Australian Art Orchestra
CD

Into the Fire - An Introduction and Brief History

Review of Into The Fire

In October 1996 the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) traveled to India as part of the performing arts initiative called 'New Horizons' - mounted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to promote Australia-India relations.

To take full advantage of the opportunity Adrian Sherriff, a founding member of the AAO, initiated contact with Karaikudi R. Mani - a master of south Indian Karnatic music. Adrian had been studying Karnatic music in Melbourne at the Academy of Indian Music (Aust) and it was his teacher, 'Ravi' M. Ravichandhira, who suggested the possible collaboration between the AAO and Karaikudi's Sruthi Laya Ensemble in India.

The meeting was a success and marked the beginning of a rich and innovative creative relationship. The first collaborative endeavour involved Adrian expanding and arranging Karaikudi's composition entitled Vasantha Pravaham for western instrumentation. The result was Into the Fire which was performed by the Australian Art Orchestra and the Sruthi Laya Ensemble in New Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta. The Indian newspaper reviews attest to the success of this tour.

Having played with Karaikudi R. Mani in India, the Australian Art Orchestra members were ready to delve deeper into Karnatic music and sought further opportunities. In 1997, the Australian Art Orchestra invited Karaikudi R. Mani and T. V. Vasan to perform with them at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz with the assistance of the Australia Council and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (IND).

A further development came in 1998 when, with the support of the Australia Council, the AAO held a music camp at Ironbank, South Australia, where Karaikudi R. Mani conducted master classes. These classes gave AAO members further insight into the practical and philosophical aspects of the Karnatic tradition. The program was then taken to the Adelaide Festival where Into the Fire enjoyed great success.

In 1999 Into the Fire was recorded at the Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Centre, Southbank for ABC Classics. The AAO was assisted with the recording of Into the Fire by the Australia Council and Arts Victoria. The Australia-India Council (AIC) assisted in bringing interstate players to Victoria and The Myer Foundation made a grant towards the distribution of compact discs to educational and cultural institutions. The following year the AAO was invited to present Into the Fire in London for 'Australia Celebrates: Heads Up' and at the World Expo in Hannover, Germany. This invitation provided the basis for a tour to which was added the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Archa Theatre, Prague and the Pori International Jazz Festival.

Other commissions that have arisen as a result of the AAO's collaboration with Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani and the Sruthi Laya Ensemble include Trimurti, composed by Darryl Pratt and Saraswati, composed by Adrian Sherriff with Elliott Dalgleish. Both these pieces were premiered in the Into the Fire performance by the Australian Art Orchestra with the Sruthi Laya Ensemble in 2003 at Hamer Hall, Melbourne as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

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