Avi Avital - a mandolin virtuoso

Deutsche Grammophon announced on November 12^th, 2012, their first collaboration with a mandolin virtuoso. Avi Avital - who first saw the light of day 33 years ago and who graduated from the Jerusalem Music Academy - has recently signed his first exclusive recording agreement with the prestigious German record label. The contract is unique for Deutsche Grammophon as well, Avi Avital being the first mandolinist to be signed by the label. Recognized by the New York Times for his "stunning agility" and "exquisitely sensitive playing" and considered to be one of today's most talented mandolin players, Avi Avital has received a Grammy nomination for "Best Instrumental Soloist Performance". For his debut album he will exclusively record pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach in arrangements for mandolin and orchestra, alongside the Kammerakademie Potsdam. Michael Lang, President of Deutsche Grammophon, observed that "Avi Avital is a remarkable virtuoso, completely at home on his instrument's traditional repertoire, but also an extraordinary communicative pioneer of new music. We are very pleased to welcome him to the Deutsche Grammophon family". These days, the mandolin player is on tour in Germany, together with the German band "David Orlowsky Trio" founded in 2008 which brings together the percussionist and clarinettist David Orlowsky, guitarist Jens-Uwe Popp and bassist Florian Dohrmann.

Pioneers of jazz with what is often generically described as "world-music" influences, the David Orlowsky Trio is now on tour promoting their latest album Chronos, playing in Berlin at the Passionskirche Kreutzberg on December 3^rd.

The Welsh National Opera in Cardiff at its anniversary

The Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, Wales, celebrates today 68 years of existence! It might not be by chance that this event is to be celebrated with the performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni as part of the Welsh National Opera Autumn Tour - a series of performances that take place on an annual basis at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. This year's tour began on November 29^th and included two new productions: Gioacchino Rossini's Barber of Seville and Katya Kabanova by Leos Janacek. The last performance will be held on Saturday, December 3^rd.

Somewhere over the Rainbow

Straight from the land of fairytales from "over the Rainbow" the English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber presents his most recent musical in 2011: The Wizard of Oz. Inspired by the children's book with the same title written by Lyman Frank Baum in 1900, and also by director Victor Fleming's movie from 1939 - starring Judy Garland as Dorothy - the performance will take place at the London Palladium starting Friday, December 2^nd and with the last performance scheduled on December 24^th. The screenplay of the Wizard of Oz was adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber - famous for Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar - together with director Jeremy Sams. The premiere of the musical was on March 1^st and playing role of the main female character was 19 year old actress and singer Danielle Hope, selected during a televised contest organized by BBC. The wizard of Oz is played by Michael Crawford, while the Wicked Witch of the West is Hannah Waddingham. In October, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical was nominated at the BroadwayWorld UK Awards in 2011for Best Musical. From Kansas to the land of the Wizard of Oz it's a short way to go …with music to take you there.