CONTENT COURTESY CITY RECITAL HALL
Iron in the Blood is a powerful musical production which explores the rich tapestry of Australia’s colonial past and spans idioms and eras. The one night only performance at City Recital Hall on Thursday January 23 is part of Sydney Festival.
Created by 35 year-old visionary Sydney jazz saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose, Iron in the Blood is a musical adaptation of Robert Hughes’ The Fatal Shore, one of the most widely read books on Australia’s founding.
Conducted by Rose, the piece is performed by his 17-piece Earshift Orchestra, described as some of the most creative improvisers of the next generation. Lauded for its modern interpretation and eclectic sources of inspiration, Rose’s work incorporates evocations of Australian natural beauty to modern adaptations of Australian folksong, calling on audiences to engage with our collective history and national identity to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s arrival.
“Much of the colonial history I had been taught in school seemed romanticised,” Rose says.
“The Fatal Shore changed my perspective on Australia forever, and served as a starting point for my PhD on identities within Australian jazz.
“Iron in the Blood serves as an important tribute to this monumental book that continues to shock and remind us of where Australia came from and perhaps where we are going.
“Jazz is the perfect vehicle to explore the complex ironies Australia’s colonial experiment: from redefining man’s inhumanity to one another, to the near destruction of the indigenous population.”
Acclaimed actors William Zappa and Patrick Dickson narrate from Hughes’ prose plus primary sources from soldiers, convicts, doctors and judges. Music and drama are brought together with graphic historical big-screen visuals from Mic Gruchy.
Event details
Iron in the Blood
Presented by City Recital Hall, Sydney Writers’ Festival and Earshift Music
In association with Sydney Festival
Date: Thursday 23 January 7.30pm
Where: City Recital Hall, 2 Angel Place, Sydney
Prices: Standard $50 (A booking fee per transaction applies: Internet $6.95, Phone $8.50. No booking fee for tickets purchased in person at the City Recital Hall Box Office and for Members)
Bookings: www.cityrecitalhall.com or 02 8256 2222
