Aurora Orchestra pulls off another dramatic performance from memory

Max Revell as Dmitri Shostakovich

Max Revell (Shostakovich), Frantic Assembly, Aurora Orchestra and Nicholas Collon

Nicholas Collon conducts Aurora Orchestra

By Nick Boston, 18 August 2025

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Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 17 August 2025

Programme to include:

Shostakovich, Symphony no. 5 in D minor, Op.47 (performed from memory)

Aurora Orchestra

Nicholas Collon, Conductor

Frantic Assembly

Max Revell, Actor

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

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

“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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Nick Boston

Nick has an MA in Music, specialising in performance and repertoire. His particular passions are choral music, chamber music and opera, with a particular interest in early music. He sings in a number of choirs in the south east of England, plays the piano and occasionally dusts off the violin. He writes about music here.

Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra pull off another dramatic performance from memory