30 LIMELIGHT MAY 2017 http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au
FollowingonfromthesuccessofThe Reef,
Richard Tognetti talks toJo Litsonabout the
Australian Chamber Orchestra’s exciting new
“cinematic and musical odyssey”,Mountain
Threecenturiesago,riskingone’slifetoclimb
amountainwouldhavebeenconsidered
tantamounttolunacy.Thenotionbarely
existed,indeed,thatwildlandscapemighthold
anysortofappeal...Nowtheyarenumbered
amongthenaturalworld’smostexquisiteforms,
andpeoplearewillingtodieforloveof them.”
MountainsoftheMind,RobertMacfarlane
In2012,RichardTognetti–violinvirtuosoandsurfing
enthusiast–combinedtwoofhisgrandpassions
when he took a group of musicians and surfers to
theruggedsurfcoastandtoughdesertlandscapeof
northern Western Australia around Ningaloo Reef.
Together with photographer Jon Frank they created
an adventurous multi-media performance piece called
The Reef.It proved an inspired idea. Melding footage
ofsurfingandthelandscapewithaneclecticscore
thatrangedfromRameau,BeethovenandLigetitothe
AmericangrungebandAliceinChains,The Reefwas a
huge success for the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Building on that achievement comes an ambitious
newworkcalledMountain,whichpremieresinJune.
Billed as “a cinematic and musical odyssey”,Mountain
lookstoawe-inspiringpeaksinacollaboration
betweentheACO,filmdirectorJenniferPeedomof
Sherpafame,mountainclimberandcinematographer
RenanOzturk,andwriterRobertMacfarlane,author
of the influential bookMountainsoftheMind.
Lookingbackoverthegenesisoftheproject,
Tognetti,theACO’sArtisticDirector,saysthatin
thewakeofThe Reef,peoplewereurginghimtodo
something similar with mountains. “[They were]
thinkingIwasgoingtodosomethingwithskiing.
ThereissomecrazyskiingbutIdon’tlikeskiingfilms,
theyarekindofboring,andyoucanfindallofthose
things onYouTubeanyway,” he says.
“Then our chairman came up with the idea of
collaboratingwiththeBanffCentre[forArtsand
Creativity,inBanff,intheCanadianprovinceof
Alberta],whichhasanincrediblemountainfilm
festival.So,IwentovertoBanffandspenttwoweeks
thereinJanuary2014,buttherewasnoonethere–
it was a bit likeThe Shining,” he says w r yly.
Then ACO cellist Julian Thompson suggested that
TognettihavealookofsomeofPeedom’swork.Tognetti
watchedSolo,the2008documentaryshemadewith
David Michôd about Australian adventurer Andrew
McAuleywholosthislifewhileattemptingasolo
kayakcrossingfromTasmaniatoNewZealand.“Itwas
terrific,” says Tognetti ofSolo.What’smore,Peedomhad
beengoingtotheHimalayasforaroundadecade and
had worked on a number of mountain films.
Hitting the