Top Prize at the Festival
Aurora Orchestra’s Rite of Spring has been awarded the Grand Prix at the Golden Prague International Television Festival 2024. One of the most prestigious accolades in the international arts industry, the prize recognises the very best in contemporary television arts globally, spanning music, dance and theatre.
The work is now available to watch now on Marquee TV, and was produced as a collaboration between the Finnish Broadcasting Company and Aurora Orchestra with support from The Space. It features a live performance of Aurora’s landmark Orchestral Theatre staging of The Rite of Spring at the Helsinki Festival in 2023.
Actors Charlotte Ritchie and Karl Queensborough appear alongside Aurora’s Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon and the musicians of the orchestra for a theatrical and musical exploration of Stravinsky’s masterpiece conceived by Aurora’s Creative Director Jane Mitchell, who directed for the stage alongside James Bonas. Enriched with projection design by Anouar Brissell, this presentation introduces a world-first performance of the whole piece entirely from memory by the Aurora players.
As well as this performance at Helsinki Festival, the project was also featured at the BBC Proms in 2023 to critical acclaim, with five-star reviews across the board – it was described by The Times as “one of the most breath-taking Proms in history”, and The Observer stated “everyone was on their feet at the end, a standing ovation for a standing orchestra in a performance that was in every respect unforgettable”.
Nicholas Collon, Principal Conductor, Aurora Orchestra, said:
“This performance is devoted solely to Stravinsky’s great masterpiece, comprising a first half presentation which delves into the work itself, and a second half memorised performance of the piece. Using the words of those present at its creation (Stravinsky, Marie Rambert, Vaslav Nijinsky, Nicolas Roerich and others) we plunge into the genesis of the ballet as well as shed light on some of the musical elements that make the Rite such a vital and endlessly shocking work of art.”
The jury said:
“The winning film masterfully makes complex classical music accessible through an innovative concert format,” runs the jury’s award citation. “Excellent actors present an engaging story about the work and the musicians takes an active part in the storytelling and playing the whole piece by heart. A perfect example of what a classical concert could look like in the near future.”
Narrator Charlotte Ritchie said
“Aurora Orchestra is brilliant, it’s so innovative, its ability to educate and include the audience, as well as presenting them with beautiful music, is quite a special thing. I’ve never done anything like this before and I am honoured to be a part of it. The Rite of Spring is an unbelievable piece of music, and it’s a very rare pleasure as an actor to be on stage with this many musicians.”
