Scintillating Beethoven and Gruber from Aurora Orchestra

By Benjamin Poore, 18 September 2018

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“dizzying shifts of stylistic gear and a hall-of-mirrors sense of fun and foreboding”

Reviewed at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 16 September 2018

Schubert, Der Wanderer (Ich komme vom Gebirge her) (Schmidt), D.489

Gruber, Frankenstein!!

Beethoven, Symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op.67 (from memory)

Marcus Farnsworth, Baritone

Aurora Orchestra

Nicholas Collon, 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

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

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Benjamin Poore

Benjamin Poore is a writer and critic. His book on psychoanalysis and literature is forthcoming in 2019. He has previously written about literature and culture for the Independent, the Times Literary Supplement, and Times Higher Education. In his spare time he tries to sing Schubert; he has a very patient teacher.