Aurora is making its Edinburgh debut this August
This orchestra founded in 2005 by Principal Conductor, Nicholas Collon, memorise whole symphonies – sometimes an hour long and present music with theatrical elements to allow their audiences to get a better understanding of it.
This summer Aurora marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most influential and performed composers of the 20th century, with a deep-dive into his Fifth Symphony – a work born in the shadow of Stalin's regime that reveals music on the edge of life and death by a composer treading a dangerous line between political obedience and artistic defiance.
Aurora will make their long-awaited debut at the Edinburgh International Festival, with two performances, including one in the Festival's Beanbag Concert Series.
Shostakovich Inside Out (Monday 18 August, 2pm) invites audiences to learn more about the Fifth Symphony in a fresh and immersive way, through a conversational presentation led by Nicholas Collon as the orchestra play the symphony by memory, pausing to share insights and delve into its emotional depth and historical context.
Later the same day, Aurora performs the full symphony by memory, as part of a concert that also includes Abel Selacoe's cello concerto Four Spirits, with the composer himself and percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger as soloists (Monday 18 August, 7:30pm).
Made up of a roster of fearless musicians who have developed and grown with the orchestra, Aurora is the pioneer for memorised orchestral performance and has performed entire symphonies from memory at the BBC Proms and beyond for the last 11 years. They will play at BBC Proms on 16 and 17 August ahead of appearing in Edinburgh.
The Artistic Director and Co-Director, Concept and Script for Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart, Jane Mitchell, said: 'Shostakovich's 5th symphony was written under extraordinary circumstances and has been put under a magnifying glass since the moment it was first presented. The stories surrounding the symphony provide a fascinating lens through which to look at the role of artists in a totalitarian state. Our presentation of the 5th symphony will look at these stories alongside an exploration of the score itself, and will take a look at the endless ways in which we can interpret abstract music, throwing light on both the terrifying and farcical nature of a state attempting to control a composer's voice.'
Aurora Orchestra at Kings Place credit Nick Rutter
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