GRAMMY-nominated mandolinist Avi Avital will make his SPAC debut with star accordionist Hanzhi Wang, in an unusual program that will showcase each artist’s incredible virtuosity.

Hanzhi Wang

Israel connections

Born in Be’er Sheva in southern Israel, Avital began learning the mandolin at the age of eight and soon joined the flourishing mandolin youth orchestra founded and directed by his charismatic teacher, Russian-born violinist Simcha Nathanson. He studied at the Jerusalem Music Academy and the Conservatorio Cesare Pollini in Padua with Ugo Orlandi. Winner of Israel’s prestigious Aviv Competitions in 2007, Avital is the first mandolinist in the history of the competition to be so honoured.

He plays on a mandolin made by Israeli luthier Arik Kerman.

Avital is the first mandolin soloist ever nominated for a GRAMMY and has been heralded by The New York Times for his electrifying performances. Wang is a rising talent in the classical world, recently winning a roster spot with Young Concert Artists (YCA), the first accordionist ever to do so. Their program will be a mix of repertoire from around the world, showcasing two unique instruments by two of the best artists to play them. 

Their SPAC program will feature:

Praeludium and Allegro “in the Style of Pugnani” Fritz Kreisler
Suite Italienne from Pulcinella (excerpts)

 

 Igor Stravinsky
Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004

 

 J. S. Bach

 

 
 
Selections from Goldberg Variations J. S. Bach

 

 
Romanian Folk Dances Béla Bartók
“Romanza Andaluza” from Spanish Dances, Op.22, No.1

 

 Pablo de Sarasate
Danse Espagnole No. 1 from “La Vida Breve”   Manuel de Falla
   
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso

 

 Camille Saint-Saëns

AvitalThe first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Avi Avital has been compared to Andres Segovia for his championship of his instrument and to Jascha Heifitz for his incredible virtuosity. Passionate and “explosively charismatic” (New York Times) in live performance, he is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin repertory. 

Special commissions

He has commissioned over 100 works for the mandolin including concertos for mandolin and orchestra by Anna Clyne, Jennifer Higdon, Avner Dorman, David Bruce and Giovanni Sollima which he has performed with orchestras and conductors such as the Munich Philharmonic with Krzysztof Urbański, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Robert Spano, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and Ryan Bancroft and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Daniele Rustioni. 

Highlights of the 2022/23 season see performances of the Mandolin Concertos by Jennifer Higdon, Anna Clyne and Giovanni Sollima commissioned for Avital, alongside tours with the Academy of Sat Martin in the Fields, Il Giardino Armonico with Giovanni Antonini, B’Rock and Arcangelo, duo recitals with Ksenija Sidorova (accordion), Olga Pashchenko (harpsichord/fortepiano) and Omer Klein (piano), and a tour of Australia with cellist Giovanni Sollima. Avital launches his new venture, the “Between Worlds Ensemble” with a three-part residency at the Boulez Saal in Berlin. The ensemble was formed to explore different genres, cultures and musical worlds focusing on different geographical regions and in its first year will feature traditional, classical and folk music from the Iberian Peninsula, Black Sea and Italy. 

Avi Avital collaborates with musicians across many genres including Mahan Esfahani, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Alice Sara Ott, Andreas Scholl, the Dover Quartet, the Danish String Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Omer Klein, Omer Avital, actress Martina Gedeck and Georgian puppet theatre Budrugana Gagra. His versatility has led to features as “Portrait Artist” at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, BOZAR in Brussels and the Dortmund Konzerthaus (Zeitinsel). He is a regular presence at major festivals such as Aspen, Salzburg, Tanglewood, Spoleto, Ravenna, MISA Shanghai, Cheltenham, Verbier and Tsinandali. 

An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, his sixth album for the label “The Art of the Mandolin” has been received with high praise and top reviews in The Times, Independent, Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine as well as the international press. Previous recordings “Bach” (2019), “Avital meets Avital” (2017), “Vivaldi” (2015), an album of Avital’s own transcriptions of Bach concertos (2012) and “Between Worlds” (2014) also received numerous awards.

Avi Avital & Hanzhi Wang | Thursday, October 19, 2023 | 7 PM Tickets cost $30-$55.

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Also this Fall at SPAC

*Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center | American Panorama | Saturday, October 28 | 7 PM