Over 30.000 visitors at State Opera for all and BMW Classics. Open-air classical music weekend in Berlin and London with free admission thanks to BMW.

Berlin/London. Last weekend, BMW teamed up with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden to host free open-air concerts in London and Berlin. In London, the BMW Classics concert on Saturday 13 July attracted an audience of around 10,000 to the world-famous Trafalgar Square. In Berlin, more than 20,000 music lovers flocked to the State Opera for all on Friday evening, 12 July, and on Saturday to watch the live opera broadcast and the open-air concert on Bebelplatz.

BMW Classics in London
Emmanuelle Chabrier's exuberant, stirring "Joyeuse marche" opened this year's BMW Classics concert in London on Saturday, for the first time under the baton of Duncan Ward.This was followed by Brahms' rhythmic dance piece 'Rondo alla zingarese'. The centrepiece of the concert was the world premiere of Joanna Lee's new work 'beams.bellows.bounds', specially commissioned for the occasion. Written for a mixed orchestra as part of the LSO's Discovery programme, the piece brought together the Orchestra with 50 young musicians from East London. The concert concluded with a performance of Stravinsky's magical score for the ballet Petrushka.

For 10,500 music enthusiasts around the world, the concert was streamed live on the London Symphony Orchestra's YouTube channel and Facebook page, where it will be available for viewing for up to 90 days from 14 days after the concert.

This year's edition of BMW Classics extends the twelve-year partnership between the BMW Group and the London Symphony Orchestra for a further three years.

State Opera for all in Berlin
As part of the 18th edition of State Opera for all, audiences were able to experience the live broadcast of Marc-André Dalbavie's latest work 'Melancholy of Resistance' on Friday evening at Bebelplatz. Staged by director David Marton and cinematographer Chris Kondek, the cinematic live opera combined techniques from musical theatre and cinema in detailed images on the opera stage and screen. The ensemble of countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, Sandrine Piau, Tanja Ariane Baumgartner, Matthias Klink and the Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Marie Jacquot were celebrated in the opera house and by around 1,000 people on Bebelplatz, despite storm warnings and rain. The opera performance was also broadcasted on 13 July on rbb Radio3.

The traditional open-air concert of the Staatskapelle Berlin, for the first time under the musical direction of the designated General Music Director Christian Thielemann, took place on Saturday to close the concert season with Richard Wagner's Overture to "Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg" and "Eine Alpensinfonie" op. 64 by Richard Strauss. The concert, which was greeted with standing ovations by around 20.000 enthusiastic guests on Bebelplatz, was also streamed live worldwide on www.staatsoper-berlin.de and broadcasted on 14 July at 10 pm on rbb television. Before the Staatskapelle Berlin concert, the Opera Children's Orchestra, conducted by Giuseppe Mentuccia and Vinzenz Weissenburger, performed works by Antonín Dvořák, Robert Schumann and Duke Ellington with Maria Kokareva as soloist.

"For the 18th time, the 'State Opera for all' weekend succeeded in bringing the diversity and beauty of opera to tens of thousands of people from all over the world, both in person and online via streaming. We transformed Bebelplatz into a place of exchange and togetherness, which is more important than ever in today's world. Success is based on a diverse, cosmopolitan and lively society - this applies to companies/the BMW Group as well as to cultural institutions/the Staatsoper," says Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human Resources and Real Estate.

This year, State Opera for all not only marked the ceremonial end of the 2023/24 season, but also the end of Matthias Schulz's directorship, who is taking his leave after seven years (2017 - 2024) to take over the directorship of Zurich Opera House from 2025/26.

Matthias Schulz, Artistic Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden: "The fact that so many different people came together to experience music is indescribable - it really was state opera for ALL! It was great that the concert was also a prelude to the new General Music Director Christian Thielemann, with whom I have been able to experience so much over the last two years. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful and emotional farewell. I would like to thank all the staff at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, our wonderful audience and our main sponsor BMW for their long-standing partnership and support."

Save the date: On 27 July 2024, Opera for all will take place in Munich with a live broadcast of Giacomo Puccini's opera TOSCA, staged by director Kornél Mundruczó and conducted by Andrea Battistoni and Oksana Lyniv.

The BMW Group's cultural commitment with exclusive updates and deeper insights into the global initiatives can be followed on Instagram at @BMWGroupCulture.