Tony Iommi is working on music for the new Black Sabbath ballet
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has recently shared a photo of himself and composer Chris Austin working on music for the upcoming Black Sabbath – The Ballet. He captioned the photo: “Great day with Chris Austin working on music for the ballet in my new studio.”
In September, Black Sabbath – The Ballet, created by Carlos Acosta, the director of Birmingham’s Royal Ballet, will open in the city’s Hippodrome venue for a week. Afterwards, the tour will be taken to Plymouth’s Theatre Royal and London’s Sadler’s Wells.
Acosta’s idea will see ballerinas dance to reorchestrated versions of eight of the band’s most popular tracks, including ‘War Pigs’, ‘Paranoid’, and ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’, performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
In a press statement, guitarist Tony Iommi said: “I’d never imagined pairing Black Sabbath with ballet but it’s got a nice ring to it! I’m looking forward to seeing how this all develops. Black Sabbath have always been innovators and never been predictable, and it doesn’t come any more unpredictable than this! I’ve met with Carlos several times and his enthusiasm is infectious.”
Acosta added: “Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham’s biggest export, the most famous – and infamous – cultural entity to ever emerge from the city – so I was naturally drawn to the idea of a collaboration between what most people might think are the most unlikely of partners.”
“The band’s enthusiasm for the project is a huge endorsement. They are putting their trust in us to deliver something completely new and original, and that’s quite a responsibility but one that we are beyond excited to take on.”
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