Soloist Valeriy Sokolov joins Aurora Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, before Aurora applies its signature memorised performance style to Shostakovich’s Ninth.

@Soutbank Centre

Aurora Orchestra performs Shostakovich’s Ninth by heart, harnessing the power of an orchestra playing from memory to explore a 20th-century masterpiece from the inside out.

Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon teams up with BBC Radio 3’s Tom Service to offer audiences a vivid musical introduction with live excerpts. They unpack the musical architecture of the symphony’s fleet-footed melodies and dance-filled rhythms, before Aurora’s musicians put it back together with a complete performance of the work.

To open the concert, Aurora welcomes Kharkiv-born violinist Valeriy Sokolov as soloist for Tchaikovsky’s monumental Violin Concerto.

Performers

  • Aurora Orchestra
  • Nicholas Collon conductor
  • Valeriy Sokolov violin *

Repertoire

  • Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
  • Interval
  • Introduction: Conductor Nicholas Collon and BBC Radio 3 Presenter Tom Service discuss Shostakovich’s Symphony No.9
  • Shostakovich: Symphony No.9 in E flat (performed from memory)

‘Marvellous… Playing from memory, Aurora created an organic sense of community, dynamism and inspiration.’ — New York Times