The Aurora Orchestra is set to perform Mahler's First Symphony from memory this weekend. This ambitious undertaking follows their previous memorised performances at the Proms, including Mozart's 40th Symphony in 2014 and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring three years ago.
The upcoming concert will also feature a new play about Mahler in the first half. This theatrical element will include choreography involving the entire orchestra, two actors, and a complex sound design.
The orchestra's principal flautist, who also writes the first-half presentations, noted that Mahler's First Symphony is almost twice as long as the Mozart piece and requires more than double the number of musicians. The orchestra's bassoonist, Amy Harman, previously described performing from memory as "like skydiving without a parachute. But in a good way."