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On the blue Danube
At the Vienna gig on October 5, 2026, Deep Purple were joined on stage by classical violinist Lidia Baich for a rousing rendition of a Johann Strauss’ classic and some fun on Perfect Strangers.
Widely regarded as one of the most versatile violin soloists of our time, Baich was born in St. Petersburg and received her first violin lessons from her grandfather at the age of four. She later studied under Professor Boris Kuschnir in Vienna. At just eight years old, she won her first international competition, which was followed by numerous other first prizes. Her extraordinary musical achievements culminated at age sixteen with her victory at the Eurovision Grand Prix and the “European Musician of the Year” award — presented to her by Lord Yehudi Menuhin.
After Baich previously performed with DEEP PURPLE almost a decade ago, PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey told Steinway & Sons’ magazine Listen: Life With Music & Culture: “A classical violinist, Lidia Baich, joined us in Vienna; I wrote some parts for her. It was sensational that a top classical performer could play with us, and she brought the house down — playing heavy rock.”
Be sure to check out Erik’s report from the gig in our forum.
Thanks to Black Purple for the video and to Blabbermouth for the heads-up.
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