Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra © Maarit Kytöharju/Helsinki Festival
- The performance – recorded live from the Helsinki Festival in 2023 – saw Aurora perform the piece entirely from memory
- Critically acclaimed production includes performances from actors Charlotte Ritchie and Karl Queensborough
Aurora Orchestra’s unique interpretation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring will be available to stream on Marquee TV, the global arts and culture streaming service, from Friday 13 September. Recorded live from the Helsinki Festival in 2023, this film captures the world premiere performance of this interpretation by Aurora, harnessing the full potential of an orchestra performing without sheet music to present a revelatory new take on Stravinsky’s masterpiece.
The first half of the performance features an exciting introduction to the work featuring conductor Nicholas Collon alongside actors Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, You, Call the Midwife) and Karl Queensborough (Hamilton West End), who present a dramatisation of the origins of the piece, reliving the scenes of its creation and its notorious concert premiere. The performance utilises movement, design, lighting, and newly commissioned projections, before Aurora performs The Rite of Spring from memory.
Jane Mitchell (Creative Director and Principal Flute at Aurora) and James Bonas’ visually-impressive direction combines the orchestra playing from memory with video designer Anouar Brissel’s projections, lighting and motion in a way that adds an entirely new perspective to Stravinsky’s masterpiece.
As well as this performance at Helsinki Festival, the project was also featured at the BBC Proms in 2023 to critical acclaim, with five-star reviews across the board – it was described by The Times as “one of the most breath-taking Proms in history”, and The Observer stated “everyone was on their feet at the end, a standing ovation for a standing orchestra in a performance that was in every respect unforgettable”.
Nicholas Collon, Principal Conductor, Aurora Orchestra, said: ‘This performance is devoted solely to Stravinsky’s great masterpiece, comprising a first half presentation which delves into the work itself, and a second half memorised performance of the piece. Using the words of those present at its creation (Stravinsky, Marie Rambert, Vaslav Nijinsky, Nicolas Roerich and others) we plunge into the genesis of the ballet as well as shed light on some of the musical elements that make the Rite such a vital and endlessly shocking work of art. We hope audiences across the world will enjoy watching our presentation of this staggering work on Marquee TV.’
Susannah Simons, Director of Content on Marquee TV, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to bring this innovative performance from Aurora Orchestra to our audiences worldwide, and hope that they enjoy experiencing Stravinsky’s masterpiece in a whole new light.”
The Rite of Spring will be available to stream worldwide on Marquee TV (excluding Finland) from Friday 13 September. More information on Marquee TV, including subscription details, can be found on the Marquee TV website.
Charlotte Ritchie said: ‘Aurora Orchestra is brilliant, it’s so innovative, its ability to educate and include the audience, as well as presenting them with beautiful music, is quite a special thing. I’ve never done anything like this before and I am honoured to be a part of it. The Rite of Spring is an unbelievable piece of music, and it’s a very rare pleasure as an actor to be on stage with this many musicians.