Arcanum

Arcanum

• Grammy -winning violist Kim Kashkashian collaborates here with Russian-American composer and concert pianist Lera Auerbach, one of today's most sought after and exciting creative voices

Armenian-American violist Kim Kashkashian, one of the major musical voices of ECM New Series, introduces a new duo with Russian composer-pianist Lera Auerbach. <br><br>Their first recording together features Auerbachs viola and piano version of Dmitri Shostakovichs often playful 24 Preludes op. 34, and Auerbachs own, darker, sonata for viola and piano, Arcanum. <br><br>Lena Auerbach says, Arcanum means mysterious knowledge, and I was fascinated by the inner voice within each of us, some may call it perhaps intuition, some may call it may be guided meditation, but there is some knowledge that we have, which we may not necessarily verbalize or rationalize, but that allows us to see the truth, to be guided, to seek answers. <br><br>Auerbach wrote her sonata for Kashkashian: There is a quality of life-or-death-intensity to her performing, which is rare and wonderful.