Jean-Michel Jarre and special guest Brian May from Queen electrified an audience of 100,000 fans on May 12 gathered in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Sunday (May 12) at Bridge from the Future, the opening concert for the Starmus Festival, presented in association with digital security company ESET.
Jarre opened the concert with a Blue Dot in Space, a composition created by Jarre for Starmus, where real sounds of the stars were weaved into the soundscape, “inviting the audience to consider our position on Earth within the cosmos, and the future of our home planet, reflecting the theme of this year’s edition of STARMUS Festival,” according to a release.
“The staggering production featured exquisitely choreographed architectural light and laser displays that were visible from three different countries including Austria and Hungary. A mesmerizing 400-drone ballet painted the night sky with a supernova-like display, while fireworks punctuated the musical score. The stage included two towering turrets at over 30 meters tall, perfectly framing the UFO bridge behind it, which itself was adorned with lights and lasers. Jarre designed the entire visual element himself, conceiving it as a score to the music.”
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The concert featured 19 musical works spanning Jean-Michel Jarre’s career including a new arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony and performances with May of newly adapted works Bratislava Time and Rendez-vous Bratislava. Jarre was also accompanied on stage by his backing band featuring longstanding accomplice Claude Samard and newcomer British musician Adiescar Chase who played among other instruments the violin, bass guitar and didgeridoo.
The concert was televised on Slovakian National TV network RTVS as well as globally via the EBU network and live-streamed on Jean-Michel Jarre’s YouTube channel. The concert is available to watch online for another seven days. Learn more about Starmus here.