BMW CLASSICS transformed Trafalgar Square tonight for people’s concert with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra.

London. Tonight, Sunday 1 July 2018, an audience of
10,000 people joined Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony
Orchestra in BMW CLASSICS, an evening of orchestral music,
transforming Trafalgar Square into the world’s biggest concert hall
for one night.

 

Sadiq Khan, London’s Mayor, got up on stage with Sir Simon Rattle and
Ian Robertson to welcome the audience. He said: “It is wonderful that
Trafalgar Square has been transformed into a concert hall to welcome
one of the world’s most celebrated orchestras. Hosting a free event of
this scale, in the heart of London, brings world-class classical music
to a modern and diverse audience. I’m particularly delighted that 50
of our city’s most talented young musicians had the opportunity to
perform alongside Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra.”

 

Sir Simon was joined by 100 musicians from the London Symphony
Orchestra playing alongside 50 young musicians from the LSO On Track
programme in East London and musicians from the Guildhall School of
Music Drama.

 

The programme featured music on a theme of dance and ballet by
Dvořák, Massenet,

Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky and included a world premiere by 29
year-old composer and pianist Kate Whitley, founder of Peckham Car
Park’s Multi-Story Orchestra.

 

BMW CLASSICS was broadcasted live on YouTube and can be streamed via
the following link: Youtube.com/lso

 

lso.co.uk/bmwclassics

@londonsymphony
#bmwclassics

 

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, Gianandrea Noseda and François-Xavier
Roth as Principal Guest Conductors, Michael Tilson Thomas as Conductor
Laureate and André Previn as Conductor Emeritus. Through LSO
Discovery, it is a pioneer of music education, offering musical
experiences to 60,000 people every year and over 100 live events at
its music education centre LSO St Luke’s on Old Street. With the
formation of its own record label LSO Live in 1999 the LSO pioneered a
revolution in recording live orchestral music. The LSO strives to
embrace new digital technologies – having successfully moved into
digital film, Blu-Ray Audio, downloads, streaming and virtual reality
– and it continues to innovate with platforms such as LSO Play, a
web-based video player that allows people to observe the Orchestra
from different angles. The LSO is also a highly successful creative
enterprise, with 80% of all funding self-generated.

 

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 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/BMWGroupCulture/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroupculture/

@BMWGroupCulture

#BMWGroupCulture

 

For further questions please contact:

 

Prof Dr Thomas Girst

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Head of Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-24753

E-Mail: Thomas.Girst@bmw.com

 

Leonie Laskowski

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-45382

E-Mail: Leonie.Laskowski@bmw.com

 

www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email: presse@bmw.de

 

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 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and
more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 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

Google+: http://googleplus.bmwgroup.com