As part of the celebrations throughout the European Union to mark Europe Day (9th May) in the 50th year since the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the London Eye is to be lit up in the colours of the EU flag (a circle of twelve equidistant yellow stars on a blue background) from 6.30pm on 9th May through to dawn on 10th May.
The lighting of the British Airways London Eye will be accompanied by music from the German School of London Choir and the London Bulgarian Choir. Acclaimed Romanian violinist Tudor Andrei (artist-in-residence at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London) will be filmed, by the European Broadcasting Service playing in one of the Eye's capsules, arrangements of Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Elgar's Salut d'Amour, Dinicu-Heifetz's Hora Staccatto and George Enescu's Impromptu Concertant. The performances will begin from 7.30pm onwards at the base of the London Eye, beside County Hall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 7PB.
Background:
Europe day marks the signing of the Schuman Declaration: the founding document of today's European Union. With the key idea of preventing future wars in Europe, the Declaration was signed on 9th May 1950 by France, West Germany, and the Benelux countries with a view to pooling their much fought over economic resources to build a lasting peace in Europe.For more info about the European Flag and its symbolism visit:
http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics1_en.htm#symbol
At 135m, the London Eye is the world's largest observation wheel. It was conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects and has won over 75 awards for national and international tourism, outstanding architectural quality and engineering achievement. Since 2000, it has attracted over 25 million visitors.
The German School of London Choir
An a cappella ensemble, - part of the school choir of the German School in London, that has recently sung in France as a part of a European choir at a French-German celebration in Paris last January.
The London Bulgarian Choir
Led by Dessislava Stefanova, the London Bulgarian Choir recently won "Choir of the Day" in the "Open" category in the first round of BBC Radio 3's "Choir of the Year" competition.
Michael Church in The Independent said that "they deliver songs of love, war, hunting, and seasonal cheer to stunning effect. Their discordant harmonies are as distinctive as those of Georgian music, but Bulgaria's unique style of voice-production creates a very different thrill."
Tudor Andrei - Romanian Violinist
Tudor was First Prize winner of the International Competition held at the Niccolo Paganini Academy of Music in Genoa, Italy, the Romanian violinist Tudor Andrei is rapidly gaining a reputation as yet another bright talent emerging from Romania. He has been a winner of the Violin Romanian Olympics in two editions, as well as gaining many other national awards.
Born in Barlad, Eastern Romania, Tudor benefited from early musical training given by his parents, both musicians. He soon moved to Bucharest, where he graduated from the George Enescu High School. A year later, he was awarded a place to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, under the guidance of Professor Remus Azoitei.
Tudor has already performed a large number of concerts in important halls in Romania. In 1999 he toured Switzerland and Italy, and in 2005 Germany. He was invited to appear on various TV and Radio shows in Romania, including TVR1, the Romanian equivalent of the BBC 1 TV Channel, as well as an in depth interview on "Musicians of today, musicians of tomorrow", on Romanian Radio Cultural Channel. Tudor is an artist in residence at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London.