Avi Avital Concertos

• Performer(s): Avi Avital, mandolins; Il Giardino Armonico, dir. Giovanni Antonini
• Recording, editing & mastering Juan Moreno & Philip Krause
• Recorded: Toblach and Berlin; November 2022 and March 2023
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon

The mandolin specialist Avi Avital writes in the booklet notes that he was inspired as a nineteen year-old by Il Giardino Armonico and the sound of a period mandolin, not to mention the energy that IGA was known for in its groundbreaking recordings of Vivaldi. The album cover of his release seems to position Avital as a rock musician, strumming away in reckless abandon, maybe not entirely inappropriate given the collaboration here, knowing IGA’s reputation. Read more about this release from DG's website.

The opening work is an arrangement of Vivaldi’s concerto for four violins from L’estro armonico, which Bach arranged for four harpsichords, BWV 1065. The arrangement is realized here all by Avital. The result sounds good enough, but I am always at odds with these types of recordings that can’t be realized in person. I understand the concept of the album is to feature Avital and, not, a quartet of players, but it might also may have been interesting to combine mandolin with lute and maybe 2 violins? The method by which they made the recording aside, it’s musically satisfying. It also reveals the high level of transparency for this recording.

The second concerto is an arrangement of Bach’s C-minor concerto, BWV 1060, for mandolin and recorder, featuring Antonini with Avital. The plucked sound of the mandolin isn’t entirely foreign a sound with Bach, and the recorder shouldn’t be a foreign sound, but Antonini’s style betrays a Bachian sound. As is usual, his style is very extrovert and while tamed, a bit wild in the faster movements. Everything is more subdued and conservative in the middle movement, which has a huge, wide depth to the soundstage, continuo, mandolin and recorder each pay close attention to every detail. Technically it’s tight and emotionally I think they manage to not to go out of bands with sappiness. The recorder part does have to make jumps in a few spots to make the part work which sounds odd if you’re used to the version with oboe, but by itself, it’s still musically satisfying.

I’m fairly certain Antonini switches to a soprano instrument for the outer movements. The musical lines at the high pitch changes this concerto significantly for me. The result I think is profoundly satisfying. You’ll hear this work in new and interesting ways; the mandolin offers a very nice texture to the work.

The three mandolin concertos presented on the rest of the disc are those by Emanuele Barbella, Giovanni Paisiello (E-flat major), and Johann Hummel (G major). As the liner notes profess, the works help to demonstrate the changing role of the mandolin over time after Vivaldi. Avital plays the fragile instrument with a range of dynamics that I am certain would be hard to distinguish on a stage in a large hall, however these effects are captured well in the recording, with a nice balance with the orchestra. Both the soloist and orchestra are in good sync and again with a tight technique in the rollicking final Giga.

The Paisiello work is undeniably Italian sounding, but clearly using new musical language. The composer’s writing is very different from the earlier examples, in the way the mandolin is given opportunities to harmonize. The writing is just different. Despite this, I think Avital shows no weakness in showcasing the stylistic strengths in the composer’s style.

The work by Hummel is the most classical in style. The long opening in the first movement could be a concerto for any instrument, the mandolin isn’t exploited until a whole minute into the work. The result when it does appear is almost one of surprise. I simply haven’t heard this concerto or would have expected the delicate, plucked instrument as the soloist (maybe flute, or piano?). However I think Hummel’s writing for the mandolin is done in an idiomatic way for the instrument, or at least in the way it’s been characteristically used in Neapolitan music.

This collaboration and the resulting album are first rate. IGA has come into its own with classical repertoire with Antonini’s Haydn project and their playing with the Hummel concerto I think is ideal. Avital has already established himself as a master of the mandolin and his contributions here both as performer and arranger are first-rate. The journey in time we take with the music, I think, is refreshing. And the recorded sound for my ears is perfect. Which I can’t often say.

Strongly recommended. It’s obvious everyone in this production was hitting home runs.