Aurora Orchestra: Stravinsky's Firebird by Heart
Get under the skin of Stravinsky’s The Firebird as it’s deconstructed and reassembled by Aurora Orchestra, presenter Tom Service, and conductor Nicholas Collon.
Aurora takes a deep dive into the Russian fairy tales and folk melodies of Stravinsky’s magical Firebird Suite, one of the great ballet scores of the 20th Century.
How does Stravinsky create a feeling of unease for the antagonist? What does the incandescent flight of the Firebird in the night sky sound like? And how does he build up the terror of the infernal dance, part by part?
Find out in an Orchestral Theatre presentation, as Aurora engages with the story and bold modernism of The Firebird in its typical revelatory way. And then expect blazing virtuosity and thrilling communication as Aurora performs the whole electrifying work in signature memorised style.
Outi Tarkiainen’s earth-shattering The Ring of Fire and Love takes its dramatic inspiration from natural phenomenons: a solar eclipse, a volcanic belt, and the birth of a baby.
And in joyful celebration, pianist Alexandre Tharaud joins Aurora for Ravel’s Piano Concerto, an entertaining melting pot of jazz, classical and folk influences.
Performers
Aurora Orchestra
Nicholas Collon conductor
Alexandre Tharaud piano
Tom Service presenter
Repertoire
Outi Tarkiainen: The Ring of Fire and Love
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
Interval
Introduction: Stravinsky's Firebird with Aurora's Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon and BBC Radio 3 Presenter Tom Service
Stravinsky: The Firebird, Suite (1945) (performed from memory)
Need to know
Aurora Orchestra also performs Stravinsky’s Firebird by heart at Inside the Orchestra at Drumsheds on Thursday 17 October.
Find out more
‘nothing short of spellbinding’
The Times
For your visit
This event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is home to both our second-largest auditorium and the Purcell Room.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.