Europa - La estrella azul / Europe – The blue star

Contribution published in the special supplement 100 Thoughts on Europe of the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel on the occasion of the conclusion of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Berlin, June 17, 2007


Beethoven and Brahms in Vienna, Mozart in Paris and Prague, Haydn in London, Scarlatti and Boccherini in Spain, the Italian Concerto and the French and English Suites by J. S. Bach, Iberia by Debussy... Western music of the last 300 years has such a strong European vocation that the formation and expansion of the European Union can only be understood as a logical development by the inhabitants of this part of the world. In contrast to nationalists and the petty bourgeoisie, incapable of seeing beyond the edge of their own plates, the open spirit of the great artists has always reached out toward this expansion. It is precisely this vital attitude that inspires other human beings to think about what it means to be human -whether culturally, politically, or simply economically. We are fortunate because we live in a historic moment, but we would be even more fortunate if we knew how to preserve and build upon this state in the future.

– The author (b. 1952) is a composer and artistic director of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra. Translated from the Spanish.