Aurora’s Rite of Spring wins Grand Prix at Golden Prague Festival
27 September 2024
At the closing ceremony of the 61st edition of the annual Golden Prague International Television Festival last night, Aurora Orchestra’s Rite of Spring was awarded the festival’s Grand Prix. 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 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.“
Available to watch now on Marquee TV, the film was produced as a collaboration between the Finnish Broadcasting Company and Aurora with support from The Space, and 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 it 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.”
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.”
John Harte, Chief Executive of Aurora Orchestra, said: “Winning this award is a huge moment for Aurora, and we’re enormously grateful to the many organisations and individuals who helped us to realise this very special project. Particular thanks must go to the Helsinki Festival and BBC Proms for co-commissioning the live production on which the film is based, the Augurs of Spring group of Aurora supporters who helped fund the project, the Finnish Broadcasting Company and TV director Ilmari Aho, and of course above all to the creative team and players who poured so much love and energy into this production.“
Aurora’s next project is a memorised tour of one of classical music’s most recognisable works –
Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, including an immersive performance at recently-launched Tottenham music venue Drumsheds on Thursday 17th October.