He swapped the tuxedo for off-road pants. The Bulgarian virtuoso Vasko Vassilev, first violin at the coronation of Charles III, jumped on a plane the same evening to begin a tour of his native country. In Montana, in the poorest region of the European Union, the stage is dilapidated, the lighting pale but the atmosphere is frenzied, the public enthusiastic. Far from the hushed decor of Westminster Abbey. “A contrast” appreciated by the 52-year-old violinist with graying temples, a dazzling smile and a childish look. Entering three decades ago in the prestigious orchestra of the Royal Opera House located in Covent Garden, where he is also creative director, Vasko Vassilev plays this June evening “what he likes”, from Bach to flamenco, from Bizet to tango.
In the jam-packed hall, locals relish a rare opportunity to attend a high-level concert. “For me, it was very important to perform in these cities, which host few musical events,” he told AFP. In London, the audience was hand-picked. Here the spectators, “hungry for culture, are ready to deprive themselves in order to be able to afford a place” (from 15 to 25 euros), “to forget their daily life and enter a magical world”.
“It was wonderful, I have chills,” says Micho Stavrov, a 64-year-old entrepreneur. “A breathtaking performance,” adds Eva Yanakieva, an economics student, arms full of her idol’s records.
More than 40% live below the poverty line in this region of Bulgaria, itself the poorest member of the European Union. This tour was planned for a long time, before the death of Queen Elizabeth II. And the violinist wouldn’t have given it up for anything in the world. Driving himself on the dilapidated roads, Vasko Vassilev adapts to difficult conditions to make the most of the “emotion” that seizes him from the first notes.
Child of the ball, born of the union between a violinist and a pianist, he admits not having really been able to decide on his profession: “I had the choice between the violin… and the piano”, laughs. he. At the age of eight he went on stage and two years later, his talent earned him the communist government to send him to the Moscow Conservatory. Winner of the Paganini competition in Genoa, super-soloist of the orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon, he became at the age of 23 the youngest first violin of the London orchestra, while refusing to be put “in the classical musician box. “. “It is important to know how to interpret all genres. Even Mozart played popular music,” he insists.
Despite his international career and a dozen languages spoken “all very badly”, he confesses “to have always felt Bulgarian”, and enjoys immense popularity at home. In each city, he tastes banitsa, a traditional savory pastry, with boza, a cereal-based drink typical of the Balkans. Between two concerts, he remembers the ceremony on May 6 which marked him more than any other event in his career.
When he learned he would be concertmaster at the coronation of King Charles III, he said in a statement he was “particularly proud as a naturalized British citizen”. “By participating in this sumptuous spectacle, which only takes place once or twice a century, we have become an integral part of history,” he says. “At the Opera, all we do is transcribe the great moments on stage. But this time, we were at the heart of the event. His Bulgarian journey barely over, Vasko Vassilev took off on a tour of Japan with the Royal Ballet in London. “We musicians are a nomadic tribe, always on the move,” he smiles.