“Inside Aurora Orchestra was a truly magic experience. An absolute must see event where you can truly immerse yourself in the music.”
Welcome to Inside Aurora Orchestra at the Drumsheds London. This was one fantastic performance held inside an incredibly large and impressive industrial venue. This venue combined with Aurora’s magnificent performance made for a truly remarkable experience. From the moment you walk in the room, the musicians were in full view as they prepared to take their places and set up to entertain us, this made for such a wholesome and exciting start to the evening as we were filled with anticipation. The production was given a backdrop of the the most extravagant, elongated wall gallery that was beautifully lit up throughout their entire performance along the front wall, displaying images supplied by the national gallery of the original costumes designs from the 1910 performance of the “Firebird” ballet.
Shortly after 6:30pm the musicians emerged from their staging area and took to their places on various mini platforms that were scattered throughout the room. This allowed the audience to congregate within the orchestra itself surrounded by the performers who were elevated above us. Whilst the Orchestra showcased two wildly famous classical ballet pieces we, the audience, were able to wonder around the venue and tune into various musicians one step at a time. Whilst many people decided to stand in the centre of the room and take in the sound collectively as a whole, I would highly recommend you walk around and immerse yourself in the music.
The layout of the musicians was clearly well thought out. The conductor was, of course, in the centre of the room whilst all the other musicians were set in a round of 3 concentric circles. Each musician was either standing or sat next to someone in the same instrument family. This was most definitely a deliberate decision, as it allowed for the audience members to zone in on individual parts, for short periods, as they walked around the room, an option myself and my partner took. The string section in particular made for such a special viewing as their bows danced in perfect synchronisation. Due to how immersive this production was you couldn’t help but get lost in the music as you wonder around and pass each musician, picking up different elements as you go. These players were immensely talented and this experience was quite simply unique.
The orchestra played two ballet pieces in total, Igor Stravinsky’s 1945 Suite of “The Firebird” and Maurice Ravel’s world famous “Boléro”, both performed from memory. These two pieces told a story, and whilst the conductor shares a few factorial insights to these two classical ballets, you somehow manage to tap into your own imagination. With this unique way of hearing a classical orchestra, I seemed to tap into my own imagination where both my mind and soul twirled into a magical world of joy and play. At times I felt like I was skipping trough a meadow, frolicking in the fields and dancing with the birds on my shoulder.
Both pieces end on such a high, as the musicians deliver their final moments of their performances with boldness and grandeur, leaving you both enlightened and energised. I would love to see an extention of the show both visually and in length, one more musical piece would have been lovely as I personally felt the performance was a little too short. I believe the company could enhance their show with two to four ballerinas performing either outside the circle or on the mini stages. As their artwork displayed a beautiful garden I also think covering the black bars on their mini stages with flowers would be a stunning visual and would truly enhance the experience for the audience. These are just my personal views and ideas to build on what is already an incredible production. Inside Aurora Orchestra was a truly magic experience.