1. Wallace & Gromit Prom announced for 2012
2. Horrible Histories Prom 2011 shortlisted for RPS Award
3. Proms Inspire Young Composers' Competition 2012
1. THE WALLACE & GROMIT PROM: MUSICAL MARVELS!
Following the success of last year's Horrible Histories Prom, Aurora is again at
the heart of the BBC Proms season in 2012, staging an orchestral programme
devised in collaboration with the creators of Wallace & Gromit.
The Wallace & Gromit Prom: Musical Marvels! (Sunday 29 July, 3.30pm) features the world premiere of a new commission from Wallace, My Concerto in
Ee, Lad. With new animations created by Aardman Studios especially for the
event, the concert is presented by Aurora Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon,
and includes the following orchestral highlights:
Igor Stravinsky ‘The Infernal Dance of King Kastchei’ from The Firebird
Claude Debussy (arr. Caplet) Clair de Lune
Dmitri Shostakovich Fugue from first movement of Symphony No. 4
The performance also includes the first-ever accompanied screening of the
Wallace and Gromit film A Matter of Loaf and Death, with orchestral score by
Julian Nott.
2. RPS AWARD SHORTLISTING
Aurora's 2012 appearance builds on the success of two previous family
programmes for the BBC Proms: a concert hosted by Basil Brush in 2010, and a
collaboration in 2011 with the acclaimed CBBC TV series Horrible Histories. The
Horrible Histories Prom paired music by Richard Strauss, Berlioz, Mozart and
Stravinsky with live appearances from Cleopatra, Shakespeare, Richard III,
Stone Age Man, and a Viking rock band, and proved to be one of the most
popular in the history of the BBC Proms, airing several times since on both BBC2
and CBBC.
Earlier this week, the Horrible Histories Prom was shortlisted for a Royal
Philharmonic Society Music Award - the UK's most prestigious accolade for live
classical music. The project has been nominated in the 'Audiences and
Engagement' category, which recognises imaginative initiatives designed to
inspire and develop audiences for live classical music-making.
3. PROMS INSPIRE YOUNG COMPOSERS' COMPETITION
Also as part of the 2012 BBC Proms season, Aurora continues its association
with the Proms Inspire Young Composers' Competition, performing winning
entries at the Royal College of Music on Saturday 6 August at 4.30pm. The
concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
This year marks the fifth consecutive year of Aurora's association with Inspire.
Earlier this season, the orchestra performed new works commissioned by the
BBC from the three winners of last year's competition as part of its New Moves
series at LSO St Luke's.
COMMENT
General Manager John Harte comments: “Following unforgettable collaborations
with Basil Brush and the cast of Horrible Histories in recent years, we are
delighted that Aurora will be working again with the BBC Proms this summer to
create another unique family concert. A commitment to building new audiences
for classical music lies at the heart of Aurora's work, and these projects offer an
unparalleled opportunity to introduce young people to great orchestral music in a
fun and accessible way. And who better to introduce young people to
Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony or Stravinsky's Firebird than Wallace &
Gromit?
“We're also thrilled as part of the Proms Festival to have the opportunity to
showcase some of the UK's most promising young compositional talent,
performing winning entries from the Inspire Young Composers' Competition.
Inspire is not only a wonderful platform for budding composers: it's also an
unrivalled opportunity for our musicians to plug into a exciting new wellspring of
young talent, from which might well emerge the star British composers of the
future.”