THE cataclysmic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 was the inspiration for a new improvised suite by violinist-composer Rupert Guenther, who will perform its world premiere in Fremantle.
Unlike many classical musicians who play scores note-for-note, Guenther performances are improvised and inspired by historical events, art, science, philosophy, poetry, nature and more.
He says the catalyst for his latest piece was the book Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded by Simon Winchester.
• Rupert Guenther (above) is playing a piece inspired by the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.
“The events were so extraordinary – the island completely exploded and created tsunami tidal waves, which killed 30,000 people in the region at the time,” Guenther says.
“And then all the ash went into the atmosphere, thousands and millions of tons of volcanic ash, which spread all over the world.
“Great pumice rocks, hundreds of meters wide, were formed when the ash hit the ocean and cooled immediately.
“And these huge chunks, about half the size of a house, were washing up on the shore, filled with the charred outlines of human and Sumatran tiger skeletons. I mean, you couldn’t make it up.”
Guenther says the ash in the atmosphere affected artists across the world.
“It influenced painters like Edvard Munch in Norway and William Ashcroft in England. The ash caused these dramatic red and orange sunsets, which were very unusual back then,” he says.
Despite the historical nature of the piece, there is a modern theme – despite all our advances in technology we are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.
“We are all emotionally affected by our environment, so I try to tell the story of what it felt like to be there at the time,” Guenther says
During his one-hour performance, the talented violinist will perform 15 chapters relating to the explosion of Krakatoa – chronicling the quiet build up to its earth-changing eruption.
He cleverly exploits all parts of the violin to replicate environmental sounds like earth tremors and eerie whistles.
And while the work is improvised, there is a clear structure to the short musical chapters, so audiences aren’t exposed to a self-indulgent ramble.
“My ideas are very, very clear and well developed conceptually in terms of the story I’m trying to tell,” Guenther says.
“But there’s also some leeway in there, where I’m going out on a limb.”
People think of classical music as being rigid and played note-for-note, but famous composers like Beethoven and Mozart were known for their live improvisations.
“Actually, Johann Sebastian Bach lost his job for the Lutheran church in the royal court, because he would improvise and make up new beginnings for all the hymns,” laughs Guenther.
The Vienna-trained violinist has performed solo concerts for more than 25 years at venues across the globe including the Sydney Opera House and The Guildhall Festival in London, and has released over 40 albums of original music since 2003 including five commissioned by ABC Classic FM.
Krakatoa: Volcanic Cataclysm, Shockwaves & Sunsets is at the WA Shipwrecks Museum 45 Cliff Street in Fremantle on Saturday July 5 at 3pm.
Guenther will also be doing an artist talk on July 9 12pm and a four day creative music workshop on July 15-18, culminating in a community concert on July 19. They will also be held at the Museum. Tix at humanitix and for more info see rupertguenther.com.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK