Media & Press · Swiss Alps Classics

Ziyu He loves the Austrian lifestyle and intends a "virtuoso fireworks" for Andermatt Concert Hall

ZIYU HE listened to one of his parents' classical music CDs in the Chinese port city of Qingdao at the age of three: the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's concert. Though his parents, a kindergarten teacher and train-station agent, knew little about classical music, they owned Karajan recordings and the "Viennese" were their favorite orchestra. When the toddler Ziyu He heard the music, his could feel his whole body begin to vibrate. "I was totally blown away by the sound of the violin. I immediately asked for a violin for my fourth birthday." He commenced playing the violin at the age of five and proved to be a "child prodigy." "For me, the violin is the most human instrument of all; it has a vibrato like a human voice. There are a thousand different ways to play the notes. That’s the magic of the violin," says the now 23-year-old, who moved to Salzburg at the age of 11 to get the best training in Austria – "the center of the classical music world," as he puts it. Incidentally, when Ziyu He speaks, he does so in Salzburg dialect.

The young violin star, who won the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition in Cologne for Austria in 2014, will perform at the sixth Swiss Alps Classics at the Andermatt Concert Hall on July 11 (6:30pm). This year's motto is "Festival of the Violin," and, fittingly, Ziyu He will deliver virtuosity of the highest order. Tickets for the concert, which he will perform with his chamber music partner – acclaimed pianist and Vienna University of Music professor CHRISTOPHER HINTERHUBER – are available through the festival website www.swissalpsclassics.ch. Their program includes "classic works" by Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms as well as virtuoso pieces by Niccolò Paganini, Pablo de Sarasate and Maurice Ravel. "The second half will offer real fireworks," reveals Ziyu He. He is especially looking forward to playing Paganini’s Introduction et Variations sur le Thème 'Nel cor più non mi sento' pour le Violon seul. "This is the most difficult solo piece ever composed for the violin. It features everything you can do on the violin in eleven minutes." He adds: "It's my signature piece; the audience simply loves it."

But how did Ziyu He end up in Salzburg in the first place? He first met Professor Paul Roczek in Beijing, who became his mentor. Ziyu He then decided to follow him to Salzburg and study at the Mozarteum. His mother Jianqing Meng, the kindergarten teacher, joined him, while his father Gang He stayed behind in China to work. "This decision was not easy for my parents, but they are still happily married," Ziyu He reports. When he turned 18, his mother went back to China.

Ziyu He has learned a lot from his teacher Paul Roczek – even beyond the violin: "He showed me how to enjoy life," says Ziyu He, who is very fond of the Austrian lifestyle. "I love everything about Austria. I love nature, the mountains, the water, the forests - they give me inspiration. And I love Austrian food and wine."

Ziyu He is now also studying at the Mozarteum with Professor BENJAMIN SCHMID, with whom he also completed his master’s degree. The latter will give a concert at the Swiss Alps Classics on June 10 (7pm), the day before Ziyu He. The outstanding Austrian violinist Schmid, for three decades constant presence in the international concert scene, will present together with the pianist ANDREA LINSBAUER and the dramaturge CHRISTOPH WAGNER-TRENKWITZ (as moderator) an evening in honor of the Viennese violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler, who died in New York in 1962. Tickets for the concert at the 5-star superior hotel The Chedi Andermatt are also available via the festival website.

On the festival's opening night (June 9, 2022, 6pm), which will be held at the Park Hotel Vitznau in collaboration with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation and the POK Pühringer Privatstiftung, Ziyu He will also introduce two Foundation alumni, ELIZABETH ZIETZ and SHUHENG ZHANG.

The young virtuoso is only at the start of an international career that is sure to take him to all of the world’s great concert halls. However, he already fulfilled a childhood dream in 2017: The then 17-year-old Ziyu He was privileged to perform with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Adám Fischer in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein building as one of the youngest soloists in the orchestra's 180-year history.

Andermatt Swiss Alps AG – a major partner since the festival began

A festival like this would not be possible without sponsors. Andermatt Swiss Alps AG has been a proud supporter from the start. CEO Raphael Krucker emphasizes: "With his Swiss Alps Classics, featuring a top-notch program, Peter-Michael Reichel has established himself as an integral part of Andermatt's cultural landscape."

For an overview of the official program of the Swiss Alps Classics 2022, please visit our festival website.

If you are interested in images for your editorial coverage or have an interview request, please refer to our press contact:

Inga Radel

Amadeus Events Promotion AG

Spokesperson

E-mail: presse@amadeus-world.com

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