Mandolinist Avi Avital's mission is two-fold: to revitalize the mandolin in both solo and chamber repertoire and inspire the creation of new music for an instrument that has been, in his view, unjustly neglected by classical composers.
"The mandolin was very popular in the Baroque era, especially in Italy," Avital said. "Vivaldi and some lesser-known Italian composers, such as Paisiello and Barbella, wrote music for the instrument."
But after that time, the mandolin fell out of favor with classical composers. "There is a gap in the repertoire," Avital acknowledged, speaking from New York where he is preparing to give his Carnegie Hall recital debut on January 17.
Avital, who was born in Israel in 1978, currently lives in Berlin.
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