Mandolinist
Avi Avital
is something of a star of his instrument, recording prolifically for the
Deutsche Grammophon
label. He has certainly recorded concertos before, but this is his first release devoted exclusively to the genre. As such, it includes some works not in common circulation, in which
Avital
steps out from the Baroque realm. He does well in the
Mandolin Concerto in E flat major
of
Giovanni Paisiello
and the still rarer
Mandolin Concerto in D major
Emanuele Barbella
, another Neapolitan. Works of this period, such as the
Mandolin Concerto in G major
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
, can plod, but it turns out that what they need is a player of
's verve; he brings to life the virtuoso ethos of the day. The other notable thing here is the backing by the historical performance group
Il Giardino Armonico
and director
Giovanni Antonini
. Opinions differ about this group's splashy, rhythm-heavy approach, but there is no denying that it fits
's intense style to a T. Hear the opening
Concerto for four mandolins, strings, and continuo in B minor
, an adaptation of one of the concertos in
Vivaldi
's
Op. 3 L'estro armonico
collection.
plays all four mandolin parts, and there has probably never been a more percussive rendition of this piece.
, working in a pair of venues, backs
well with close-up, perhaps amplified mandolin recording that fits his high-voltage approach, although one of the venues seems distinctly more live than the other (it is not possible to tell what was recorded where, because no track information is given). The bottom line is that this album is likely to add to
's growing renown. It landed on classical best-seller lists during the holiday season of 2023. Look for an album of contemporary music from
one of these days. ~ James Manheim