Music From The Whirlwind

 

Timely revival of popular classic about revolutionary composer

Music from the Whirlwind is an insightful, searingly funny and poignant exploration of the relationship between the oppressive Russian leader Josef Stalin and the revolutionary composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The play journeys through old St Petersburg where Shostakovich grew up, and into the life and mind of a great artist caught up in a madman’s vision. Aitken asks how this particular artist survived a regime where writers, musicians, actors and painters vanished daily only to turn up later as tortured corpses.

Responding to a question by Dr Kayt Davies as to why a WA writer taking on a Russian subject, Aitken was adamant: “We have spent far too long tethered to our own backyard. No one would ask an English writer why they were writing about Mozart, but I’ve been asked over and over again … it doesn’t matter where I’m from, what matters is that this is a play about the evils of political correctness.” He continued:  “If you have a funding body telling artists to be politically correct, you will get sociological, but not artistically interesting, work. Art thrives on conflict and different interests. I never think a play should be controversial for the sake of being controversial ~ but we shouldn’t shy away from controversy, at the time it may appear to be too much, but ten years later it may seem to be not enough.”

Music from the Whirlwind had its premiere performance at the Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth on Thursday 6 June, 1996. The production was directed by Raymond Omodei with James Sollis as Dmitri Shostakovich, and Ian Grandage as Musical Director.  During early 1997, a production featuring West Australian actor and academic Bill Dunstone toured through Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Jakarta and five different cities in India. Bill Dunstone was invited to return to Singapore in August, 1998 to give a special performance at the Australian High Commission. The play was given its American premiere at the Du Bois University, Greencastle, Illinois in December 1999. A radio adaptation was commissioned by ABC Audio Arts for broadcast on ABC Classical FM and is the most repeated radio play broadcast on the ABC over the last decade.

The play chronicles the life of the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich, looking at his life and the state of the USSR under the rule of Stalin. Through the composer we are able to look at the role of the artist when working under a political system they abhor but risk death if their works overtly reflects their attitude.

The play begins with Shostakovich as an old man remembering himself as a young music student. It takes you into the excitement of the first performance of his first symphony and later his meeting with Nina Varzar, who was to become his wife. Shostakovich is at the height of his genius and yet is constantly plagued by fear of being taken by Stalin's henchmen. Much of his work is banned and the newspapers call him 'Enemy of the People Shostakovich". Yet to his astonishment he remains alive while all around him colleagues disappear.

The play is underscored and intercut with extracts from many of the great symphonies of Shostakovich as well as with some of his compositions for violin, cello and piano.

Madame Ballet, John Aitken’s new play, to premiere at the Metcalfe Playhouse in early 2012, will recreate the life and times of Madame Kira Bousloff as she journeys from Monte Carlo, Paris, London and Rio to establish herself (or cast herself drift as she once put it) and build a young ballet company in the wilds of Western Australia. Here, she meets young composer James Pemberthy, dashing and persistent. He seduces her with his music and his ideas. They will work together creating great ballets but telling Australian stories – The Beach Inspector and the Mermaid, The Fire at Ross’s Farm and Koree and the Mists. The WA Ballet celebrates its 60^th anniversary in 2012.

John Aitken has written a fascinating account of a remarkably talented musician who worked ‘during the Terror’ wrought by Stalin. ~ THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Music From the Whirlwind is a fascinating and sometimes lyrically written play that explores the life and times of Dmitri Shostakovich. ~ Brenda Morris  2SER

Music From the Whirlwind is a marvellous play. Essentially it is a thriller, the story of a great game of cat-and-mouse... the composer hiding behind a veil of music, always waiting for the Terror to come storming up the stairs.” ~ Lesley Zampatti SUBIACO POST

Such is the power of the script and the depth of the music that we share the intense emotional intimacy, alternating between fear and relief that constantly surrounded this enigmatic composer. ~ David Solomo, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

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