In 2020 the world celebrates the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven. Despite the uncertainties and pressures imposed by the Covid-19 crisis, several airports across Europe and beyond mark the occasion with a special event – the Beethoven Moment.
The Beethoven Moment is an international cultural event taking place on the day of the composer’s birth, December 16th. It is to unite people of different countries in a moment of contemplation inspired by great music.
At 2:50 p.m. (14:50), each airport’s local time, a 3-minute piece of Beethoven’s music (the opening of the famous 5th Symphony) will be aired for the attention of all passengers, crews, visitors, and staff present at the airport at the moment. At most airports, the music will be broadcast along with a short video. The time (2:50 p.m.) was chosen by association with the 250th anniversary.
So far, about a dozen airports have confirmed their participation – the full list is at the end of this release. The number of participating airports may yet increase after the Airports Council International Europe discusses the project.
The initial idea was simple: the surprise encounter with Beethoven’s music was to encourage fans and even people with relatively little interest in classical music to remember the great composer and contemplate the impact music can have on our lives. The Beethoven Moment has since taken on an additional meaning, however: the health crisis and its social implications underline how interconnected we all are, and Beethoven’s music helps to celebrate the spirit of human unity and resilience.
The recent developments have also affected the scale of the project. The idea was to involve airports across all continents, and initially, many responded with enthusiasm. While quite a few (mostly outside Europe) have subsequently backed out because of the pandemic, they registered their interest in getting involved in similar projects in the future.
The organizers believe that the Beethoven Moment is getting off to a promising start and can become an annual event, with more and more locations joining year after year and public awareness and participation increasing as well. It is of great symbolic significance, however, that the project is launched in the anniversary year – as a manifestation of hope and life continuing in all circumstances.
The Beethoven Moment is a private nonprofit initiative, all work for the project is done pro bono and involves no sponsorship. It is supported by the Beethoven Anniversary Society (Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH) with its BTHVN2020 logo, the Digital Orchestra who provided the music, and the participating airports – through their very involvement.
CONTACTS
maria.m@beethovenmoment.com
www.beethovenmoment.com
For news reporting from a specific airport, please contact the respective airport
PRINCIPLE PARTNERS OF THE BEETHOVEN MOMENT PROJECT
Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH
The Digital Orchestra
Participating Airports
Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
Moscow Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport
Minsk National Airport
Munich Airport
Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport named after A.I.Pokryshkin
Sarajevo International Airport
Riga International Airport
Zagreb Airport
Zurich Airport