Vivi Vassileva, percussions

Sinfonietta Rīga

Conductor Normunds Šnē

Programme:

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major Op. 97 (Rhenish)

Gregor A. Mayrhofer Recycling Concerto

Andris Dzenītis Elysium

Silvery sheets of foil, clay-coloured flowerpots, shiny pieces of glass, a marimba, built from plastic bottles, colourful coffee capsule chimes and marmalade jars filled with jingling and rattling finds... These are just few of the unusual percussion instruments created by the young and talented Bavarian Gregor A. Mayrhofer for his audially and visually impressive Recycling Concert. First performed two-and-a-half years ago in Germany, this opus dedicated to trash recycling problem that has already been met with ovations in Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Norway, will open the 19th season of Sinfonietta Riga with a bang. The soloist for the concerto will be Vivi Vassileva, the Bulgarian-born percussion star of Germany, who inspired the creation of the piece. Germany was also the motherland of the great Romantic-era master Robert Schumann; his Third Symphony is an ecstatic hymn to the beauty and power of nature, the inspiration for which was the composer's uplifting trip through Rhineland, witnessing its landscapes, the extraordinary character of its people and the stunning Cathedral of Cologne.