The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and its shopkeepers on Thursday unveiled their new “light show”, on an evening when the shopping centre opened late for the event. The three-minute “sound and light” show will be repeated every Friday and Saturday, at 30 minute intervals, from sunset until 10.30 p.m.
A “light” show, accompanied by Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, written in 1847, had marked the festivities of the 170th anniversary of the Galeries last year. The success of that event led the shopkeepers to consider making the initiative an annual event. Given that the age of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 dates back to that the year the Galeries were opened (1847), the musical composition will remain one of the pieces played for these shows. In the spirit of modernity, the notes of the Brussels artist, Lost frequencies, will be added to this.
Alexandre Grosjean, Chief Executive of non-trading company, Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, commented, “Passing tourists were not expecting this and that created fantastic atmosphere. It has been a form of team and joint effort to, once again, give the centre a new image and recreate a great deal of entertainment in the centre of Brussels. Each year some 6 million people pass through the Galeries and the building is widely known, even abroad.”
He went on, “The annual event is providing a form of modernisation. It is an old building that we are attempting to bring up-to-date through all of our initiatives. We have to combine the respect for the past and everything that this exceptional heritage represents, whilst reflecting a modern image.”
A new LED lighting system was put in place last year in the Galeries. The system enables very wide-ranging “sound and light displays” as much as regards the colour palette as the choice of parts to be illuminated within the space of the centre. The coordination of images and sound is carried out using a computer program.
The Brussels Times
