Limelight — May 2017

I’MFASCINATEDBYWHYPEOPLEARE

DRAWNTOMOUNTAINSANDTHISWAS

AGREATOPPORTUNITYTOEXPLORE

THATIDEAINAREALLYCREATIVEWAY Richard Tognetti

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au MAY 2017LIMELIGHT 31

Ta l k ing toLimelightfromLosAngeles,whereshewas

workingonanotherprojectbeforeflyingtoRometo

record the narration forMountainwith Willem Dafoe,

Peedom says she was instantly attracted to the project.

ShewasalreadywellacquaintedwiththeACO.“I

grewupinCanberraandwasactuallyinthesamejunior

orchestraasJulianThompson,andhiswifeismyoldest

andbestfriend,”shesays.“Myviolindaysarelongsince

over,butgiventhatfriendshipandmyloveofclassical

music,Ihavekeptmyfootinthedoorbygoingtotheir

concerts. I had actually seenThe Reefwhen it first came

outattheOperaHouseandthought,‘whatafunproject!

I’dlovetodosomethinglikethatoneday.’Andtwo

yearslaterIgotacallfromRichard.”

NotonlywasPeedomexcitedatthethoughtof

collaborating with the ACO – “they truly are one of the

greatestchamberorchestrasintheworld,”shesays–but

theconceptitselfresonatedstronglywithher.

“I do have this fascination with mountains,” she says.

“ButIthinkreally,I’mfascinatedbywhypeopleare

drawntothem.It’sathemethatI’veexploredinalot

ofmyotherworkindifferentways,andIthoughtthis

wasagreatopportunitytoexplorethatideainareally

creative way, and express that curiosity.”

Havinganorchestraplayliveasanintrinsicpart

of a film is “a fairly new form of expression”, believes

Tognetti.“TheSydneySymphonyOrchestradoGladiator

andLord of the Ringsandsoforthwhereyouareplaying

music,goodorbad,infrontofascreenshowingthe

movie. This is quite different. I suppose the Philip Glass

Koyaanisqatsifrom 1982 [an experimental American film

directed by Godfrey Reggio with music by Glass] is a

model,butthisisstillquitedifferent.”

Tognettihasalwaysbroughtarovingspirittohis

programming at the ACO, where he has developed a

series of ground-breaking, cross-artform projects over

theyears.In2000,cartoonist-philosopherMichael

Leunigwrotenewversesandaccompanyingillustrations

for Saint-Saëns’Carnival of the Animals, which the ACO

Mt Toll, Colorado, USA © Joey Schusler