BMW Classics

Saturday 13 June 2026 4pm BST
Trafalgar Square & Online

Gustav Holst
Movements from ‘The Planets’:
Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus & Uranus
Louise Drewett
Four Dances (world premiere) *
Edward Elgar
Movements from ‘Enigma Variations’:
Theme, II HDS-P, III RBT, IV WMB, VII Troyte,
IX Nimrod, XI GRS, XIV EDU – Finale

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor
LSO Discovery Young Musicians *
Guildhall School Musicians *
London Symphony Orchestra

Watch online

Read the Concert Programme

Complete the audience survey

This year, LSO Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano led a programme of selected highlights celebrating the Orchestra’s long association with two great British masterworks: Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

In 2026 and 2027, the LSO launches an ambitious multi-platform celebration of Holst’s The Planets, with BMW Classics serving as the project’s largest live-performance moment. Audiences in Trafalgar Square and online got to hear five movements of the astrological-inspired Suite — Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Uranus.

At the centre of this year’s concert, was the world premiere of Louise Drewett’s new work Four Dances, which had been specially commissioned for BMW Classics. Written for a mixed-ability orchestra, the piece brought together LSO musicians, Guildhall School students, and 55 young musicians from east London participating through the LSO Discovery programmes. The Dances celebrate London itself and depict four striking public spaces, each with its own distinctive mood: The Queen’s Walk near London Bridge; Columbia Wharf in Rotherhithe; South Dock on the Isle of Dogs; and Greenwich Pier in Maritime Greenwich.

For the finale, the Orchestra performed excerpts from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, including the famous Nimrod. The LSO has held a profound connection with Elgar since its foundation in 1904, when the composer conducted the Orchestra during its inaugural season and went on to serve as its second Principal Conductor.

This annual event reflects the LSO and BMW’s shared commitment to supporting ambitious, forward-looking cultural projects. For 15 years this partnership has brought superlative live orchestral music into a fully public space and around the globe via streaming – free, open, and accessible to all. The new commissions and world premiere performances each year further underline the shared mission of the LSO and BMW to foster young talent and expand musical participation across generations.

Watch Online

The concert was live-streamed and is available to watch on demand on YouTube .