‘There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.’

• Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, 1859

A musical exploration of Darwin’s world interpreted for the 21st Century to be premiered in 2009, Darwin’s Passion is a dramatic journey about a man seeking truth. It is a celebration of the bicentenary of his birth, acknowledging the contribution his thinking has made to mankind’s understanding of itself.

The performance will be theatrical in nature, ignoring the conventional separation of orchestra and stage performers. The intention is to recreate the chaos that followed Darwin’s first reading, 150 years ago, of the highly controversial Origin of Species, drawing the audience into the original battle between Darwin’s new, rational science and the hegemony of God.

The production boasts a highly talented artistic team, consisting of Janusz Podrazik, Peter Manning and Duncan Ward.