This piece was composed by Taranaki composer, Leon Gray, as an accompaniment to a 1911 silent movie of the Eltham Axemen’s Carnival. The original movie footage is owned by the National Film Archive and could not be reproduced online. This presentation is one of five that, together, form the soundtrack for the entire 16-minute work. The music explores three major musical themes, recycling and restating them as the movie progresses. Gray intended it to emulate the silent movie accompaniments of old and the work premiered in 2009 as part of the Eltham and Districts 125th Jubilee. Gray performed it himself in the town hall to a large audience and it was very well-received. The movie footage itself features scenes of the carnival, as well as social history footage, including shots of the old town.
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