Rating: 5/5
Review:
A Joy
This is a joy of a disc. I tried it on the strength of Avi Avital's Bach disc which I enjoyed and showed him to be a fantastically talented mandolin player. I think this is even better – the varied and extremely interesting programme makes it a fascinating as well as a very enjoyable listen.
Avital himself is superb. He is a genuine virtuoso with a real feel for what he's playing, so as well as some high-speed fireworks (which aren't overdone) we get a lot of genuine artistic interpretation. The works are always interesting and very varied from slightly louche, slinky dancing in the Piazzola to atmospheric spirituality in the Bloch, for example – and thoroughly enjoyable thoughout. I wasn't at all sure about the idea of Dvorak's American String Quartet arranged for mandolin, violin, viola, cello, double bass and accordion (!) but it's a delight, and the closing duet with the great harpist Catrin Finch is simply fabulous.
I'd suggest listening to a few samples and then snapping this up. It's is a group of fantastic musicians playing great music in an original and hugely enjoyable programme. Very warmly recommended.
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