Sinfonietta Rīga 19th Season Opening Concert

Silvery sheets of foil, earthy flower pots, glistening shards of glass and a marimba made from plastic bottles, chimes of colourful coffee capsules and marmalade jars filled with rattling discoveries... These are just some of the unusual percussion instruments that the young Bavarian talent Gregor A. Mayrhofer has included in his visually and sonically striking Recycling Concerto. This opus, dedicated to recycling and first performed in Germany two and a half years ago, has already delighted audiences in Austria, Belgium, England and Norway, and will also kick off the opening celebrations of Sinfonietta Rīga's 19th concert season. The concert's soloist will be Vivi Vassileva, the German percussion star of Bulgarian origin who inspired the composition of the opus. Also linked to Germany is the creative life of the great Romantic composer Robert Schumann and his Third Symphony, a hymn to the beauty and majesty of nature.

The master was inspired to write this euphoric work by his astonishing travels through the Rhineland – its scenic imagery, the so different temperament of its people and the magnificent Cologne Cathedral.

Programme

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
Gregor A. Mayrhofer Recycling Concerto
Andris Dzenītis Elysium

Participants

Vivi Vassileva, percussion
Sinfonietta Rīga
Conductor Normunds Šnē