meditative reading of Karaindrou's Ulysses' Gaze is focused and full of life.