Page 69 - Coverage Book_Aurora Orchestra Autumn 2020

Image captionFinnish conductor Dalia Stasevska said she "played no role in deciding the traditional
elements of the programme" following the controversy over the Last Night.

The Last Night opened with Mozart's perennially popular The Marriage Of Figaro, and featured
South-African soprano Golda Schultz singing Sondheim's The Glamorous Life, and a new
arrangement of Jerusalem, by composer Errollyn Wallen.

The British composer, who was born in Belize, said her arrangement of the "treasured hymn...
created a lot of strong feelings" among the Proms audience "which, as a composer, is what you
want".

She said the opportunity to arrange it for the Proms had been "amazing", as she had grown up with
the original and loved it.

She dedicated her version to the Windrush generation - "I could have been one of those people sent
home again," she told BBC Breakfast.

Describing the socially distanced Last Night as "magical", she said: "The spirit of people who love
music was definitely in the hall."

'Long thirst'

Violinist Nicola Benedetti was a last-minute replacement for Lisa Batiashvili, who pulled out due to
illness, playing Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending.

In a pre-recorded video segment, the conductor, Dalia Stasevska, said: "During these challenging
times, we musicians have been longing so much to be able to play together again and to play live.

"Being able to play together again during these last two weeks has felt like drinking water after a
long thirst."
▪ BBC Proms - official site