Musica Viva presents Avi Avital and Giocoso Quartet

Saturday 14 April, 7pm
Tuesday 24 April, 7pm

“Everything you never dreamt a mandolin could do…truly breathtaking in virtuosity and dedication.” 
Haaretz Daily

A solo superstar, an award-winning quartet, and music for the heart and the mind. Avi Avital is a ground-breaking virtuoso of the mandolin. Able to move easily between foot-stomping folk dances and filigree Baroque concertos, his performances challenge people’s perceptions of his instrument and are celebrated for an all-embracing stage presence.

Here, these bright yet intimate sounds are a perfect foil for the warm strings of the Giocoso Quartet. As winners of the Musica Viva and Audience prizes at the 2015 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, their zesty, characterful playing has helped them steadily build a reputation through Europe and Asia.

Together, this unusual combination demands fascinating repertoire. This includes two works written for Avi: David Bruce’s tribute to the Celtic sun god, Cymbeline, and Elena Kats-Chernin’s new piece, sparkling with her trademark theatricality along with Bach and Schumann.

Giocoso String Quartet
Sebastian Casleanu violin
Teofil Todica violin
Martha Windhagauer viola
Bas Jongen cello

PROGRAM

SCHUMANN String Quartet no 1 in A minor, op 41 no 1
KATS-CHERNIN Orfeo
JS BACH Chaconne from Partita in D minor for violin, BWV1004
BRUCE Cymbeline for mandolin and string quartet

*Commissioned for Musica Viva by Kim Williams AM