‘Mind your Nurdle!’

Jane Rutter, master of the ethereal flute will be in Tassie for a one off performance of her acclaimed show ‘An Australian in Paris’ in Burnie on July 12 but don,t be disappointed that Jane is’nt doing a more extensive tour because Ms Rutter will be back later in the year or early next year to do a more complete tour of Tasmania. Jane is presently performing in Australia to standing ovations with her autobiographical show.

The show is six or seven years in the making and reminisces on Jane’s experience as a flute student in Paris studying with the great Alain Marion and Jean-Pierre Rampal. The story however is more than about the flute, being in the city that hosted so many great artists it encompasses how Jane was haunted in that magic place by such luminaries as Picasso and Colette.

It is interesting to look back at the life of a young girl who became the world renowned and celebrated flautist. Jane would go to school holding the flute under her arm as something akin to a security blanket.

Jane initially wanted to be a singer but demonstrated her determination even then by choosing the flute because it offered a more technical challenge than the voice, ironically it is generally agreed by flautists that the flute is closely aligned to the human voice, its pauses and intonations mirroring or similar to those used by a voice and indeed we are treated to some of Jane’s singing talents in ‘An Australian in Paris’

Fascinatingly Jane tells me that the flute is 40,000 years old and was used for communication among tribes that did no know each others language. It is abstract and tells a story that speaks to each listener with a message only for them . A beautiful description by Jane is that the flute responds to a vibration in the human heart of each individual, in this way the flute has a hidden voice with a secret language.

The flute is dear to Jane’s heart but another issue that is perhaps equally dear is the environment. Jane asks us all to think about accepting or requesting that plastic cup lid on our takeaway coffee. Jane believes if everyone took such initiative considering the astonishing number that are produced and thrown away we would be doing something easy and practical for the environment

Jane’s catch phrase is ‘mind your nurdle’ to explain, nurdles are the little balls that go together to form plastic, hence them being called ‘mermaids tears’ for the damage they wrought to the oceans of the world.

Jane with her curly mane of hair and flautist voice is very much like the mermaid or sirens of the sea bewailing the effect of the thoughtlessness of our consumer society. So let this particular mermaid use the flute for what it was intended to express joy rather than anguish at environmental damage and refuse the coffee cup lid!

Jane will be continuing tours with ‘An Australian in Paris’ for some time but there are also more albums to create, a ballet and some Shakespeare Jane has written music for. You can get Jane’s albums including her DVD of ‘An Australian in Paris’ at ABC shops.

You can see Jane in Tasmania with her show ‘An Australian in Paris’ on July 12 at the Burnie Arts Centre.
Paula Xiberras