In Upbeat to 2016-17, Mandolin Virtuoso Avi Avital Debuts at Hollywood Bowl with LA Philharmonic; New Season Includes New DG Recording, West Coast Tour with Dover Quartet

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In Upbeat to 2016-17, Mandolin Virtuoso Avi Avital Debuts at Hollywood Bowl with LA Philharmonic; New Season Includes New DG Recording, West Coast Tour with Dover Quartet


Avi Avital, the “explosively charismatic” (New York Times) mandolinist who is enthusiastically recharting the territory of his instrument, makes his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut at the Hollywood Bowl on September 15 in the closing weeks of the famed venue’s summer music series, performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons under the baton of André de Ridder. The concert serves as an upbeat to a stellar season that also features a West Coast tour with the Dover Quartet; a debut with the Atlanta Symphony; a host of other Vivaldi concerto performances coupled with Avner Dorman’s Mandolin Concerto; and a new Deutsche Grammophon release in the spring, the fruit of the mandolinist’s latest cross-genre collaborative project “Avital meets Avital” with celebrated Israeli jazz bassist Omer Avital (no relation). In support of the album, recorded this August in Berlin and to be released in early March 2017, the pair will tour North and South America (cities and venues to be announced), before continuing with dates in Switzerland and Germany. Of his 2016-17 season, Avital says, “This upcoming season again contains milestones for myself as a musician and for my instrument. I am continuing to cross items off my dream list, and a major aspiration on that list is playing with the LA Philharmonic. I’m eager to get to the Hollywood Bowl and present my mandolin to the audience there.”

Avital’s debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl with Vivaldi’s complete Four Seasons follows his last DG recording, the ECHO Klassik Award-winning Vivaldi, recorded with the Venice Baroque Orchestra and including the second concerto in the set, “Summer.” Avital and the Venetian orchestra embarked on a South American tour of material from that album this past spring, and he reunites with the group in the upcoming season for a December concert in Milan. When Vivaldi was released, the Boston Globe raved: Avital and the Venice Baroque Orchestra put the music back into ‘early music,’and a performance of material from the disc at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall impressed the New York Times as “nothing short of electric.” Click here for a video of Avital playing Vivaldi’s Concerto in A minor at WQXR’s Greene Space.

Avner Dorman’s Mandolin Concerto also plays a starring role in Avital’s lineup this season, most prominently as the vehicle for his debut with the Atlanta Symphony, and his many other performances of the Baroque-influenced concerto pair it with concertos by Baroque masters Vivaldi and J.S. Bach. He plays it this season with Kremerata Baltica, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and in five performances with the Israel Philharmonic led by Osmo Vänskä, as well as at the Nomus Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia. Avital commissioned the Dorman concerto in 2006, and it has since become the most frequently performed of the more than 90 works, including 15 full-length concertos, which have been written specifically for or commissioned by him. His recording of the piece with New York’s Metropolis Ensemble and conductor Andrew Cyr was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2010, making Avital the first mandolin soloist in Grammy history to be nominated in a classical category.

Avital’s West Coast tour with the Dover Quartet in February also showcases his passionate commitment to revitalizing the legacy of his instrument by commissioning new music. The program, which also includes music by Bach and twentieth-century Georgian composer Sulkhan Tsintsadze, features another piece written especially for the mandolinist, David Bruce’s Cymbeline for mandolin and string quartet. The piece was co-commissioned by the San Diego Symphony and the Metropolis Ensemble, and, since giving its 2013 premiere in San Diego, Avital has played it around the world, including at his 2014 Carnegie Hall debut.

The Boston Globe noted after a performance in Cambridge last year that Avital and his collaborators “play with the freedom of rock or jazz musicians.” That comment proves prescient this season, when the mandolinist joins virtuoso bassist and oud player Omer Avital in a world of original music that spans generations and nations. The two Avitals share much more than a surname: they attended the same conservatory in Jerusalem, with Omer studying jazz and Avi focusing on the classical tradition, and both were born and raised in Israel by Moroccan parents. A stellar quartet, which they co-lead, merges these influences into an electrifying Middle Eastern jazz hybrid, with new music and arrangements by both of them. Click here to see a preview for “Avital meets Avital.”

With his passion for pushing the boundaries of classical music and reaching the widest possible audience, Avital is no stranger to unusual and boundary-defying ventures. That quality was evident in July, when he launched a new experimental project on Instagram called InstaConcerto. Commissioned by him, and composed for mandolin and strings by his longtime collaborator, Slovak-Canadian pianist, conductor and composer Peter Breiner, the five movements of the concerto are each just 15 seconds long, adapted to the (then) constraints of the social media platform. Avital is joined on the project by the Kremerata Baltica orchestra. His Instagram handle is @aviavital, and the first movement of the concerto can be seen here. A single video featuring the full concerto is available now on Avital’s FaceBook and YouTube pages (https://www.facebook.com/aviavital/videos/1228775670519286/ ). As Smithsonian magazine observed, “Perhaps the new format will spur an entire classical music genre. At the very least, it’s a reminder that Instagram can be a platform for more than just a filtered selfie.”

Rounding out the high-energy mandolinist’s 2016-17 season are Baroque concerts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, as well as a four-stop tour of Japan playing Vivaldi and Paisiello concertos, and a nine-concert series in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra conducted by Paul Dyer. Avital debuted with the ABO in 2014, and returns, as Dyer says, “by overwhelmingly popular demand.” His chamber and recital performances for this season include two recitals with Iranian harpsichord virtuoso Mahan Esfahani in London and Vienna; two duo concerts with guitarist Giampaolo Bandini in Germany and Italy; two recitals with harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss, including one as part of Fort Worth’s Cliburn Concert Series; three concerts in Germany with his “Between Worlds” trio focusing on music from his 2014 DG release of the same name; a performance with the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra at the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi, Russia; a Wigmore Hall recital in June; performances at the Rheingau and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festivals; and much more.

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Avi Avital: Upcoming performances

 

Sep 1

Sion, Switzerland

Kremerata Baltica

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Bloch: “Nigun” from Baal Shem

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

Sep 2

Potsdam, Germany

Kammerakademie Potsdam / Antonella Manacorda

Bach: Mandolin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041

Sep 3

Luckau, Germany

Kammerakademie Potsdam / Antonella Manacorda

Bach: Mandolin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

Sep 15

Los Angeles, CA

Hollywood Bowl

Los Angeles Philharmonic / André de Ridder

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Sep 19

Piacenza, Italy

Il Demetrio Ensemble

Sep 25

Berlin, Germany

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Ton Koopman

Hummel: Concerto for Mandolin in G, S28

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Sep 27

Toulouse, France

Toulouse Mandolin Orchestra

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Oct 14

Stuttgart, Germany

Stuttgarter Philharmoniker / Jan Willem de Vriend

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93

Hummel: Concerto for Mandolin in G, S28

Oct 26-Nov 8

Tour with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra / Paul Dyer

Oct 26, 28, 29; Nov 2, 4: Sydney

Nov 5, 6: Melbourne

Nov 8: Brisbane

Vivaldi: Concerto in A minor, RV 356

Paisiello: Mandolin Concerto in E-Flat

Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerto in C, RV 425

Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, RV 315, “Summer”

Nov 18

Bad Aibling, Germany

Concert with Giampaolo Bandini, guitar

Nov 22

Burghausen, Germany

Kuss Quartet

Dec 1, 3

Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Symphony / Laura Jackson

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

Vivaldi: Concerto in C Major

Dec 4

Athens, GA

University of Georgia

Recital with Kenneth Weiss

Dec 6

Fayetteville, AR

Walton Arts Center

Dec 11, 13

New York, NY

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin, Two Violins, and Continuo, RV 93

Vivaldi: Sonata in G minor for Mandolin and Continuo, RV 85

Dec 15

London, UK

Performance with Mahan Esfahani

Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor for Mandolin, K 90

Vivaldi: Sonata in G minor for Mandolin, RV 85

Beethoven: Andante Con Variazioni in D for Mandolin and Harpsichord, WoO 44/2

Avital: Kedma for Retuned Mandolin

Avital/Esfahani: Exchange for Gifts

Bach: Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in G, BWV 1019

Dec 21

Milan, Italy

Venice Baroque Orchestra

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G, RV 310 (arr. mandolin)

Bach: Violin Concerto in G minor, BWV 1056 (arr. mandolin)

Barbella: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings in D

Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 (arr. mandolin)

Jan 1

Cologne, Germany

Kölner Philharmonie

Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 (arr. mandolin)

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052 (arr. mandolin)

Jan 18-20

German “Between Worlds” Tour with Ksenija Sidorova and Itamar Doari

Jan 18: Berlin (Konzerthaus)

Jan 19: Neuss (Zeughaus)

Jan 20: Aalen (Konzertring)

Jan 24, 25, 26, 27 & 29

Tel Aviv, Haifa & Jerusalem, Israel

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052 (arr. mandolin)

Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 (arr. mandolin)

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

Jan 28

Tel Aviv, Israel

Chamber music program with members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

Feb 2, 3, 4

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich Chamber Orchestra / Mayumi Hirasaki

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins in D minor, RV 63 “La Follia” (arr. Mandolin and Violin by A. Avital)

Vivaldi: Concerto in D for Mandolin (Lute), Two Violins and Continuo, RV 93

Feb 7

Chattanooga, TN

String Theory at the Hunter

With Dover Quartet

Feb 9

Fort Worth, TX

Cliburn Concert Series

Recital with Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord

Feb 11

Toronto, ON, Canada

The Royal Conservatory of Music

With Dover Quartet

Feb 15

Portland, OR

Chamber Music Northwest

Performance with Dover Quartet

Feb 17

San Diego, CA

ArtPower at UCSD

Performance with Dover Quartet

J.S. Bach: Chaconne in D Minor, for solo mandolin

David Bruce: Cymbeline for string quartet and mandolin

Sulkhan Tsintsadze: Six Miniatures for string quartet and mandolin

Feb 18

Eugene, OR

Oregon Bach Festival

Performance with Dover Quartet

Feb 19

Vancouver, BC, Canada

With Dover String Quartet

David Bruce: Cymbeline for string quartet and mandolin

Sulkhan Tsintsadze: Six Miniatures for string quartet and mandolin

Feb 26

Sochi, Russia

Winter International Arts Festival

Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra

TOUR: Avital Meets Avital (March 15-25)

March 15

Calgary, AB, Canada

Mount Royal University

March 25

Washington, DC

Washington Performing Arts

April 21

Nishinomiya, Japan

Hyogo Prefecture Cultural Centre

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93 

Vivaldi: Double Concerto for Mandolin and Recorder in G, RV 532 

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Paisiello: Concerto for Mandolin in E-flat

Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, RV 315, “Summer”

April 22

Toyota City, Japan

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93 

Vivaldi: Double Concerto for Mandolin and Recorder in G, RV 532 

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Paisiello: Concerto for Mandolin in E-flat

Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, RV 315, “Summer”

April 23

Mitaka, Japan

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93 

Vivaldi: Double Concerto for Mandolin and Recorder in G, RV 532 

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Paisiello: Concerto for Mandolin in E-flat

Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, RV 315, “Summer”

April 25

Tokyo, Japan

Hamarikyu Asahi Hall

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93 

Vivaldi: Double Concerto for Mandolin and Recorder in G, RV 532 

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin in C, RV 425

Paisiello: Concerto for Mandolin in E-flat

Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, RV 315, “Summer”

April 28

Novi Sad, Serbia

Nomus Festival

Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 (arr. mandolin)

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

Tsintsadze: Miniatures

May 13

Florence, Italy

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin (Lute) in D, RV 93

Dorman: Concerto for Mandolin and Strings

May 18

Gottingen, Germany

Händel-Festspiele Göttingen

May 19

Pordenone, Italy

Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi

With Giampaolo Bandini, guitar

June 7

Zurich, Switzerland

Avital Meets Avital”

June 10

Dresden, Germany

Dresdner Philharmonie

Avital Meets Avital” with orchestra

June 14

Vienna, Austria

Concert with Mahan Esfahani

June 21

Koln, Germany

Kölner Philharmonie

Avital Meets Avital”

June 22

Dortmund, Germany

Dortmund Konzerthaus

Avital Meets Avital”

June 23

London, UK

Wigmore Hall

June 29

Rheingau, Germany

Rheingau Musik Festival

July 4, 5

Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival

# # #

© 21C Media Group, August 2016

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