London. 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.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
BMW CLASSICS
Sir Simon Rattle the London Symphony
Orchestra
Sunday 30 June 2019
Trafalgar Square, 5pm
Free, no ticket required. Early arrival essential. No glass or
furniture in the Square.
Featuring music from Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Ravel’s La valse,
Poulenc’s Suite les biches, Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the
Orchestra, and the world premiere of Tuquos by Bushra El-Turk.
Join the audience online in a free exclusive YouTube livestream: youtube.com/lso
lso.co.uk/bmwclassics
@londonsymphony
#bmwclassics
For further questions please contact:
Doris
Fleischer
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental
Affairs
Cultural Engagement
Telephone:
+49-151-601-27806
Prof. Dr Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate
and Governmental Affairs
Head of Cultural
Engagement
Telephone:
+49-89-382-24753
www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-mail:
presse@bmw.de
Chris Millard
London Symphony Orchestra
Head of Press
External Affairs
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y
8DS
Telephone:
+44 20 7382 2550
About the London Symphony Orchestra
The London
Symphony Orchestra [LSO] was established in 1904 and has a unique
ethos. As a musical collective, it is built on artistic ownership and
partnership. With an inimitable signature sound, the LSO’s mission is
to bring the greatest music to the greatest number of people. The LSO
has been the only Resident Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in the
City of London since it opened in 1982, giving 70 symphonic concerts
there every year. The Orchestra works with a family of artists that
includes some of the world’s greatest conductors – Sir Simon Rattle as
Music Director, Principal Guest Conductors Gianandrea Noseda and
François-Xavier Roth, and Michael Tilson Thomas as Conductor Laureate.
Through LSO Discovery, it is a pioneer of music education, offering
musical experiences to 60,000 people every year at its music education
centre LSO St Luke’s on Old Street, across East London and further
afield. The LSO strives to embrace new digital technologies in order
to broaden its reach, and with the formation of its own record label
LSO Live in 1999 it pioneered a revolution in recording live
orchestral music. With a discography spanning many genres and
including some of the most iconic recordings ever made the LSO is now
the most recorded and listened to orchestra in the world, regularly
reaching over 3,500,000 people worldwide each month on Spotify and
beyond. The Orchestra continues to innovate through partnerships with
market-leading tech companies, as well as initiatives such as LSO Play
and a programme of livestreamed concerts made available for free via
the LSO YouTube channel. The LSO is a highly successful creative
enterprise, with 80% of all funding self-generated. lso.co.uk
About BMW Group’s Cultural Commitment
For almost
50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100
cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of
its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical
music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three
large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter
specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters.
Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim,
Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. In
2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John
Baldessari created the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car
Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art
Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich, Moscow and
London, the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs
as well as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group
takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as
this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic
work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.
Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture
and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMW-Group-Culture
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroupculture/
@BMWGroupCulture
#BMWGroupCulture
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI,
Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading
premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides
premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production
network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14
countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and
more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to €
97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a workforce
of 134,682 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of
its strategy.
www.bmwgroup.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw