GENEVA, June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — European leaders will come together in Sarajevo on 28 June to commemorate the outbreak of World War I in a symbolic concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO) and broadcast to audiences by public service media (PSM).
Restoration of Vijecnica, Sarajevo, the concert venue (Credit Emir Burlovic – FENA)
The EUROVISION-led coproduction is set to take place two days after EU heads of State and government attend a special commemoration ceremony in Ypres, Belgium, at the start of the June European Summit.
Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on Sunday, 28 June 1914 outside Sarajevo’s national library – the setting for the concert. The incident set off a chain of events that embroiled the world’s major powers in a war of an unprecedented scale leading to years of turmoil across Europe and beyond.
A century on, the concert casts a spotlight on the incredible transformation Europe has undergone from a theatre of war to a continent, characterised by peace and reconciliation.
The concert conducted by Franz Welser-Möst will feature music by composers from Austria, Germany and France: Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Alban Berg, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel and Josef Strauss.
“We have created a musical programme with strong connections to the historical events of 1914-1918, to invite the audience remember this era-defining conflict,” said Clemens Hellsberg, President of the VPO.
The EUROVISION-led production is the centrepiece to a series of themed projects offered by PSM to mark the events of 1914-1918 and their continued relevance to contemporary European society.
EBU Members BHRT (Bosnia & Herzegovina), France Télévisions and ZDF (Germany) will coproduce live TV and radio coverage of the event, which will also be relayed to a large public audience on big screens outside the venue.
“This flagship project is at the heart of our public service mission – a moment for Europeans to pause and reflect on the ongoing relevance of the First World War,” said EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre. “It is a poignant link between the past and more recent turmoil in Europe.”
http://www.ebu.ch and http://www.eurovision.com
