There’s something disconcerting about an orchestra coming onto a stage bereft of its usual music stands. Yet, that is what happens with the astonishing Aurora Orchestra who memorise their orchestral parts to perform without printed music. Marking the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death, as well as their own 20th birthday, Aurora Orchestra appeared for the first time in Scotland at this year’s International Festival. Edinburgh audiences can only hope that their highly impressive debut will be the first of regular future visits.

With Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon, these players come not only with outstanding musicianship but verve, energy and edge-of-the-seat (actually beanbag on this occasion) excitement. Written in 1937, during one of the most terrifying and turbulent periods in Soviet history, the political context of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was ever more keenly felt in a performance that built layer upon layer under Collon’s inspirational leadership through pain and sadness to the relief of triumph marked by blaring trumpets, commanding timpani and impending urgency in the strings.

A small pity, then, that the orchestra was under-utilised in the evening’s first half of Abel Selaocoe’s ‘Four Spirits’. Better suited to community socialising outdoors in the sun with a picnic on the grass, this entertaining piece involved audience singing with Selaocoe moving seamlessly between cello, deeply resonant singing and slick improvisation with percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger.

Aurora Orchestra reviewed at Usher Hall; main picture: Jess Shurte.