Hindemith: Sonatas for viola/piano & viola alone

Fantastic!!

This CD is A great recording of the Hindmith sonatas. The sound of Kim's Viola is breathtaking and so great. All Violists should own this CD. These pieces might take some time to warm up to if you're not used to modern music.But once you warm up to them each one is a gem. Its one of my favorite CDs at the moment. This CD will make you love the sound of the Viola or your money back garanteed. haha. August 14, 2006

Kashkashian amazing as usual...

Now I consider myself an amateur listener, but I can tell you that this recording of the Hindemith Sonatas is absolutely amazing. Kim Kashkashian's viola sound is breathtaking, and Robert Levin does a wonderful job as well.
Being a violist myself, I of course love to hear a well-done viola recording, and this recording is one of the best I own, if not the best. Kim Kashkashian's interpretation of these sonatas is wonderful, and I will cherish these two CDs for probably the rest of my life.
I definitely recommend this recording to any violist. February 18, 2006

Not quite complete

It would have been appropriate to include Hindemith's 1922 "Little Sonata for Viola d'amore and Piano", Op. 25, no. 2. This interesting 3 movement piece is only 12 minutes long and played on the viola d'amore, an instrument related to the viola, but more difficult to play. I think that this excellent recording would have been even better with this additional piece. I'm sure that Kashkashian knows how to play it and there was room for it.

To hear what you're missing, listen to "Hindemith: The Complete Sonatas, Vol. 2" by Ensemble Villa Musica.
October 20, 2004

Hindemith expresses himself through the viola

It's a shame that the viola is not showcased enough. Fortunately, composers such as Hindemith (as well as Bach and others) really took a liking to it (though it is said that Bach loved playing the viola to relieve his stress and was felt it was a valuable asset to music as a whole, he never wrote solo works for it) and expanded its repetoire. As a result, he had an easier time expressing his music via the viola, thus making this CD a great example of Hindemith as a whole. Although some people, who aren't fond of 20th-century music, may not appreciate the unaccompanied sonatas on Disc 1, it would be hard for any romantic NOT to immediately fall in love with the op. 11/4 Sonata with piano on Disc 2. As usual, Kashkashian and Levin do a great job--musically, technically, and as an ensemble. July 31, 2003

excellent sound and interpretations

The sound quality is good and the performances are excellent. I recently had the opportunity to compare Kashkashian's performance with Hindemith's own 1930s recording and while I naturally give props to Hindemith for recording his own work I like Kashkashian's performance of the Op. 24 viola sonata more-- not just for sound but for the speed and fire she puts into the wild fourth movement.

Hindemith's contribution to viola repertoire is probably the single most important one of the 20th century and this is probably the best available recording of his works. It includes all the solo and with-piano works on just two discs. It's also nice that Kashkashian and Levin recorded the viola works that were unpublished during Hindemith's lifetime, giving us a fuller insight into his work for the instrument than we might otherwise hear. June 12, 2003

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