Anton Koritni

Rock n Roll and poetry are typically two genres of artistic expression which you wouldn’t normally associate with one another. Anton Koritni’s brand new show Poetry In Piano looks to shatter that vein of thinking though.

If anybody was going to have the requisite skills and experience to bring these two clashing artistic mediums together it was going to have to be Koritni. For the entirety of Koritni’s life music in all of its various forms and genres has surrounded him. As Koritni told City Hub his childhood was dominated by classical music studies before rock n roll then flourished in his early 20s.

“I’ve studied classical music ever since I was a child, earning my Diploma In Classical Piano Playing at just 17. That entire time though, I always played rock n roll… When I was 21 I joined Jimmy Barnes’ band and was playing rock and roll music [professionally].”

From there, music took Koritni all around the world and into even more diverse artistic fields.

“I’ve worked in musical theatre, about 10 years ago I was in Shout The Musical – The Johnny O’Keefe Story. I’ve worked in jazz bands, I’ve accompanied opera singers at recitals, I’ve written music for film, and even been on-screen for film. So I’ve worn many different hats in my day, I’m lucky to have been afforded the opportunity to work in so many different aspects of the music industry.”

Thanks to this plethora of musical experiences, Koritni is now able to pursue yet another of his interest in musical form. For his brand new show Poetry in Piano Koritni is going to be using his vast knowledge and experience to transform the works of some of the greatest poetry in the western world.

“Poetry In Piano takes you on a journey through the ages of poetry but it’s anchored in the modern real world,” explained Koritni. “I like the idea of transforming a poem and describing what the poem says through music alone, and that’s what I have attempted to do with many of the poems in my show. I’ve also set some poems to music, turning the poems into lyrics for the songs.”

Koritni was inspired to undertake this challenge because he believes that the “power of verse” allows a writer to “concentrate literature down to its purest form” and convey in “just 14 lines” a message which would otherwise normally require “a whole chapter.”

This show won’t simply be a classical, rock n roll fusion concert, Kortini said he will also be telling stories from his “perspective as a musician and artist who has experienced a lot in the world.”

Sep 27. Seymour Centre, Cnr City Rd & Cleveland Street, Chippendale. $26-$33+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.antonkoritni.com