NAKED CITY – ‘MUTINY MUSIC’ BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE

We are all familiar with the various Sydney metropolitan and regional local councils and their ongoing controversies, but would you be surprised if Norfolk Island was now part of that group? In 2015 the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill was passed in the Australian Parliament, abolishing self-government on Norfolk Island and transferring the Island into a council as part of New South Wales law.

The decision has apparently polarised the Norfolk community, between those in favour of the economic gains and those who have always valued their independence. It’s just the latest chapter in an ongoing narrative that stretches right back to that fateful day in April 1789 when Fletcher Christian led a group of disaffected crewman on the Bounty, seizing control of the ship and dispatching the tyrannical Captain Bligh and his loyalists to a longboat.

Since that time the story of ‘Mutiny On The Bounty’ has become one of the great historical epics immortalised in numerous books, paintings and a number of Hollywood films. Now comes a unique musical interpretation of the narrative, composed and performed by one of the direct descendants of the mutineers, Sydney based musician Rick Robertson.

‘Mutiny Music’, as the suite is called, traces the development of a new culture on Pitcairn Island following the mutiny in 1789. Fletcher Christian and his crew abducted eighteen Tahitians and set off to find somewhere to hide – with tiny, remote Pitcairn Island eventually becoming their home. Within ten years all the males bar one had perished, leaving a dozen Tahitian women and twenty children. They were eventually discovered but left to their own devices for nearly seventy years, during which time they were joined by a few extra males, eventually ending up on Norfolk Island in 1856.

For Rick, the work is very much a part of his heritage, inspired by his discovery of some archival recordings of the ‘Norf’k’ language and the diverse cultural roots of the current Norfolk Islanders. As he explains:

“The Pitcairners were from two distinct cultural backgrounds – Tahitian and English. The Bounty’s crew danced to hornpipes to stay fit, whereas Polynesian drumming and nose flutes were the order of the day for the Tahitians. The Pitcairners, following their tumultuous beginnings, settled into a pious and peaceful existence meeting two or three times a day to worship and sing hymns. Some of the hymns were composed on Pitcairn Island and the melodies used in the suite.”

Rick has assembled some of Australia’s finest musicians to perform his work, which is also accompanied by projected images, making it a dynamic audio visual experience. The group features Simon Barker on log drums, Matt McMahon on Fender Rhodes, Phil Slater on trumpet, Alex Hewetson on bass, Aykho Akhrif on percussion and Rick himself on saxes and spoken word. All of the artists have actually visited Norfolk Island and take a keen interest in the history and culture, each bringing their own unique contribution to the work.

First performed at the Sydney Fringe Festival a few years ago, ‘Mutiny Music’ received a rave review in the Sydney Morning Herald and an equally ecstatic audience response. Since then Rick has produced a recording of the suite, which will be officially launched at the Sound Lounge. If you have both a love of music and a real sense of historical adventure, this is an event not to be missed.

SIMA presents the Mutiny Music Suite: Saturday March 19. The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, City Road & Cleveland Street, Chippendale. $15-$35. Tickets & info: sima.org.au or 9351 7940