A concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Christian Thielemann, was held at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels yesterday evening in the context of the Austrian Presidency. Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik as host welcomed the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Danuta Hübner and Viviane Reding. Belgium was represented by Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz at the concert, which is regarded as the musical highlight of the season in Brussels. The programme, which was received with enthusiastic applause by the audience, featured Concerto for bassoon and orchestra, KV 191, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 3 by Robert Schumann and Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven.
“The European project is not just about politics and the economy. We all know that Europe has a colourful, diverse character; but at the same time we are all united as part of the rich tapestry of European culture! Without doubt we experience in music the infinite richness of European culture and the indivisibility of the European cultural space.”
"With this concert we want to send greetings to our European partners, and particularly also to our Belgian friends, and to thank them for the very good and stimulating working relationship during our Presidency. In addition, the Austrian government wanted to invite Austrian officials working in the EU institutions to this gala concert to show our appreciation of their work", Plassnik said.
A number of projects with Austria as their theme featuring films, theatre and contemporary dance are taking place in the Bozar Centre of Fine Arts, the venue for yesterday’s concert, during the Austrian Presidency. The big exhibition "Yearning for Beauty - The Wiener Werkstätte and the Stoclet House", which has likewise been a great success with the Brussels public, continues until the end of May.
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