Live In Bratislava

On 12 May 2024, Jean-Michel Jarre and special guest Sir Brian May electrified the Bratislava skies with 'Bridge from the Future, 'the opening concert of the seventh edition of the Startmus Festival. The live performance of 22 tracks took place against the breathtaking backdrop of the SNP Bridge (UFO Bridge).

Among the concert's repertoire of 22 musical works spanning Jean-Michel Jarre's career was a remarkable new arrangement of Antonín Dvořák's 'New World Symphony'. Rearranged by Jean-Michel Jarre and Brian May, this rendition marked an historic first-time collaboration between the iconic musicians. Each brought their individual musical backgrounds and histories to the table, converging to create a singularly distinctive performance, firmly focused on the future. Brian May also performed with Jarre on 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. They were also joined by members of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and a 19- piece chorus from the Slovak Philharmonic Choir.

The mammoth set, designed by Jarre, was constructed over a period of a month by a team of over 100 people working day and night, including hundreds of kilometres of cables, 21 screens, 150 lighting projectors and over 170 tonnes of staging equipment. It was the largest stage ever constructed in Slovakia. In an environmentally responsible approach and to offset its carbon impact, the production has also committed to the preservation and sustainable management of over 150 years of pan-European forests, notably in Slovakia.