captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> "euromaxx highlights." coming up on the show -- startling structures, austrian architecture coop himmelblau reaches for the sky. jeweler's jubilee, swiss watchmaker chopard celebrates 150 years. music maestro, conductor kurt masur picks up an echo lifetime achievement award. "euromaxx highlights." and here's your host, robin merrill. >> hello from berlin and welcome to this highlights edition.

british photographer carl warner is very fond of food. nothing strange about that but his fondness has nothing to do with eating it. he goes to the grocery store or the market and sees food in a completely different light. he pictures the countryside stretching out in front of him or maybe the skyline of a city. confused? well, don't worry everything will be revealed, just look very carefully at this report. >> a mushroom as a cart wheel -- in a landscape of vegetables and parmesan cheese. what at first glance looks like a painting is actually real food -- meticulously arranged and photographed. the mountains are made of bread. the house of cheese and crackers and the sea from filet of salmon. the image was staged and shot by british photographer carl warner who finds inspiration at

london's farmers' markets. >> i started off coming to a market like this and i found a load of lovely big mushrooms. and i got my camera right underneath the mushrooms so i was looking up at it like a tree. and that all of a sudden created this new world. the scale of things had changed. >> what began as a hobby a decade ago has now become a significant part of his work as a commercial photographer. >> you know, i look at things and think what does it remind me of? what can i make from it? i keep seeing a fish! you see flat leaf parsley -- i see a tree, i see foliage, you know, if it's hanging down from the top in the corner of a picture. >> in his studio in london, warner has made and photographed more than 40 food landscapes. his latest project is a train

in a world of chocolate. >> what we have got here is a whole load of stuff, for example these bars here are going to make the railway sleepers. it's basically that and then we're just going to step and repeat it all the way long. so well get a nice long track and the train is going to sit on top of that. >> together with modelmaker paul baker, warner creates the scene he will later photograph from a fixed camera angle. each piece of chocolate must be in precisely the right place. warner's sketch serves as a guide. >> basically the ideas i come up with are in my head first of all, i see the scene that i want to do, i kind of pin it down on a sketch. so i have this little kind of notebook here where i draw my ideas out. and then im going to my modelmaker and my food stylist and show them the type of thing

im trying to achieve. >> carl warner studied art and planned to be an illustrator. but then he discovered photography and the possibilities it opened up. employing his artistic skills, he created advertising campaigns -- for brands of rice or ice cream. a british television station had him replicate the sights of london. >> i use a lot of the devices of traditional painting or classical painting in terms of composition and roads or in this case tracks leading us into the picture. people are very familiar with that sort of landscape pictures -- postcards, very classical painters that painted in this way, the use of perspective and of lighting. it's something they are very comfortable with visually. they automatically key into it and then have the double take that it is actually done with food. >> on average, he and his team work for two days to get that one, perfect shot.

but the advance preparations -- the sketches, planning, models -- can take weeks. >> i don't think it's high art and i don't think that big galleries will ever show this work. but im much happier with people putting it on their kitchen walls or dining room walls and enjoying it for what it is. it's just pictures made out of food. there's no deep significant meaning to it. it's just visual pleasure with food. >> around half of his works are the result of ideas he's obsessed with. the rest are commissioned pieces. his latest one will be used to advertise a chocolate trade fair in new york. a land of plenty. one of many that photographer carl warner has created. i wonder what happens to all

that chocolate after the photo session. construction on a grander scale now with coop himmelblau a firm based in vienna. it's a cooperative architectural design company which strives to be different. they pride themselves in trying to create experimental architecture which is more possible in today's world with the technological advantages of new building materials. we met up with one of the founders of coop himmelblau at their headquarters in the austrian capital. buildings desgined by architecture firm coop himmelblau can be seen all over the world. founder wolf d. prix is the idea man at the vienna-based company. it all started in 1968, with a

small team and big aspirations. from the very beginning, the name "himmelblau," meaning sky- blue, stood for a philosophy. >> himmelblau isn't a color, it's an idea to make architecture like clouds. it was a protest against the economized, functionalized architecture that was at the forefront of discussion at the time. >> clouds are symbolic of change -- and radical change, at that. visually reminiscent of the gentle shapes created by ocean waves, a conference center is being built in the chinese port city of dalian. >> the austrian architects have even won over conservative bankers with their innovative designs. they're currently building a new home for the european central bank in frankfurt. with a construction cost of 500 mmillion euros, the project is the largest ever for coop himmelblau.

prix can't pinpoint the company's recipe for success -- but the firm may well have thrived by sticking to its original ambitions. >> first, to create identifiable, noticeable, special buildings, recognizable in the city like bones in meat. we develop new strategies to arrive at a new interpretation of public space, and all of our buildings use 30% less energy than the norm requires. >> when prix and partner helmut swiczinsky started out in 1968, they sought to transform the city with their revolutionary aesthetic. and they took their belief -- that architecture should be inflammatory -- literally.

they incorporated their leitmotiv, the clouds, into their architectural design. >> that was our first project. a cloud. an inflatable shell in which moveable platforms and diverse spatial situations can be produced. the whole thing can be packed into a container and transported by truck wherever you want it to go. >> at first, their utopian ideas only made it to the drawing board. coop himmelblau spent a long time struggling to stay afloat. the first commissions started rolling in during the mid-70's. the architects designed the interior of bars in vienna. later on, the company got its first building contracts. their most famous projects include the falkestrasse rooftop addition in vienna, the ufa cinema center in dresden and the akron art museum in ohio. >> today, coop himmelblau employs a staff of 150 from 19 countries. they test their designs in the classic way -- with detailed models. even international companies are turning to the company for extravagant design. in 2007, bmw world opened in munich -- a building that serves as both a delivery center for cars and a public space.

coop himmelblau's leaders have kept the idea of creating space for people one of their key goals. but these spaces don't have to be set in stone. this opera pavillion in munich opened in june 2010. we are being called on to create new designs for society. it's a collapsible cultural center that's easy to transport and set up -- even in increasingly dense urban spaces. >> the future of mankind really lies in overcoming the city problem. i think today, the next step in the future for us architects is very exciting, because we're really being called on to create new life designs for society. >> architectural designs that sometimes appear as if they'd just as soon lift up off the ground. like the firm's current project, the house of music -- a cutting- edge concert hall in the danish city of aalborg. one of their upcoming projects is the museum of contemporary art in shenzhen, china. for coop himmelblau, it's

another creation that's meant to prove that extraordinary architectural forms can also provide plenty of function. >> every year the french gourmet restaurant guide gault millau also produces a wine guide, and they award one winemaker in each country where they publish with the title of best vintner of the year. >> in 2010 it's tim fröhlich who at 35 is the youngest ever recipient to win in germany. >> the nahe wine-growing region is some one hundred kilometers west of frankfurt. tim fröhlich produces wines in one of the best areas -- felseneck near the village of bockenau. his wines have received numerous prizes. >> we place great value on small grapes. they're full of flavor.

often it also depends on the location and felseneck is pre- destined for it. the grapes are often much smaller and very aromatic. they create very delicate, sophisticated wines with intensive aromas. >> the 35-year old and his team favour organic cultivation. they specialize in riesling -- a fine white wine. tim fröhlich's winning concept is -- quality, careful handling of the vines and gut instinct. he inherited that from his father, hans fröhlich. tim accompanied him into the vineyards as a child. >> a sense and feeling for it get's passed on to you: what vines should look like, what balance means. you can't teach that, you can't learn it -- a sense of what's right is passed down the generations. you get it from your father.

>> hans fröhlich instilled a passion for wine-making into his son. >> tim has wanted to be wine- maker like his father since he was two years old. he began his training in 1993. at the tender age of 20, he took over the leadership of the family business. he's won many awards. this year he won the highest prize for german wine-makers. >> up until now, he hasn't made any major mistakes. on the contrary -- everything's gone well so far. every vintage has been better than the one before. so we're more than satisfied. the fröhlich wine estate is a family business. tim's sister meike handles sales. his mother karin does whatever she can to help. and his wife nicole lends a

hand too. production is increasing year by year. 30 % of the company's produce is now exported. >> the wines we make are full of character. they've got heart and soul. it's very important to me to make wines that people remember, wines with character. >> when tim's not busy making wine, he repairs vintage cars. his proudest possession is a 1968 renault alpine. >> you need something to give you balance. my second passion is old cars. it's basically the history and desire to maintain old traditions that makes restoring them so much fun. in that sense, it's similar to wine cultivation. >> tim fröhlich manages 16 hectares of vineyards all year round. that's an area the size of 23 football fields. he uses this machine to check the sugar content of the grapes. it's around 90 degrees oechsle.

that's good. it means they can be harvested soon. he's confident the 2010 vintage will be a good one. >> i think there are always new things, new ideas. i never run out of ideas and i've got a lot planned for the next few years. we won't rest on our laurels. we'll keep working to improve quality. >> that's good news for fans of fröhlich wines. it seems they'll be able to look forward to interesting new offerings from the brockenau vineyard for years to come. >> the swiss based watch and jewelry maker chopard is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. it's always been a family enterprise but the family actually changed after one hundred years in the 1960's from a swiss one to a german one. the scheufele's now have spent the last half century turning

it into one of the most recognizable luxury labels in the world. >> when the stars bathe in the light of flashbulbs, exquisite jewelry is part of picture. the more expensive, the better. caroline gruosi-schäufele often looks proudly as her creations adorn the celebrities on the red carpet. she is the co-president of the chopard company. the firm's big anniversary allows her to reflect. >> sometimes i sit there and think back -- what was chopard 20 years ago? what is chopard today? where do we want to take it? and then of course one is proud that it is still a family business and that the trademark has become known all over the world. >> it's been a long road to this point. in 1860, louis-ulysse chopard founded his watch factory in the swiss jura mountains. the company rapidly became famous, supplying its elegant

wares to the royal courts of europe. karl scheufele became a goldsmith and watchmaker in pforzheim in 1904. two generations later, in 1963, the two companies became one when karl scheufele bought chopard. today the 72-year-old is still the boss. his children caroline and karl friedrich are co-presidents. >> many of our staff say working with a family is a completely different experience compared to working for a big, anonymous company that is constantly replacing its directors. but caroline gruosi-scheufele is involved in more than just the business end. since 1985, she has also been designing jewelry. chopard today is a global concern, employing 1,700 people in 124 countries and producing 75,000 watches and pieces of jewelry each year. the luxury label is know for its modern, sometimes eccentric

creations. chopard celebrated its birthday by releasing an animal collection comprising 150 unique one-off items. >> this woman designs jewelry for women, that's quite decisive. she understood rapidly that cool, sleek, and traditional jewelry is not much fun. so instead she began creating with colors, space, and lots of imagination. >> and in such a glamorous business inevitably she is often in the limelight herself. she is now on first-name terms with stars and royalty -- and is likewise a target for the photographers. >> i always feel a little not stage fright, but a little anxiety -- will i lose a shoe, or will something happen, will an ear-ring become loose it's a new experience every time. >> chopard has a strong presence at the cannes film festival.

caroline gruosi-scheufele redesigned the golden palm award 12 years ago. and since 2001, the luxury label has awarded its own prize -- the trophée chopard for young actors. for this and other events, the stars are generously draped with valuable jewelry. the celebrities have to make some difficult choices. >> the way they design their pieces is very whimsical, poetic. >> the jewelry always leaves our premises with a bodyguard, who remains with the actress until she goes to bed, so to speak, and then he brings it back. caroline gruosi-scheufele could tell plenty of anecdotes. but the discrete executive prefers to work -- sometimes on the red carpet as well. the echo music awards are

germany's most prestigious classical music prizes. one of this year's winners is the distinguished conductor kurt masur. a legend and not just for his music as we will see, masur has been rewarded with the lifetime achievement accolade this year and it's possibly the only one still missing from his collection. kurt masur, 83 years old, a world-famous conductor. a week ago he learned that he will receive this year's "echo classic" prize for an artist's life's work. >> someone told me on the telephone and i was surprised, because i have to say i've never really coveted prizes or titles, not in my whole life. and i'm increasingly surprised that, the older i get, the more things go in this direction. concerts in paris are like home

territory for kurt masur. from 2002 to 2008, he was chief conductor for the orchestre national de france. today he is its honorary conductor. whether in paris, leipzig, new york, or london, masur always developed a very close relationship to his orchestras. well, almost always. >> i had problems that could not be overcome only a single time. i won't name the orchestra. i was very young, and the orchestra manipulated me a bit, and that really was a blow, because i had believed that all musicians are very good people. but musicians aren't necessarily good people. they play good music and when they play beethoven, for example, they play with beethoven's spirit and you might believe they are like him. but that's not the case.

>> as chief conductor, kurt masur coaxed the most out of the world's top orchestras. the gewandhausorchester in leipzig, the new york philharmonic orchestra, and the london philharmonic orchestra. >> never use rrrrrh....dada dieda dieda die ... it's so harsh very often. >> kurt masur also brought the paris orchestra to the top of european league. >> immediately the orchestra fall in love with him, his way to work, his character, his dynamism, lot of points that orchestra like in a conductor. >> it was something new for us and for me it was -- now i can't play without thinking of him, because i can't, i can't play one note without something inside. and it is him.

>> masur was born in 1927 in silesia, which is now in poland. he studied conducting in leipzig, but quit shortly before his exams when a theater offered him a job as bandleader. >> when this offer came, it was clear to me i better take it because with the exams either i was good enough that no one would ask about my exam results, or i wasn't good enough with them. >> with his extraordinary energy, kurt masur had a dream career in communist east germany. in 1970, he became chief conductor of leipzig's gewandhaus orchestra. he headed it for 27 years. the new gewandhaus, built at his urging, opened in 1981. in the fall of 1989, when more and more people were taking part in the monday demonstrations in leipzig, he used his prestige to help keep east germany's

revolution peaceful. >> of course we were afraid! i have a family, i brought my wife over from japan, and i still had some relatives here. >> as chief conductor of the new york philharmonic orchestra, kurt masur put johannes brahms' "german requium" on the schedule, just a few days after the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001. >> everyone there went home with the same feeling: that it's good there is such a thing as music. it can help. >> back in paris, kurt masur thrilled the audience with a robert schumann evening. kurt masur is one of the great personalities of our time.

perhaps because, along with music, something else is close to his heart -- humanity. >> i don't say i'm happiest when i'm successful. rather, i always say, i'm happiest when i've been understood. >> and a nice thought to end on. thanks for watching. just a reminder of our website at dw-world.de/english/euromaxx if you'd like to find out more about the program. for now though until next time, bye bye. of the best of europe.

venice seems to be every italy connoisseur's... prague has always been beautiful... germany... the irish civilization... the eiffel tower was built... hope you've enjoyed the magic of... on sunday mornings when i'm in paris, you're likely to find me here...

[ pipe organ playing ] ...in the saint sulpice church with its magnificent pipe organ. for organ lovers, a visit here is a pilgrimage. after mass, organ enthusiasts from around the world scamper like sixteenth notes up the spiral stairs into a world of 7,000 pipes. before electricity, it took three men working out on these 18th-century stairmasters to fill the bellows which powered the organ. the current organist, daniel roth, carries on the tradition of welcoming guests into the loft to enjoy his performance.

a commotion of music-lovers crowd around a tower of five keyboards below a forest of pipes. saint sulpice has a rich history with a line of 12 world-class organists going back over 200 years. like kings or presidents, the lineage is charted on the wall. and overseeing all this: johann sebastian bach. [ pipe organ playing ] this music continues to fill the spiritual sails of saint sulpice as it has for centuries, and it's just another reason i consider paris the cultural capitol of europe.