Alon Sariel

Masterclass Mandolin

Masterclass mandolin
Alon Sariel, Hanover

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Philharmonic hall, not jazz podium; Mozart festival not cult TV rock programme – back then, Alon had not foreseen how things would develop: back then, in 1994, when his music teacher told the eight-year-old that the mandolin and the electric guitar were “basically the same thing”. This was a momentous deception that was to deliver to the world of music one of the most versatile mandolin players, lutenists and ensemble directors of the present day. In his concert programmes, Alon uses the lute, Baroque guitar, oud and other plucked instruments to give his audiences the most diverse musical experiences. The mandolin, which has survived the centuries and found its place in the most varied of music styles and cultures, occupies a special place in his heart.

His many acclaimed recordings of Renaissance and Baroque works – his album “Telemandolin” (Berlin Classics) was recognised in 2018 with an OPUS Klassik award – have firmly established him in the public eye as a specialist for early music. His work with international soloists and ensembles such as Maurice Steger, Andreas Scholl, Lautten Compagney, Norway’s Barokksolistene and many others attests to his reputation. That being said, Alon’s guiding principle is a changing perspective. In other words: giving new life to existing material, as well as creating completely new works.

That is why Alon, as soloist and conductor, frequently brings contemporary compositions both to the stage and into the studio. He conducted the Munich Chamber Orchestra in Markus Stockhausen’s “Symbiosis”, commissioned mandolin concertos from Nimrod Borenstein and Gilad Hochman and premiered them consequently with the Thüringen Philharmonie and the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin. Jazz pianist Uri Caine has dedicated him music for mandolin and piano for the Beethoven Anniversary of 2020. Alon has re-brought to stage music which was silent for centuries, like the mandolin concertos by Johann Kauchlitz (playing/conducting the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra) and August Krähmer (to be recorded with the Kölner Akademie for German Radio Deutschland Funk). He’s signed on world premiere recordings of music by prominent Israeli composers such as Paul Ben-Haim and Yehezkel Braun, as well as a mandolin concerto by the Danish composer Anders Koppel. His current recording project “Plucked Bach” (PENTATONE) is based on his intensive research on Bach’s solo music, most notably the Sonatas & Partitas for violin and the Cello Suites.

Looking beyond the scope of a professional musician, Alon is an active member of Rhapsody in School, introducing classical music to schoolchildren of all ages. Furthermore, he supported the Live Music Now Foundation and has played in Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Animal protection is also an important issue for Alon; he has been an ambassador for the Pro Animale charity since 2021.

Alon’s 24/25 season will bring him around the world with solo recitals in Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Malta and the UK and in collaboration with leading ensembles such as the Kölner Akademie and the famous French orchestra Le Poème Harmonique including a concert at the royal chapel of Versailles. Concerts and residencies will take him to Antwerp’s Lunalia Festival, Riga’s Culture Palace, Sofia’s Music Weeks and the Morgenland Festival with Zefiro Torna as well as several encounters with ensemble Oxalys (Belgium). Alon will be Artist in Residence with five different programs at this year’s Vancouver Early Music Festival and return to the St. Magnus Festival in Scotland for a collaboration with the renowned Edinburgh String Quartet.