In 2014, the Aurora Orchestra did something no one had dared at the Proms before: they played Mozart’s 40th symphony from memory. It was terrifying. Bassoonist Amy Harman described it as “like skydiving without a parachute. But in a good way.” Fast forward 12 years, and they’re upping the ante with Mahler’s First Symphony - twice as long, twice as many musicians - plus a first-half play about Mahler’s life, complete with choreography, actors, and a sound design that would make a Broadway producer sweat.

After the Mozart stunt became a regular Proms feature, the orchestra decided that memorizing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring wasn’t enough; they needed a whole theatrical first half to explain it. Now they’ve turned that into a tradition, tackling Beethoven’s Ninth and Shostakovich’s Fifth in subsequent years. This year, it’s Mahler’s turn, and the creative process involved diving into the composer’s words, which are plentiful - unlike the elusive Shostakovich. Mahler, it turns out, was a bit of an over-sharer, providing program notes that read like someone trying to justify a questionable life choice: “I want you to imagine The Hunter’s Funeral Procession… with hares carrying a small banner…”

The script explores Mahler’s 1910 meeting with Sigmund Freud, because why not mix psychoanalysis with a symphony? The orchestra will have only a day and a half to rehearse the choreographed chaos, relying on a “military plan” they call flat-packing. Principal flautist Sarah Newnham admits she wonders each year if they’ve pushed too far. But the payoff, she says, is giving audiences the same visceral, immersive experience she gets from her seat in the middle of the orchestra - and handing them “the keys to the kingdom” of classical music. You can judge for yourself at the Royal Albert Hall this Saturday and Sunday, or just listen on the radio and imagine the hares.