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

Lotte Betts-Dean, Brett Dean and Aurora Orchestra

Aurora Orchestra winds play Ravel

By Eleanor Knight, 19 January 2026

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Betts-Dean’s vocal command is impressive and her dramatic interpretation an absolute knock-out”

Reviewed at Kings Place: Hall One, London on 17 January 2026

Ives, Memories

Copland, Simple Gifts

Adams, Shaker Loops: Shaking and Trembling

Radiohead, Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

Ives, The Unanswered Question

Weinberg, The Passenger: Marta’s aria

Couperin, Les Barricades mystérieuses (arr. Thomas Adès)

Shaw, Cant voi l'aube (Can't See the Dawn)

Boulanger, Versailles

Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin: Menuet

Dean, Recollections: Locket

Kurtág, Kafka Fragments, Op.24 (Part 4)

Kurtág, Ligatura - Message to Frances-Marie, Op.31b (2. Fassung)

Weill, Nannas Lied

Copland, Old American Songs: At the River

Drake, I Remember

Lotte Betts-Dean, Mezzo-soprano

Aurora Orchestra

Brett Dean, Conductor

Echoes of Youth from the Aurora principals at Kings Place

Mark Valencia, 19th March

Billed under the heading ‘Echoes of Youth’, this Kings Place programme is an attractive ragbag of unlikely bedfellows.

****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

More reviews...

Eleanor Knight

Eleanor is a writer and librettist. Her work has appeared in all kinds of places from the Royal Opera House to the foot tunnels beneath the Elephant and Castle roundabout, and she has written arts reviews and features for British papers and magazines. Having begun her working life in theatre, she switched to publishing and later taught creative writing at the University of Brighton and Birkbeck. Currently based in the Netherlands, she teaches at the University of Utrecht. Eleanor plays violin and sings, though not usually at the same time, and has recently taken up speed-skating.