Avi Avital: Mandolin as his mission | Portrait of the world-renowned Israeli mandolinist

Avi Avital is one of the world's most sought-after mandolin virtuoso; his repertoire ranges from works of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, through to genres such as folk music and jazz. Alongside that, Avital has gained acclaim for his reviving of forgotten mandolin pieces, and countless arrangements of other music for mandolin. He likes to view himself as an ambassador for the plucked string instrument, which traces its origins to Italy. Avi Avital was the first solo mandolinist to ever be nominated for a classical Grammy.

In this portrait, DW Classical Music meets the Israeli mandolinist in Berlin's Museum of Musical Instruments. In front of display cases brimming with fascinating stringed instruments, Avi Avital tells us how he came to the mandolin and what makes this compact, versatile instrument truly special. The virtuoso mandolinist also treats us to a few pieces from his wide-ranging repertoire, performed exclusively for this video. By the end we've arrived at not only a portrait of Avi Avital, but also of the mandolin itself.

Fun aside: Avi Avital – who typically performs his mandolin concerts in sold-out venues all over the world – can be seen in this video playing on a Berlin bridge. It's a spot where otherwise only street musicians are out playing; here he becomes a street musician himself, dutifully collecting a few coins for his playing.

At a glance:
(00:00) Omer Avital, Maroc (music excerpt)
(00:08) Welcome
(00:17) Stravinsky, Serenata from Suite italienne | Between Worlds Ensemble (music excerpt)
(00:42) Avi Avital on the significance of the mandolin
(01:02) Bach, Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (music excerpt)
(02:05) On different sizes and shapes of mandolins
(02:39) R.E.M., Losing My Religion (music excerpt)
(02:59) Avi as the cool student who played pop songs
(03:15) Vivaldi, Presto from Concerto in A minor, RV 356 | Venice Baroque Orchestra (music excerpt)
(03:29) How Avi came to play the mandolin as a child
(03:56) Vivaldi, Presto from Concerto in A minor, RV 356 | Venice Baroque Orchestra (music excerpt)
(04:33) There's always something new to discover on the mandolin
(04:59) Ernest Bloch, Nigun from Baal Shem (music excerpt)
(05:52) Avital on life as an artist in Italy and Berlin
(06:45) Avital explains playing G major and C major on the mandolin
(07:13) Bučimiš, Traditional Bulgarian dance (music excerpt)
(07:32) Avital on his mission to establish the mandolin as an instrument
(07:56) Torelli, Grave from Concerto grosso, Op. 8, No. 6 | Between Worlds Ensemble (music excerpt)

Report: Christian Weibezahn
Camera: Thomas Koppehele
Editing: Florian Scholz

© Deutsche Welle, 2023

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