IMS Celebrates Spanish Folk Rhythm

For the series of concerts in June, Israeli Mandolin Soloists have selected a Spanish, folk inspired classical program including works by Albéniz, Granados and Turina.

Both Israel and Spain have had a lot of cultural intermixing, influencing the music in similar ways, which is why Spanish classical music has always felt very close to me. Western composers from the Romantic and post-Romantic eras looked for inspiration in folk rhythms and sentiments from around the world. Some of the best known illustrations are George Bizet’s Carmen, Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, and Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian dances, all of which gained wide recognition and popularity.

Similarly, Spanish composers explored flamenco and oriental influences, creating some of the most captivating works, which also happen to be a perfect fit for the mandolin sound.

Remaining concerts of the season continue exploring the folk side of the mandolin with JR performing Hebrew Mandolin program at Ramat-Gan illustrating Greek, Russian & Israeli folk melodies. The season concludes with Dorman's Mandolin Concerto, which is incidentally also inspired by folk rhythm, coming from Beirut.

More about upcoming concerts here.