Dreams come true in Rakvere

Arvo Pärt, Estonia's internationally most renowed composer celebrated his 75^th birthday on 11 September 2010. During one month, many special events, e.g. concerts, exhibitions, dance performances, film festivals, took place in Rakvere, and other Estonian, and European cities.

Rakvere was a childhood city of Arvo Pärt, where also his music education got its start. Therefore, the celebrations were especially meaningful for the city and 11 September became a historical day. Rakvere's Trinity Church got a very special present - the chimes Kyrie composed by Arvo Pärt himself. The chimes, that can be heard daily at noon, hides a musical message - it is ending with some notes of a famous Estonian children song about spring and symbolizes the eternal revival and new beginnings.

The main event, however, was the unveiling of the sculpture Boy on a Bicycle Listening to Music. It is not only a sculpture in the honour of the famous composer. It is also telling a true story of a young boy in post-war years yearning for music and dreaming of becoming a composer. The old market place with a loadspeaker atop of a pole offered the boy the possibility to listen to the symphony concerts. The older generation still can remember a young boy cycling around this pole, listening to the music and dreaming his dreams. This statue is dedicated to everybody trying to accomplish his dreams. Mayor of Rakvere, Andres Jaadla, said: "It is actually a monument for believing in one's dreams". The same boy, although considerably older, stood again, with the bicycle beside him, looking at the bronze statue.

The bronze statue was made by a sculptor Aivar Simson. A special bicycle ballet was performed at the old market place in Rakvere. In front of the sculpture, there is a bronze text on the ground: "A Boy on a Bicycle Listening to Music. With gratitude to Arvo Pärt from City of Rakvere."