BMW CLASSICS returns to Trafalgar Square on Sunday 30 June 2019 with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra for London’s largest open-air classical music concert. This free midsummer concert highlights the continued partnership between BMW and the London Symphony Orchestra, providing access to superlative live music in one of the world’s most iconic public spaces. And it heralds the beginning of the incredible summer programme of music that London has to offer.
With an audience of 7,000 people in the Square, the concert will once again be livestreamed on the Orchestra’s YouTube channel, reaching thousands more around the world. The LSO regularly streams concerts free from the Barbican and on tour.
The programme features music for dance by Dvořák, Poulenc, Ravel, with Britten’s much-loved The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. The highlight of BMW CLASSICS 2019 will be the world premiere of a specially commissioned work by Bushra El-Turk. This new piece of music for dance will bring together LSO musicians with 55 young musicians from East London in the LSO On Track programme and 20 Guildhall students.
Commenting on the event, Sir Simon Rattle said, “I was bowled over by the experience of BMW CLASSICS last year and am thrilled to be back to share the stage with the London Symphony Orchestra, these talented young musicians, and to bring a new work by Bushra El-Turk to our audiences. This event highlights the fact that the enjoyment of hearing live orchestral music is not merely restricted to concert halls, and it can and should be accessible to everyone. Without BMW and the Mayor of London, holding a free event of this sort would not be possible, and I am hugely grateful to them.“
Nicolas Peter, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said, “Thanks to our long-term partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra, this summer Trafalgar Square will once again be transformed into London’s biggest concert hall. So far over 100,000 listeners have tuned in onsite and online and it is our pleasure to welcome again London’s residents and visitors to enjoy another phenomenal free concert. We are especially delighted that it will be Sir Simon Rattle’s second time to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra for BMW CLASSICS.”
Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons said, “It’s great that Trafalgar Square will once again be transformed into an open-air concert hall, enabling thousands of Londoners and visitors to witness a thrilling performance of live music for free in the heart of the capital. I am also delighted that the next generation of musical talent will have the chance to perform alongside professional artists under the direction of world-renowned conductor Sir Simon Rattle. It will be a great opportunity for these 55 talented young musicians at the start of their careers.”
Bushra El-Turk said, “What an exciting challenge to write for a mixed-ability orchestra made up of all the elements that mean so much to me. I am thrilled to be part of an unforgettable childhood experience for these young people, to work with the LSO, to pay tribute to my student years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, of course, to work with one of the world’s most respected conductors, Sir Simon Rattle in one of London’s most iconic venues, Trafalgar Square.”
BMW CLASSICS is part of a series of outdoor concerts that BMW Group is partner of in London, Munich, Berlin and Moscow.
