Rite from the heart
Time to sacrifice the music stands
Nicholas Collon’s Aurora Orchestra is no stranger to The Proms, having given several memorable performances from memory, including Stravinsky’s The Firebird in 2021. But the composer’s Rite of Spring presents hitherto untested challenges.
‘This type of rhythmic, theatrical music works so well from memory,’ says Collon. ‘We don’t talk about the memorising aspect of what we do very often, nor think about it in such technical terms, but the sheer demands of performing The Rite from memory make it a hugely exciting undertaking.
It’s leagues more difficult than The Firebird, as it’s genuinely difficult to remember, with its myriad metre changes and repeats. Part II’S “Sacrificial
Dance”, for example, which is repetitive without being systematic in nature, is always off-putting, even for ensembles performing with the music.’
The first half of the programme will be devoted to ‘a dramatic and musical exploration of The
Rite’, which, according to Collon, will delve into the ‘inner workings’ of the piece – ‘the history and context of its composition, plus the musical elements’. Conceived by Jane Mitchell, the orchestra’s creative director, the 40-minute crossartform piece will use movement, projection, lighting and design to bring the work to life.
‘Two actors will voice memories of Stravinsky, his son Fyodor, dancer Marie Rambert and so on,’ Collon explains, ‘during which the orchestra will perform excerpts from the work. It’s something we’ve done during our previous Proms performances and is a nice way of flexibly using the space. This is such a complicated piece so we’re giving people the opportunity to hear sections of it, and how it’s built up, and then in the second half they’ll hear it performed as a whole.’
Proms 62 & 63, 2 September
‘The demands of performing it from memory make it hugely exciting’