In 2007, when leading Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür wrote a piece called Whistles and Whispers from Uluru for the Australian Chamber Orchestra, he had never visited the country that inspired his music. It was only when he flew to Australia to hear Genevieve Lacey and the ACO give the world premiere that he was able to experience the magnitude and majesty of Ayers Rock first-hand. It was everything he had imagined in the piece he calls his “tribute to Australia”.

Tüür has been affiliated with Richard Tognetti and the ACO since their 2006 European tour included a concert in the Estonian capital of Tallinn. Commissioned to write a second piece for the ACO to premiere during their current national tour, Tüür “couldn’t resist” returning to “a connection with the heart of this magic place in the world.”

“For a long, long time I’ve been very much taken with the wonderful and very specific nature and sounds of Australia,” he says. “The bushland, the colours, the desert – this is so fascinating.”

The quality of the orchestra and the success of their last collaboration sealed the deal. “I had their beautiful sound...