Seeing really is believing...

This June, Aurora leader Thomas Gould will give a recital of beautiful Brahms, shimmering Schumann and sumptuous Schubert in Devizes, perform artistic Ades in London, ascend with Vaughn-Williams' Lark in Bath and Henley, and even find time to squeeze in Nico Muhly's incredible Seeing is Believing (Concerto for Electric Violin) - phew!

No wonder really that virtuosic violinist Tom has been selected by the Evening Standard as a rising star of 2008 - for more information on the talented 24-year-old click here

Robot Wars

This week, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced its most unusual guest conductor yet for a performance of, aptly, 'Impossible Dream'. Whilst ASIMO (which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) the robot is able to run, walk on uneven slopes, and even respond to simple voice commands, the Detroit musicians themselves were all a bit much for her, as she only mimicked the actions of a conductor taped beforehand.

All this leads us asking WHY, in our generation's love of impersonal technology, we would choose to train a robot to perform tasks previously thought to require very human emotion and skill. Perhaps this question might be answered by this somewhat damning review of a certain orchestra (not the Aurora, of course!) which indicates that roboticism is nothing new in the field of conducting...

The BBC Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin gave a vigorous, perhaps slightly mechanical performance of ... Alexander Goehrs' second musical offering

GFH 2001

What do you think? Post your opinion below and let us know!

"The color underlines what is bombastic, ridiculous, pitiable and terrifying. The overall inspiration for the work is Paris: the vulgar and suburban aspects. The poetry of Max Jacob is surrealistic in style. The singer must above all, believe in the words he is delivering..."

Francis Poulenc on 'Le Bal Masqué'

Max Jacob, poet, painter and lifelong friend of Pablo Picasso, remains one of the greatest French artists of the early twentieth century - best known for his philosophical works such as Le défense de Tartuffe (1919), he also provided inspiration for a number of French composers, not least Erik Satie and Francis Poulenc.

Listen to Aurora orchestra playing Poulenc's Le Bal Masque this summer - for details click here