Poster Avi Avital
Avi Avital
Harald Hoffmann
Performance Today®

Avi Avital

Avi Avital was the first mandolin soloist nominated for a classical Grammy. More than 100 contemporary compositions have been written for him, but Avital is also known for his renditions of Baroque pieces. On today's show, Avi Avital plays a concerto by Vivaldi at a recent concert in Oslo, Norway.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Franz Schubert: Der Lindenbaum
Frederic Chiu, piano
Album: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions
Harmonia Mundi 3957054

Francois Couperin: La Sultanne
Mimi Stillman, flute | William Polk, violin | Kerri Ryan, viola | Nathan Vickery, cello | Charles Abramovic, piano/harpsichord
Dolce Suono Ensemble, Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Paul Wiancko: American Haiku
Ayane Kozasa, viola | Paul Wiancko, cello
Spoleto Festival USA, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, "The Great": Movements 3-4
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra | David Robertson, conductor
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Powell Hall, St. Louis, MO

Hour 2

Omer Avital: Ballad for Eli
Avi Avital, mandolin | Yonathan Avishai, piano | Omer Avital, bass
Album: Avital Meets Avital
DG 26723

Antonio Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerto in C, RV 425
Avi Avital, mandolin | Norwegian Radio Orchestra | Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
NRK Radio Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway

Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre: Pieces de Clavessin, from Suite in A minor
Elliot Figg, harpsichord
Lakes Area Music Festival, Tornstrom Auditorium, Brainerd, MN

Edouard Lalo: Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 21: Movements 3-5
Guy Braunstein, violin | Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | Louis Langree, conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH

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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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