24 Sep 2024
The Seeker: Pete Townshend and Rachel Fuller in Conversation with Dylan Jones
Wednesday 30th October 2024, 7pm. Foyles Charing Cross Road, London
The Who’s Pete Townshend and writer and composer Rachel Fuller discuss their musical and literary collaboration, The Seeker, reimagining Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha in a visionary double album accompanied by a beautifully illustrated book featuring all the lyrics and narrative .
A publishing and music industry first, The Seeker, authored and composed by Rachel Fuller, features additional music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and performances by Sir Elton John and Bollywood Star Sunidhi Chauhan among many others. The Seeker has been recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and choir. Alongside the complete lyrics and narrative from the album, the adventures and wisdom of Hesse’s iconic novel are brought to new life with striking artwork by Emilia Wharfe.
In an exclusive in-conversation event at Foyles, Rachel Fuller and Pete Townshend will be discussing their project, their journey to Siddhartha, and Hesse’s profound influence on their work, with bestselling author and journalist, Dylan Jones.
Rachel Fuller is a multidisciplinary artist whose diverse body of work spans film, television, ballet, and orchestration. A classically trained pianist, she has also collaborated as a composer with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on projects that include an arrangement of The Who’s iconic album, Quadrophenia and has recently collaborated with The Royal Opera House on a ballet which addresses neurodiversity in children.
Pete Townshend is the creative force behind The Who, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. It has been 50 years since Townshend wrote the rock opera Tommy – the multi-million selling album, award-winning Broadway show and film. The Seeker features new orchestral arrangements of a couple of The Who’s much-loved songs, as well as original solo material written by Townshend for a stage play of Siddhartha in 1976.
This event will be hosted by New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Dylan Jones. In the eighties, Jones was one of the first editors of i-D, before becoming a contributing editor of The Face and editor of Arena. He spent the next decade working in newspapers – principally The Observer and The Sunday Times – before embarking on a multi-award-winning tenure at GQ. A former columnist for The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday and The Independent, he is currently the Editor-In-Chief of The Evening Standard.
The event will be followed by a book signing.
Doors will open from 6:45pm.
Tickets: £8 General Admission / £38 Book and Ticket, inc. a copy of The Seeker (RRP £35). Available via this link from Foyles
Venue: The Auditorium (Level 6) at Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road*
*Please note that the Auditorium at Foyles is fully accessible from the Ground floor lifts.
The double album of The Seeker will be released by Universal Music on 7th November.