‘Gentlemen, from now on there will be no deputies. Good morning’. This was the controversial statement that triggered the formation of the LSO. And to celebrate 116 years since the Orchestra's inaugural concert, Archivist Libby Rice took a look back at how it all began!
In 2018, we welcomed a new face to BMW Classics. We're talking, of course, about our new Music Director Sir Simon Rattle. And 2018 brought with it another change for our LSO On Track and Guildhall School musicians: they wouldn't just be playing an arrangement of a popular piece of classical music, they'd be playing the world premiere of a brand new piece, written especially with them in mind.
For BMW Classics 2014 and 2015 the Orchestra returned to the music of Russian composers, this time Prokofiev (2014) and Shostakovich (2015). We of course shared the stage again with young musicians from LSO On Track and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and we were delighted to welcome an extra special guest in 2015: Nicola Benedetti. Take a look at the programmes below.
A taste of Russia was on the cards again for our BMW Classics audience in 2016 and 2017! Some pesky rainclouds didn't stop us blasting out Tchaikovksy's 1812 Overture in 2016, though we were glad of better weather for Rachmaninoff in 2017, and Valery Gergiev's last BMW Classics concert with the Orchestra.
The BMW Classics concert in Trafalgar Square is one of our favourite moments of the year. Sadly we can't perform in the Square this year, but we are broadcasting 2019's concert live on Sunday 7 June at 3pm (BST). Why not make your own Trafalgar Square experience at home with these top tips...
