Ian Anderson reveals to Martin Hutchinson why he decided to turn Jethro Tull into an opera

FOR decades, Ian Anderson has been known as Jethro Tull, and that's not surprising because he is the singer, songwriter and producer of their impressive catalogue.

However, Jethro Tull was a real person who revolutionised agriculture, so he has made a big contribution to the pastoral history of this country back in the 18th Century.

In recent years, Ian Anderson has been recording and touring more and more using his own name rather than that of the band, but he can’t escape Jethro as Ian’s latest project is to tell the life-story of Jethro in Jethro Tull – The Rock Opera which he will be bringing to Gateshead next month.

“There was a moment when I was travelling in Europe,” says Anderson, “and I thought that I hadn’t paid too much attention to Jethro Tull and to be honest, at the start I was embarrassed that we’d been named after the guy who invented the seed-drill. There were many accounts of his life and there were many instances in his life that echoed the things I’d been writing about in Jethro Tull songs, such as Heavy Horses and Aqualung.”

As a result, Anderson decided to write his Tull Rock Opera, but as with most of his projects, he added a slight twist.

“I didn’t want to do it as a staged period piece, so I decided to extrapolate his life-story and place him slightly in the future.”

So he isn’t the inventor of the seed drill this time?

“No – he’s a high-tech biochemist dealing in cloning plants to feed an ever-growing humanity.”

Asked if he was determined to include a message in the show about how we are treating our world, Anderson says: “That’s right. Things have changed on Earth and we have to start to take care of our food and water. We talk about these issues, but I’m not trying to lecture or sour the enjoyment of the show, you have to make it a bit fun. The important thing is to get people talking but they need guidance in asking the right questions.”

As well as his backing band, Anderson will be dropping in a few surprises with what he calls his ‘virtual guests’.

“Yes, I like to surprise people, but you can’t take people on tour for just a couple of lines, so we’ll have them on a screen. We’re playing the music for real and they’re getting paid for not being there.”

As for the music itself, he is setting the story to some classic Jethro Tull songs.

“In the main, the music is very much going back to the original arrangements as they were recorded. There are five new short pieces, but 85 per cent of the show is classic Tull tracks to serve the storyline. Many people – and I’m among them – say it’s like a ‘best of Jethro Tull’ but in a new context.”

Anderson says that the opera isn't just about music, and involves a certain amount of costumery and some props, which is really an operatic device to aid the narrative.

“I’m trying to give this a more obvious storyline than most operas as I find a lot of them confusing,” he says.

Backing Ian will be his usual cohorts in David Goodier, John O’Hara, Florian Opahle and Scott Hammond.

“We hope to record something live, but probably next year as before the end of the year I’ll be going to Russia, Latin America, the US and Spain as well as some shows in St Albans and Lincoln Cathedrals,” he says.

Ian Anderson and his band will be performing Jethro Tull – The Rock Opera at the Sage Theatre, Gateshead, on Sunday, September 13. Tickets: £28 and £32 (subject to booking fee). Box Office: 0191-443-4661 or sagegateshead.com