Composers

• Abe, Keiko (b.1937)
• Cruixent, Oriol (b.1976)
• Dinicu, Grigoras (1889–1949)
• Espel, Guillo (b.1959)
• Pereira, Marco (b.1950)
• Sammut, Eric (b.1968)
• Vassileva, Vivi (b. 1994)

Works

• Abe, Keiko: Variations on Dowland's Lachrimae Pavane
• Cruixent: El Parío, Op. 47
• Cruixent: Marimba Moksha, Op. 46
• Dinicu: Hora Staccato
• Espel: Zamba para escuchar tu silencio
• Pereira, M: Bate-coxa
• Sammut: Sailing for Phil
• Vassileva: Kalino Mome

The percussionist Vivi Vassileva is one of the most fascinating classical soloists of her generation, and she now releases her debut cd, entitled "singin' rhythm", on the alpha classics label. Born in 1994 to a Bulgarian family of musicians – her mother is a pianist, her father and brother are violinists, her sister plays violin too and she herself learned the instrument – Vivi was captivated by music at an early age especially when she heard some hand drummers playing on a remote, unspoiled beach at the Black Sea where her parents own a house. It was then that she decided to change from violin to percussion. with her dynamic, infectious way of making music, Vivi exudes a sense of enjoyment that is in no way limited to the elaboration of rhythms or the igniting of a display of tonal pyrotechnics. Her main aim is to touch people, to tell stories expressed in terms of melodies, harmonies and rhythms. Vivi is motivated and inspired by the diversity of tonal colours and the opportunities they offer, and that is why she is so convinced that percussion is the instrument of the 21st century. However, since the repertoire for percussion is limited, Vivi Vassileva not only commissions new compositions; she arranges and composes herself, constantly on the lookout for new formations and heading up various chamber music groups. As a result, this new album features works by Guillo Espel, Eric Sammut, Oriol Cruixent and Keiko Abe, most of them premiere recordings, alongside some rarely heard or premiere arrangements and compositions by Vivi Vassileva herself.

September 2019