European leaders whose nations were at war 100 years ago, stood in solidarity in Sarajevo tonight, united by a programme of music from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO), distributed across Europe by 29 television and 24 radio public service broadcasters.

Vijećnica, the meticulously renovated National University Library of Sarajevo, was the poignant setting for the concert. The location was the site of the assassination of Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand exactly 100 years ago today - an incident that set off a chain of events that embroiled the world's major powers in a war of an unprecedented scale.

As politicians and European stakeholders reflected on the transformation Europe has undergone from a theatre of war to a continent characterised by peace and reconciliation, outside the venue, an audience of local Sarajevans were mindful of their own recent national turmoil as they watched the performance relayed onto a big screen.

Many were moved to tears as the orchestra opened the heavily symbolic musical programme with their national anthem. The concert also included selected pieces by Joseph Haydn, Frank Schubert, Alban Berg, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Revel and Josef Strauss, a "language of music" described by VPO conductor Franz Welser-Möst as "one audiences would universally understand".

The Eurovision-led production, involving EBU Members BHRT (Bosnia & Herzegovina), France Télévisions and ZDF (Germany), is the centrepiece to a series of themed projects offered by public service media to mark the events of 1914–1918 and their continued relevance to contemporary European society.

EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre, who joined high level political leaders and stakeholders to mark the occasion, said the event fulfilled an obligation by public service media to "put events into historical perspective, by offering context and depth".

“It goes without saying that this is a collective responsibility,” said Mrs Deltenre. “We all have to contribute in our own way. However, certain players have a particular role to play in this type of public reflection. For European public service media organisations, many of whom came into being in the aftermath of war, it goes to the very heart of our raison d’être to keep memories of the past alive and create an open platform for public debate on the challenges of the future.“

“At a time when the idea of genuine ‘European public space’ is too often discussed in theory only, public service media has a clear role to play in bringing it to life through different means,” she added. “One way of reflecting on our shared history and common values is through culture.”