Tonight's program is a symphonic journey,
touching down in seven different countries,
and with the help of video and music,
we'll gain an appreciation for how 19th-century Europe
helped shape the beautiful world that we live in today.
The theme of the concert is romanticism and nationalism.
Nearly all the music we'll hear today
is from about the same generation,
from the late 1800s, from the Romantic Age,
and this music championed national causes
and it also supported this exciting notion
of common people finally taking the reins in their society.
You know, in so many ways, the 19th century
laid the groundwork for the freedoms
that we enjoy today in the 21st century.
And that passion for freedom is still strong in Europe.
Of course the big news in our generation
is the gradual integration
of that long bickering continent into a peaceful union.
And while it's tough to get all those proud nations
to do anything at the same time,
their motto is "united in diversity."
And one thing they do very well together
is embrace the ideals of their anthem.
This piece was conceived
in the revolutionary spirit of the 19th century
and set to a poem about universal brotherhood.
It's an anthem relevant today
as it was when Beethoven set pen to paper
calling all men to brotherhood
to celebrate freedom
and to be united joyfully in their diversity.
Now the official anthem
of the European Union, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."