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Shostakovich (arr. Barshai) - Chamber Symphony Op. 73a
Holst (arr. Farrington) - ‘Venus’ from The Planets
Julian Philips - Maxamorphosis
Chris Willis - This Means War

Aurora Orchestra declares war. From the ‘war narrative’ of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 in Rudolf Barshai’s glittering symphonic reworking of Willis’s radical re-imagining of Holst’s Mars, an eclectic arsenal of musical pieces united by the theme of conflict or struggle gives free rein to Aurora’s verve and virtuosity. At its heart is Maxamorphosis, a unique concerto specially commissioned as a showcase for both the playing and dancing skills of Aurora’s violist, Max Baillie.

Juxtaposing breaking and orchestral music, the boundary-pushing centrepiece is a viola concerto, but not as we know it. Not only does it feature breakdancers and a contemporary dancer, but the soloist, Baillie, dances as well as plays. In addition to being a world-class instrumentalist, he also happens to be trained in Capoeira, the Brazilian martial arts danceform.

The collaboration between composer Julian Philips and choreographer Mickaël ‘Marso’ Rivière on Maxamorphosis epitomises the fusion of art forms typical of Aurora’s New Moves series.

Image © © Simon Weir 2011

Aurora Orchestra

Aurora Orchestra aims to inspire, challenge and astonish new audiences with great music, brilliantly performed. It seeks to be the UK’s most versatile orchestra, combining world-class performance with eclectic and innovative programming, a commitment to adventurous collaboration across perceived frontiers of musical genre and artistic form, and a refusal to be bound by convention.
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