Echoes of Youth from the Aurora principals at Kings Place

By Mark Valencia, 22 March 2026

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“the central Andantino is the star turn: its lush, chromatic melodies intertwine like tender lovers”

Reviewed at Kings Place: Hall One, London on 19 March 2026

Mozart, Quintet in E flat major for Piano and Winds, K452

Poulenc, Sextet for piano and wind quintet, FP 100

Weir, Airs from Another Planet

Janáček, Mládí (Youth), for wind sextet

Principal Players of Aurora Orchestra

Lewis Graham, Bass Clarinet

Jane Mitchell, Flute

John Reid, Piano

Benjamin Hartnell-Booth, French horn

Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean unlock musical memories at Kings Place

Eleanor Knight, 17th January

Father and daughter team of Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean join forces for the opening concert of Kings Place’s ‘Memory Unwrapped’ season.

****1

Aurora dazzle in Edinburgh International Festival debut

Simon Thompson, 18th August

Aurora Orchestra turn Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony inside out to exhilarating effect in a dazzling performance in their Scottish debut. Abel Selaocoe’s Four Spirits, on the other hand, has surface shine but not much substance.

****1

Aurora Orchestra pulls off another dramatic performance from memory

Nick Boston, 17th August

Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra, together with Frantic Assembly, present an illuminating analysis of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, followed by a blistering account of the work from memory.

****1

“Earth Unwrapped” reveals mixed bag: Aurora Orchestra and BBC Singers

Eleanor Knight, 31st January

The exquisite ensemble of Aurora and BBC Singers in the intimate setting of Kings Place are reason enough to linger longer on earth.

***11

Overtaken by the night: Aurora and Donald Grant get lost on the road

Christopher Woodley, 28th September

At Kings Place Aurora Orchestra and Donald Grant fail to impress with a straggling programme of traditional arrangements, composed pieces and a world premiere.

**111

PatKop’s Everyday Non-sense proves to be a Dadaesque house party

Christopher Woodley, 24th April

Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Aurora Orchestra serve up an over-the-top confection at Purcell Room in Southbank Centre.

***11

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Mark Valencia

Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.