Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra鈥檚 from-memory performances have become a thrilling recent fixture of the Proms. Now, following symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Shostakovich and Berlioz, they tackle their most audacious challenge yet: a complete performance of the colourful 1945 suite from Stravinsky鈥檚 ballet The Firebird. Russian fairy tales and folk melodies collide with Stravinsky鈥檚 bold musical modernism to create a memorable score. Radio 3 presenter Tom Service introduces the work from the stage, exploring its textures and themes and dismantling its intricate musical narrative with the help of Collon and his musicians. The concert opens with another Russian classic: Rachmaninov鈥檚 virtuosic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with former 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 3 New Generation Artist Pavel Kolesnikov as soloist.

Broadcast on 麻豆官网首页入口 Four on Friday 13 August

Image: Nicholas Collon 漏 Chris Christodolou

This concert is also being performed at 3.30pm.