Avi Avital: Bach
Some weeks ago, I posted a recording by Miloš and his guitar music. And now, this recording presents the charismatic young Israeli musician Avi Avital, champion of yet another old, beautiful, and underestimated stringed instrument – the mandolin.
The sound of the mandolin always reminds me of the wonderful Aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, where the Don serenades one of his ladies under her balcony, and he (more correctly an orchestra member) accompanies the Don’s voice on the mandolin.
In 2010, Avi Avital was the first mandolin player to ever receive a Grammy nomination for “Best Instrumental Soloist”. His debut album is devoted to one of his great passions: the music of J.S. Bach.
The program includes Mr. Avital’s own mandolin transcriptions of three concertos and a trio sonata by the great Johann Sebastian Bach.
The works performed on this recording are:
Bach, J S:
- Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV1052
Adapted for Mandolin and Orchestra by Avi Avital
Kammerakademie Potsdam, Shalev Ad-El
- Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV1056
Adapted for Mandolin and Orchestra by Avi Avital
Kammerakademie Potsdam, Shalev Ad-El
- Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV1041
Adapted for Mandolin and Orchestra by Avi Avital
Kammerakademie Potsdam, Shalev Ad-El
- Flute Sonata No. 5 in E minor, BWV1034
Adapted for Mandolin and Orchestra by Avi Avital
with Ophira Zakai, Ira Givol, Shalev Ad-El
Performed by Avi Avital (mandolin)
And the individual movements are as follows:
Bach, J S: Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052R
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
Bach, J S: Concerto in G minor, BWV 1056R
I. (Allegro)
II. Largo
III. Presto
Bach, J S: Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041
I. (Allegro moderato)
II. Andante
III. Allegro
Bach, J S: Sonata in E minor, BWV 1034
I. Adagio ma non troppo
II. Allegro
III. Andante
IV. Allegro
Here is Avi Avital in a selection by Bach:
Watch the trailer of Avi Avital’s debut album on Deutsche Grammophon including transcriptions of Bach’s Violin Concerto BWV 1041, the Keyboard Concertos BWV 1052 and 1056, and a Flute Sonata in an arrangement for mandolin, lute, and cello.
And next we move a few hundred years forward with the music of Béla Bartók: Rumanian folk dances:
Tags: Avi Avital, Mandolin, J S Bach