BMW Classics
A free open-air concert in the heart of London
BMW Classics, the London Symphony Orchestra’s free outdoor summer concert in Trafalgar Square, will next take place on Saturday 13 July 2024, conducted by LSO Principal Guest Conductor François-Xavier Roth.
This annual event highlights the continued partnership between BMW Group and the London Symphony Orchestra, which for over a decade has brought superlative live orchestral music to audiences in one of the world’s most iconic public spaces and to tens of thousands more watching around the globe via streaming.
BMW Classics 2024
Saturday 13 July 2024 5pm
Trafalgar Square & Online
Emmanuelle Chabrier Joyeuse marche
Johannes Brahms Rondo alla zingarese
Joanna Lee beams.bellows.bounds
(world premiere) *
Igor Stravinsky Petrushka
François-Xavier Roth conductor
LSO On Track & Guildhall School Musicians *
London Symphony Orchestra
Gallery: BMW Classics 2023
The concert opens with Emmanuelle Chabrier’s exuberant crowd-pleasing Joyeuse marche, followed by Brahms’ frenzied, rhythmic dance piece, Rondo alla zingarese.
At the heart of the concert, the LSO play the world premiere of Joanna Lee’s new work, beams.bellows.bounds, specially commissioned for this occasion. This piece, written for a mixed-ability orchestra, brings together LSO musicians with 70 young musicians from east London as part of the LSO Discovery programmes.
For the final work, François-Xavier Roth and the LSO will perform Stravinsky’s magical score for the ballet Petrushka.
For our audiences around the world, the concert will also be live-streamed on the LSO’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. It will later be made available to watch on demand on YouTube, from the end of July until October.
BMW Classics 2023 Highlights
Images © Doug Peters/Kevin Leigton
