Every now and then, you encounter an ensemble that changes how you think about classical music. In the case of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and its Artistic Director, Richard Tognetti, there’s their upcoming event called The Reef, which comes to the 92Y’s Kauffman Concert Hall on Feb. 18. A multimedia presentation – as part of the Seeing Music Festival — the Richard-led ACO will be playing in front of a captivating 100-minute film that incorporates surfing, the ocean, starry skies and desert landscapes. Directed by Mick Sowry and filmed by Jon Frank and Edward Saltau, The Reef was filmed over the course of two weeks at Australia’s Ningaloo Reef.
Visuals aside, also interesting beyond the Reef event is the selection of music that accompanies the film. Beyond famous works from Bach, Rachmaninoff and Shosatkovich, there will be an Alice In Chains classic and some original pieces by Richard. Richard kindly took the time to talk to Downtown about this upcoming 92Y event, in addition to his work on other ASO projects; Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood was a recent collaborator. For more information on The Reef and plenty more, click on over to www.aco.com.au.
When did you first get interested in surfing?
Richard Tognetti: I was about 10 when I started surfing. Growing up in Wollongong, which is about an hour south of Sydney, surfing was just what you did. And 40-ish years later, I’m still interested and still learning. Things have changed a lot too. Since meeting Derek Hynd, who is featured in The Reef, I have become a finless surfing acolyte. Finless or free fiction surfing is about losing control while attempting to remain in control. It allows you to go faster, and when you grip, it gives a release that finned surfing doesn’t quite have. There’s a lot about surfing that is germane to music actually. I’ve said before that I truly believe surfing is the perfect intersection of mind and physical culture and art.
When did that happen versus your foray into classical music?
R: About five years later. I would’ve been about five, I guess, when I started violin. There was a teacher in Wollongong, Harold Brissenden, who started Suzuki violin lessons. And then he brought out Hiroko Primrose, along with her husband William Primrose — who was one the greatest violists at that time — and I was lucky enough to have lessons with both of them. I was about 11. I learnt so much, most importantly that it takes discipline to learn an instrument. When I moved to Sydney I studied with Alice Waten and I was in my late teens when I moved to Switzerland to study with Igor Ozim.
Do you have a favorite place to surf in the northeast?
R: I’ve not surfed in the northeast but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve heard good things about Ditch Plains, Ruggles, Samastian…
Have you met other surfers within the orchestral world?
R: Every now and then I meet someone. But there are three of us in the ACO — Julian Thompson, my wife Satu Vänska, and me! The three of us have a bit of a thing about Mondays in Melbourne. I call it “Sacred Monday.” When we’re on tour, we “disappear” for the day and go to Bells Beach. We spend the day surfing and come back just in time for the concert. It’s a guilty pleasure, although I’m not so sure about the guilty part; it’s just pleasure.
How would you describe your upcoming event at the 92nd Street Y? It’s a mix of music and film, right?
R: It’s an epic multimedia adventure. The Reef explores the links between surfing, the ocean, landscape and music. It all started with Ningaloo Reef. It has been a secret spot for surfers for many years. It takes a hell of a long time to get there, but it really is one of the most amazing places on the earth, as the desert pours into the wild Indian Ocean.
There’s a great quote from Saul Bellow’s narrator in Dangling Man that I use to describe The Reef: “Most serious matters are closed to the hard- boiled. They are un-practised in introspection, and therefore badly-equipped to deal with opponents whom they cannot shoot like big game or outdo in daring…the hard-boiled are compensated for their silence: they fly planes or fight bulls or catch tarpon…”
Or surf! And a surfer does require a certain hardboiled-ness. Try staying in the water as a three-meter tiger shark saunters by!
The Reef attempts, among other things, to bring a sense of existential awe and wonder to the hard-boiled; while trying to boil away perceptions that “classical music” is seemingly only for those boiled soft. If you’re a classical music lover, it’s fair to say you’re going to be taken into unfamiliar terrain. But I think that’s a good thing.
Does it feel strange to be showing surf-related content when the weather is this cold?
R: Cold weather surfing is the new sunbathing! No, I don’t think it’s that strange at all. In Australia, we surf all year round. It doesn’t ever get cold enough that you can’t go out. I know that’s a bit different here. Although I bet there are hard-core surfers out there in below zero temperatures. But back to the question, The Reef isn’t really a surf film. There’s surf in it. But it’s going to take you to so many more places, hopefully.
Is there any chance that the show itself may eventually come out on a DVD? Or is live the only way to see it for the foreseeable future?
R: We are working on it right now. But if you want something to tide you over – sorry, that’s a terrible pun – there’s a live DVD of a performance we did at the Sydney Opera House in 2013. Or you could also look up Musica Surfica. It’s a documentary I did with Derek Hynd about experimental surfing. It was kind of a precursor to The Reef. Mick Sowry and Jon Frank were the creative forces behind that one too. It won an award here – Best Feature at the 2008 New York Surf Film Festival!
I noticed that your ensemble has performed multiple songs by Alice In Chains. Is that one of your favorite bands?
R: Absolutely, from that heavy metal-grunge-Seattle-Kurt Cobain era. I’ve always found their sound to be rich and symphonic. But I’d also have to add Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Nirvana and of course David Bowie to my list of favorite “popular” bands/musicians.
How did the collaboration with Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead come about?
R: Jonny is a serious classical composer and brilliant film scorer, as well as being “that guy from Radiohead.” Like so many people, we were huge fans of his music. When his publisher approached us about him collaborating with us, it was kismet. Radiohead was finishing their 2012 tour in Australia, so Jonny stayed behind with his family and hung out with us. During that time, he composed Water, which we premiered on our North American tour in 2014.
Aside from The Reef, what is coming up for you professionally?
R: We’re making a film called Mountain with director Jen Peedom and cinematographer/landscape artist/mountain adventurer Renan Ozturk. Their documentary Sherpa has been nominated for both an Oscar and a BAFTA. Renan has filmed Alex Honnold many times. Then there’s our subscription series in Australia which is a feast of late Beethoven Quartets. And we’ve got lots of incredible artists touring with us – Julia Lezhneva, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Giovanni Sollima. We’ll be touring to the U.K. and Europe this July and August, and I’ll be back in London again in November when I’m the Milton Court Artist-in-Residence at the Barbican So there’s a lot coming up!
Music and surfing aside, are there any other hobbies that you spend a lot of time doing?
R: I read a lot but not as much as I’d like because there’s never enough time. I like skiing in the winter, which is getting harder in Australia because there’s not much snow.
I also really enjoy cooking. I turned 50 last year and I prepared a 14-course meal for a bunch of people including Heston Blumenthal! I’d been talking to him about a collaboration and he mentioned that as a chef, he never gets invited to dinner. So I invited him to dinner!
Finally, Richard, any last words for the kids?
R: As Muhammad Ali said on his album, The Adventures Of Ali And His Gang Vs. Mr. Tooth Decay, remember to brush your teeth! And think of mountain climbers: not all highs happen quickly.
-by Darren Paltrowitz
