The LSO and an enthusiastic group of young musicians once again returned to Trafalgar Square in 2013 for an evening of free music out in the open-air, this time on a glorious Bank Holiday Monday! After an all-Stravinsky programme to kick things off in 2012, in 2013 Gergiev turned to the one of the most flamboyant composers of the Romantic period: Hector Berlioz.

'I never expected my first blog post to be the start of a series, wrongly assuming like so many of us that we’d all be back at work within weeks and life would be returning to normal within the blink of an eye.' 

From the very beginning, BMW Open Air Classics concerts have always promised delightful music in an iconic setting, free to enjoy beneath the balmy sky of a warm summer's evening. Back in 2012, in the run up to the Olympics during a summer like no other, an estimated 7,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square for this feel-good, outdoor experience.

Ahead of his solo performances of Prokofiev's Second and Third Piano Concertos with the LSO in autumn 2019, we caught up with pianist Denis Matsuev to talk about the great Russian composers, performing with Gianandrea Noseda and the magic of the stage.

This article was first published in October 2019.