Aurora Orchestra to Perform Mahler's First Symphony from Memory at BBC Proms

Aurora Orchestra, under conductor Nicholas Collon, will perform Mahler's First Symphony entirely from memory at the BBC Proms on August 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The performance is part of the orchestra's ongoing 'By Heart' series, which began in 2014 with Mozart's 40th Symphony. The first half of the concert will feature a new play written by flautist and artistic director Jane Mitchell, exploring Mahler's life and his 1910 meeting with Sigmund Freud. The play includes choreography for the entire orchestra, two actors (Jack Bardoe and Sarah Twomey), and a singer (Natalie Lewis). Mitchell's research drew on Mahler's own words and his attempts to explain his symphony after its baffling 1889 premiere in Budapest. The orchestra has previously performed Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony from memory in similar formats. Mitchell describes the experience as akin to 'skydiving without a parachute,' a phrase originally used by bassoonist Amy Harman. The production aims to make orchestral music more accessible by giving audiences insight into the composer's world and the music's structure.