Aurora Orchestra. Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 25 November 2025, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

Photo Credit: Kaupo Kikkas

Aurora Orchestra.  Royal Concert Hall,  Nottingham, 25 November 2025,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

“Aurora’s playing from memory adds a thrilling new dimension to the music.”

It’s a very crowded marketplace out there in the world of classical music.  This is good news for concert-goers: so many fine orchestras to choose from, led by a seemingly endless supply of dynamic conductors eager to share their insights with players and audiences.  There is no room for also-rans these days but it’s not easy for an orchestra to find a niche in the market that others haven’t already occupied.

Aurora Orchestra, however, have found a USP which makes even a mention of their name enough to quicken the pulses of music-lovers.  And that’s because they play large-scale works from memory.  And sometimes they go even further, mixing music and drama to probe deep inside what they play and its historical context.

On Tuesday their final piece was Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, not only from memory but with every player standing up, whose instrument allowed.  This made its irresistibly exuberant music sound even more so, as if the instruments and their players had been released from the shackles of music stands and scores.  The first movement burst into life with one of the most exhilarating openings in the repertoire: a soaring, effervescent theme for violins, full of light and forward momentum, capturing the thrill of the composer’s arrival in Italy.  Add to this the sight of an orchestra free to move to the rhythms and you have an added dimension to the music, something which immediately convinces you that this approach really works.

The slow movement, the so-called pilgrims’ song, was dignified and contemplative and the minuet graceful, elegant, overflowing with generous warmth.  Aurora’s approach was tailor-made for the finale, a breathtaking tour de force, a depiction of a Roman carnival in full swing.  Again the eyes were engaged as much as the ears in this unbuttoned performance, conductor Nicholas Collon coaxing every ounce of energy from players whose bodies yielded to the rhythms they were creating.  And their sound seemed liberated too, with especially exciting sounds from the woodwind and brass.

In the concert’s first half Aurora’s approach was more conventional: sitting down behind music stands.  They started (slightly mysteriously) not with their fizzing performance of Mozart’s overture to The Marriage of Figaro, but with Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings.  Elgar himself described it as ‘a brilliant, showy piece’, but it's much more than this and Nicholas Collon directed a performance which explored its deep emotional complexity and architectural grandeur, carefully balancing the dramatic dialogue between the solo quartet and the full string orchestra. 

Chloë Hanslip was the soloist in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No 2, a work that blends fiery spikiness with a tender, poignant, lyrical quality.  The soloist begins the concerto alone, introducing a gentle melody that has the feel of folk-song.  But the mood soon changes: unexpected twists, virtuosic pyrotechnics and a central section that builds up to a passionate, dramatic climax.  Chloë Hanslip took it all in her stride, producing some lovely sounds, even though these were sometimes threatened by the power of unrestrained brass and wind.  The deeply expressive slow movement was beautifully transparent in texture and the finale a riot of rhythmic energy and rustic vigour.  Here the solo writing is at its most demanding, requiring impeccable articulation and boundless energy.  The whole performance opened eyes and ears, something which could be said about the entire Aurora programme.

Aurora Orchestra

Nicholas Collon (conductor)

Chloe Hanslip (violin)