Audi 2012 Annual Report Download - page 93

My Passion

H
all N58 on the AUDI AG
factory site in Ingolstadt
has never seen anything
like it: The heavy press
tools that each day pro -
cess 500 metric tons of steel and
aluminum for the manufacture of various
Audi models have given way to a stage
with grand piano and elaborate lighting
technology. Giant pipes, containers and
switchgear provide a striking back drop
to the cultural spectacle – an exciting
platform for performances by more
than 150 artists from all over the world.
Among them is Olga Scheps, the
27-year-old pianist from Cologne with
Russian roots. When she starts playing
Brahms, the guests – including the
many Audi employees who won a ticket
in the ballot – listen spellbound. Just
a few moments ago, the talented
musician earned thundering applause
from the audience for her rendition
of Rachmanino accompanied by the
Audi Philharmonic Wind Orchestra.
As the final note of her solo piece fades
away, presenter Ulrich Meyer pays
tribute to the orchestra. Its 60 or so
musicians are really the people cel
e-
brating on this occasion, which Director
Katharina Wagner has put together as
her “birthday present to Audi.”
Because when the Philharmonic Wind
Orchestra started out in 1962, it
launched a tradition that is the
reason
behind the evening’s celebrations:
“50 Years of Culture at Audi.”
Much has changed over the past five
decades. Under the umbrella term
“ArtExperience,” Audi supports numer -
ous cultural institutions – regional
ones such as the RockPop Festivals in
Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, national
ones such as the Bavarian State Opera,
and international ones such as the
Salzburg Festival. Audi’s aim is to make
art and culture acces sible to all, whether
employees, cus tomers or the general
Salzburg, Bayreuth, Bavarian
State Opera: Audi is a reliable
partner for cultural events.
public. The carmaker is steadily
widen ing this commitment. Ventures
that span boundaries – creative and
geographi cal alike – are expressly
encouraged.
Precisely that is evident in this
evening’s program: The Chinese
virtuoso musician Wu Wei plays the
sheng, a wind instrument made from
37 bamboo pipes, from which he
produces up to 20 dierent notes at
the same time. By way of a contrast,
the Georgian Chamber Orchestra and
the Audi Youth Choir Academy per -
form a Bach cantata.
Moving on to Hungary, the Ballet
Company of Győr produces a rousing
interpretation of music by the legend-
ary rock band Queen. After the main
course of the dinner, jazz trumpeter
Till Brönner delights the guests with
an inspir ing medley. The highlight of a
musi cal tour around the world comes
when Austrian percussionist Martin
Grubinger plays a furiously fast Japanese
com po si tion on the marimbaphone, an
instrument resemb ling the xylophone.
The man has hall N58 rocking!
Once the applause has died down,
guests and artists concur that this has
been a fantastic evening – in the most
unconventional of settings! Overnight,
the press shop is restored to its primary
function. But the sounds of this grand
cultural tour reverberate on. «
Gala dinner:
500 guests took
their places at
the elegantly
decorated tables.
Getting in the
swing: The Audi
Philharmonic
Wind Orchestra
opened the jubilee
evening with a
performance of
Leonard Bernstein’s
Overture to
“Candide.”
Fuel consumption and emission figures at the end of the Annual Report
P H O T O S | TO B I A S H A S E /P I C T U R E -A L L I A N C E (2 ); A U D I A G (3)
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