Moscow. On July 7, the Russian capital hosted “BMW Opera for All” for the second time. The event took place on the square in front of Bolshoi Theatre where an orchestra of 100 musicians together with 115 chorus singers performed world renowned arias from some of the most famous operas for an audience of around 8 000 people. Due to its popularity, BMW Group Russia and Bolshoi Theatre might choose another venue for the concert in 2020 that will be able to host even more people.
“BMW Opera for All” is a joint project of BMW Group Russia and the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia. For one and a half hours the audience was able to listen to a free open-air concert on Moscow’s Theatralnaya Square performed by the Bolshoi Theater Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Tugan Sokhiev.
“BMW Opera for All” in Moscow is part of a global project of open-air concerts that was launched as “Oper für alle” (Opera for all) in Munich in 1997. BMW Group’s open-air concerts, with performances of contemporary stars of the classical music scene, are among the most anticipated cultural events in Berlin, London and Munich. Last year Moscow joined the list of cultural capitals as one of the hosts of the event.
“We believe that practically anyone can understand and appreciate classical music. By that we are saying that music has no boundaries. The same goes for our festival – it has no boundaries and also takes place in London, Berlin and Munich. These operas are absolutely for everyone!”, said Stefan Teuchert, President of BMW Group Russia.
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 Cultural Engagement
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, Moscow 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 for granted – as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.
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 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to € 97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a workforce of 134,682 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
