Vivi Vassileva (Percussion)

Enchanted

"Vivi Vassileva's playing lifts the audience out of their seats" (Westdeutsche Zeitung). She is celebrated not only for her brilliant technique, extraordinary virtuosity and athletic stage presence, but also for her captivating charisma. Some Heilbronn audiences already encountered Vivi Vassileva in late 2024, when she performed alongside WKO Artistic Partner Frank Dupree in the chamber concert series Unter der Pyramide.

Now she returns to Heilbronn to present John Corigliano's exuberant orchestral concerto "The Conjurer" at the Harmonie. As Corigliano himself admits, the idea of writing a concerto for solo percussion and orchestra initially filled him with "sheer horror". Yet, at the request of percussionist Evelyn Glennie, he produced a dazzling, high-energy work in three movements - Wood, Metal and Skin - each named after the material of the featured instruments: marimba, vibraphone and timpani. Percussion stands at the heart of the music, which seems tailor-made for Vassileva's energy.

The percussion fireworks are framed by Stravinsky's "Concerto in ré" and a true classic. With this purely string-based piece, Stravinsky - one of the most important composers of the 20th century - draws on the Baroque concerto grosso tradition, particularly Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor, whose famous 1788 theme has lost none of its power despite countless pop arrangements and ringtone versions, is a highlight for any listener, not just fans of the Viennese Classical period.

IGOR STRAVINSKY
Concerto in Re

JOHN CORIGLIANO
"The Conjurer"

WOLFGANG A. MOZART
Symphony No. 40 in G minor KV 550