EU Cultural Ambassador the European Union Youth Orchestra leads Europe Day 2020 with a special online concert
‘Hope through Music’
112 Young European musicians from 30 countries join forces for a special
online concert commissioned by the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey
on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration
PROGRAMME
Europe Day 2020 Special Message
Margaritis Schinas
Vice President European Commission in charge of promoting the European Way of Life
Johann Sebastian Bach
Preludio from Partita No. 3 for solo violin
Emily Davis violin
Anton Bruckner
Motet Locus Iste arranged for Trombone quartet
EUYO Alumni Trombone Quarantet
José Luna Agudo
Alejandro García Sánchez
Alexander Kelly
Andrew McCoy
Camille Saint-Saëns
The Swan from Carnival of the Animals
The String Ensemble of the European Union Youth Orchestra
Julia Hagen Solo cello
Ludwig van Beethoven
Canzona di Ringrazimento from String Quartet No. 15 in A minor Op. 132
EUYO Alumni Beethoven String Quartet
Amalie Kjældgaard and David López Ibáñez violins
Sofie van der Schalie viola, Klara Wincor cello
Claude Debussy
Syrinx
Elif Yurdakul Baykurt flute
Maurice Ravel
Boléro
European Union Youth Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ode to Joy from Symphony No. 9
European Union Youth Orchestra
Çiğdem Soyarslan soprano
Pelin Halkaci Akin and Can Özhan guest violins
“Today is a unique opportunity to reflect on what truly makes us Europeans”. These are the words of Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting the European way of life, in his introduction to the online concert “Hope through Music”.
The programme has been created with the aim of providing inspiration and hope through music at a time of great challenge in Europe and globally. At its centre is a new digital animation of Beethoven’s moving Canzona di Ringrazimento from his String Quartet No. 15, a “Holy song of thanksgiving of a convalescent to the Deity”, composed at a time of life threatening illness for Beethoven, and deeply relevant during the present Coronavirus world health crisis.
The ‘Hope through Music’ concert is an initiative of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, and is presented in partnership with Europa Nostra and its ‘Ode to Joy’ challenge. It has seen the involvement of 112 EUYO and guest young musicians from 30 countries, who have practised, rehearsed and performed from their homes. The programme is enabled by a team of expert video and sound editors, mainly EUYO members and alumni, currently in lockdown in Austria, Germany, Italy, Romania, the UK, the USA and Dubai.
Performers include EUYO Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko and former EUYO concertmaster Emily Davis, and guests cellist Julia Hagen, soprano Çiğdem Soyarslan and flautist Elif Yurdakul Baykurt. The programme is composed of new digital versions of iconic European music by Bach, Bruckner, Debussy, Ravel and Saint-Saëns, and concludes with the Anthem of the European Union, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy from his Ninth Symphony. Full details of the concert can be found below.
The performance will have its debut broadcast on Saturday, 9 May at 12:00 GMT+3 as part of a programme on the Youtube channels of the EU in Turkey, as well as on the Turkish tv stations T24, Karar TV and Superhaber TV, NTV and A-Haber TV channels. The English language version will be shown subsequently around the world throughout the day through media including the EUYO’s Youtube channel (details in the link below) and Europa Nostra’s website.
Join us in celebrating hope through music on Europe Day 2020!
Concert video editor Ulf Breuer
Bruckner Locus iste video & sound editor/mastering Andrew McCoy
Beethoven Canzona di Ringrazimento sound & video editor Cristian Turcan Music animation Stephen Malinowski
Debussy Syrinx video courtesy of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey – Directorate of communications
Ravel Boléro and Saint-Saëns The Swan sound & video editor Lenscap Films
Beethoven Ode to Joy video editor Ulf Breuer, sound editor/mastering Andrew McCoy
Producer Alexandru Mija
Director Marshall Marcus