“BMW Opera for All”: Russian premiere of BMW Group’s outdoor series in Moscow.

Moscow. On Sunday, June 24, Moscow will witness a unique musical event - the festival 'BMW Opera for All', organized by the BMW Group Russia together with the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. The oldest orchestra in the country - the Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of its Chief Conductor and Music Director Tugan Sokhiev ‒ will give a free, open-air concert in the spectacular setting of Moscow's Theatre Square. The capital's residents and guests will enjoy the best arias from outstanding classical works by Russian and foreign composers. The concert will start at 4 p.m.

'Open-air concerts with the stars of the world classical scene have already become a good tradition in Europe. Thanks to this BMW Group's initiative, Berlin, Munich and London have been hosting the 'Opera for All' festival for many years. We are delighted to be able to take it over and bring this musical festival to Russia, together with our long-term partner, the Bolshoi Theatre,' said Stefan Teuchert, CEO BMW Group Russia, 'We've supported many high-profile premieres held in the theater, and now we let music outside. With the launch of the joint 'Garage/BMW: Art/Tech Grant', this year has already become very special for the concern's cultural presence in Russia, and 'Opera for All' will make it just unforgettable. This project perfectly conveys the essence of BMW Group's cultural activities: bringing classical music outside the concert hall, it gives people the opportunity to enjoy art with no limitations whatsoever.'

Vladimir Urin, the general director of the Bolshoi Theatre: 'I am very glad that thanks to our long-term cooperation with the BMW Group Russia, this June the residents and guests of Moscow will have an opportunity not only to watch the matches of the World Cup, but also to enjoy a concert of the soloists and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre. It seems very important to me to expand our audience. I hope that many listeners of this concert will return later to the Theatre for our performances.'

Concerts from the BMW Group opera series are a hotly anticipated event in the musical calendars of European capitals. Since 2007, thanks to the BMW Group, more than 400,000 music fans have been able to enjoy the festival. Under the guidance of Tugan Sokhiev, over 100 musicians of the Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra will appear on stage at the premiere in Moscow under the theme 'BMW Opera beyond borders'. In the first section, the soloists of the theatre will perform the main arias from the best Russian operas: 'The Snow Maiden' and 'May Night' by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 'Eugene Onegin' and 'The Queen of Spades' by Peter Tchaikovsky. The programme will also include the overture to Mikhail Glinka's opera 'Ruslan and Lyudmila' and the romance by Alexander Alyabyev 'The Nightingale'. The second part of the concert will be devoted to the works by foreign composers. The guests will hear excerpts from the works by Giuseppe Verdi - 'La Traviata' and 'La forzadel destino', the operas by Gaetano Donizetti - 'Don Pasquale', 'L'elisir d'amore' and the musical masterpieces by Georges Bizet - 'Carmen' and 'Les pêcheursde perles'. The perfect complement to the programme will serve 'Barcarolá' - the gentlest duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano from Jacques Offenbach's last opera 'Les contes d'Hoffmann'.

Following Moscow, the event will be held in the British capital. The London Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Trafalgar Square on July 1. Under the guidance of Sir Simon Rattle - the sixth in the list of top-20 greatest conductors of all time, according to BBC Music Magazine - the orchestra will give already the sixth free concert in London. This year's program will be devoted to the theme of dance and ballet and will include works by Dvorak, Massenet, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. In addition, Trafalgar Square will host the world premiere of the 29-year-old pianist and composer Kate Whitley, the founder of the Multi-Story Orchestra, which promotes availability of classical music.

BMW Group Russia and the Bolshoi Theatre

For the whole world, the Bolshoi Theatre embodies the cultural life of Russia. This is why the partnership between BMW Group and this legendary creative institution, launched in 2004, is of the utmost importance. It positively influences the company's business and reputation in Russia. For many years of cooperation, BMW Group Russia has supported all the high-profile premiers of the Bolshoi Theatre, including such operatic masterpieces as 'The Flying Dutchman', 'Mazepa', 'The Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Falstaff' and 'War and Peace'. Acting as a reliable partner, the BMW Group guarantees absolute creative freedom in all cultural activities it is involved in - as this is just as essential for groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

About BMW Group's Cultural Commitment

For almost 50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group's Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim, Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. In 2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John Baldessari created the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art Journey and the 'Opera for All' concerts in Berlin, Munich and London, the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs as well as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities - as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview

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For further questions please contact:

Dr Thomas Girst

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Head of Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-24753

www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email: presse@bmw.de

Ilya Baryshev

BMW Group Russia

E-Mail: Ilya.Baryshev@bmw.com

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world's leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to € 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a workforce of 129,932 employees.

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