RIO (CelebrityAccess) — Guitar legend Steve Vai teamed up with the 60-piece Brazilian orchestra, Camerata Florianópolis, to perform in front of 90,000 attendees at Rock In Rio Brazil 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, in an experience that Vai called "a highlight career moment."
The performance, which took place on September 25, included spirited takes on such Vai compositions as “Kill The Guy With The Ball,” “Velorum” “Lotus Feet,” and the finale “For the Love of God.”
Vai was joined by Camerata Florianópolis, under the direction of Maestro Jeferson Della Rocca, who also founded the group. In its 22nd concert season, the orchestra known for its symphonic work is considered among the most important performing groups in Brazil. In addition to the success achieved in several Brazilian states, the orchestra has achieved great recognition through tours of France, Spain, Germany and Italy.
Vai, who released the orchestral recording Sound Theories Vol. I & II in 2007, and garnered a Grammy Award nomination for his song “Lotus Feet” from those performances, is no stranger to performing his own original compositions with orchestras around the world, but the Rock In Rio show marks the largest crowd he has performed with an orchestra at.
“For me, performing in Rio de Janeiro at Rock in Rio 2015 with the Camerata Florianópolis was a career highlight,” Vai said. “Feeling the intensity of the orchestra that was holding me up, the night sky, the notes under my fingers and in my mind’s ear, and the aliveness of presence of the 90,000 people and their collective energy, all came together beyond my expectations. It was like standing tippy-toe at the top of Mt. Everest and sharing my secrets with the vastness.” – Staff Writers
