Thoroughly modern mandolinist Avi Avital has released InstaConcerto, which compresses classical music into the original 15-second format of Instagram. The piece was composed by Avital’s long-time collaborator Peter Breiner.
Avital performed InstaConcerto alongside Kremerata Baltica orchestra, with the Overture posted on 18 July and the Finale on 22 July. Each movement lasts 15 seconds, for a total duration of one minute and fifteen seconds.
‘We wanted to raise questions with this project, both about the artistic value of the composition within the given restrictions of the time-frame, and about the attention span of our generation and its relationship to classical music,’ said Avital.
The Overture has received almost 1,000 plays, with the other four movements averaging around 600 views. Although Instagram now allows videos of up to one minute in length, Avital wanted to stick with its original 15-second format to reflect the short attention span of the internet age.
Avital’s next major is move is his debut with Los Angeles Philharmonic on 15 September at the Hollywood bowl, where he will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
You can view the whole concerto on Avital’s Instagram – his handle is @aviavital.
