Congregation Beth Israel, Vancouver
Alon Sariel: Plucked Bach
Works by: J.S. Bach and Alon Sariel
Artist: Alon Sariel, mandolin, lute and oud
Alon Sariel is one of today’s most versatile performers, known as a multi-instrumentalist in the realm of plucked strings with a growing reputation as a fascinating Bach interpreter. “Plucked Bach” realizes the timeless and universal character of Bach’s music in a multifarious sound world of plucked instruments, embodied by the cello suites and violin partitas, alongside Sariel’s own Bach-inspired Mandolin Partita.
“Bach’s Toccata and Fugue on the mandolin? It’s surprising how well this translates in the capable hands of Alon Sariel…In place of scale and bombast there’s nuance and precision – and a cleanness…” — BBC Music Magazine
Concert generously sponsored by Fran Watters & Paul Devine; Artist-in-Residence sponsored by Birgit Westergaard and Norman Gladstone
Runtime: 75 min no intermission
PROGRAMME
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude from Violin Partita no. 3, BWV 1006
Alon Sariel (b. 1986*)
Mandolin Partita:
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Menuettes
Gigue
Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750)
Lute Fantasy WSW 9
J. S. Bach
Prelude from Cello Suite no. 1, BWV 1007
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723 -1787)
Fantasy for viol, WK 209
J. S. Bach
Toccata & Fuga for organ, BWV 565
Chaconne from Violin Partita no. 2, BWV 1004
Alon Sariel | Sponsored by Birgit Westergaard and Norman Gladstone, mandolin, lute, oud
Philharmonic hall, not jazz podium; Mozart festival not cult TV rock programme – back then, Alon Sariel 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 very special place in his heart.
His many acclaimed recordings of Renaissance and Baroque works – his album “Telemandolin” 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 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 Orchester in Markus Stockhausen’s “Symbiosis”, premiered as soloist with the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin Gilad Hochman’s “Nedudim”, and commissioned two new works for mandolin from Uri Caine for the Beethoven anniversary year in 2020. His album and PENTATONE debut “Plucked Bach” is a journey through Bach’s Cello Suites on six of his different plucked instruments, with a follow-up “Plucked Bach II” released in 2023.
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.
