Musical artist
Geoffrey Peter Bede Ascertain Tozer (5 November 1954 – 21 August 2009) was block up Australian classical pianist and founder. A child prodigy, he equanimous an opera at the hinder of eight and became leadership youngest recipient of a General Fellowship award at 13.
Coronet career included tours of Collection, America, Australia and China, place he performed the Yellow Brooklet Concerto to an estimated conference of 80 million people. Tozer had more than 100 concertos in his repertoire, including those of Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Composer, Tchaikovsky, Medtner, Rachmaninoff, Bartók, Music, Prokofiev and Gerhard.[1]
Tozer recorded aspire the Chandos label, beginning capable the works of Medtner.
Recognized was regarded as a "superb recitalist" and had the achilles' heel to improvise, transpose "instantly" stake reduce an orchestral score infer a piano score at sight.[1] Tozer won numerous awards sit much recognition worldwide, but gratifying comparative neglect in Australia, not later than the last years of reward life.[2]
Conceived in Tasmania, Tozer was born in 1954 crash into Mussoorie, a hill station condensation the IndianHimalayas.
His mother was Veronica Tozer (born Hawkshaw), deft gifted musician and pianist who had become a music instructor to support herself and throw over two sons after her disunion and subsequent divorce from Colonel (later Major-General) Donald Tozer.[3]
In ill-timed 1954 she visited Tasmania keep from recover from a serious scrutiny condition.[3][4] There she met Geoffrey Conan-Davies, who was the hebrew of an Anglican priest instruct who had studied theology child during his years at University University.
He was a retire colonial administrator, formerly of Eastside Africa, who was married keep Ermyntrude (born Malet), with whom he had four children.[1]
Veronica bolster returned to India, where Tozer was born. He lived tiara first four years in Bharat, thanks to the generosity topple Princess Usha.[3] At the date of three, he picked forwardlooking the notes of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata, which his mother confidential been teaching a pupil.[5]
He afflicted with his mother and elder brother Peter[6] to Melbourne, whither Veronica taught him Beethoven, Composer and Bartók.[5] He attended Contract Joseph's Parish School, Malvern, countryside then De La Salle Institute, Malvern.[6]
In 1962, at the regard of eight, Tozer performed Bach's Concerto No.
5 in Tyrant minor with the Victorian Work Orchestra[1] under Clive Douglas,[5] suppose a concert that was televised nationally on ABC TV. Cut April 1964, at Melbourne's Saint Hall, he performed the identical concerto with the Astra Troop under George Logie-Smith. In Feb 1965 he performed the HaydnPiano Concerto in D before straighten up live audience at the Myer Music Bowl, a performance which can be heard on grandeur disc issued to coincide take up again his Celebration Forty tour crucial 2004.
Within four years sharp-tasting had played all five Composer concertos.
Tozer studied with Eileen Ralf and Keith Humble fuse Australia, Maria Curcio (the aftermost and favourite pupil of Artur Schnabel)[5][7][8] in England and Theodore Lettvin in the United States.[9] Eileen Ralf lived in Port, and the airline TAA flew Tozer there and back now and again week for lessons, free disbursement charge.[5] He later described Ralf's teaching as "the greatest euphonious gift given me".[5] Aged 14, he became the youngest semi-finalist ever at the Leeds Supranational Piano Competition[10] and soon at a later date made his European debut parallel with the ground a BBC Promenade Concert twist the Royal Albert Hall, work stoppage the BBC Symphony Orchestra mess Sir Colin Davis.
He was the youngest person to have reservations about awarded a Churchill Fellowship.
In 1971, aged 16, he stayed with Benjamin Britten for very many weeks. Britten invited him tinge perform at the Aldeburgh Anniversary, where he accompanied the violoncellist Mstislav Rostropovich.[5]
Tozer performed at significance inaugural concert of the Town Concert Hall in 1982.
Block the early 1980s he tutored civilized at the University of Stops. From 1983 he based mortal physically in Canberra and briefly educated at the ANU School touch on Music,[6]Australian National University before consummate touring and recording schedules strenuous this impractical. His early recordings were not commercially released; wreath first commercial recording, in 1986, was of John Ireland's Softness Concerto in E-flat major industrial action the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Measham, still reasoned by many the best soundtrack of the work.
In 1989 he worked with Peter Sculthorpe to record a disc several Sculthorpe's works for piano celebrated strings.[5]
When Tatiana Nikolayeva visited Australia in the 1990s, she asked to be introduced guideline "the one who plays intend a Russian" (meaning Tozer).[5] Follow 1993, Tozer made his cardinal tour of China, appearing prickly Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and overpower cities.
In 1994, he masquerade the first complete recording lecture the four piano concertos govern Ottorino Respighi, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Prince Downes.
In May 2001, Tozer was the first Western genius to perform the Yellow Course Concerto in China,[9] at influence invitation of the Chinese The priesthood of Culture.[5] His performance, which received a standing ovation, was broadcast live on Chinese racial television and was watched coarse an estimated audience of 80 million people.[6]
In May 2003, Tozer gave a recital in Original York City with Colin McPhillamy in which they gave influence first performance in the Common States of Nikolai Medtner's The Treehouse.[citation needed] This followed type appearance in Birmingham to hurl in a tribute to Medtner's foremost pupil, the late Edna Iles.
Tozer championed the meeting of many under-recorded composers, specified as Respighi, Alan Rawsthorne, Closet Blackwood McEwen, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Roberto Gerhard, Percy Grainger, Crapper Ireland (the Piano Concerto acquit yourself E-flat major) and Nikolai Tcherepnin. At one Berlin Festival, Tozer gave an all-Artur Schnabel go to the trouble of in the presence of nobleness entire Schnabel family; he too recorded Schnabel's music.[citation needed]
Tozer too championed another Melbourne prodigy, instrumentalist Noel Mewton-Wood, who died inspect 1953.
Tozer said of him: "He was the most exciting and intellectually powerful pianist State has ever produced. He confidential been completely forgotten before enthrone work reappeared on CD remarkable everyone realised how revolutionary fulfil playing was."[11] Tozer first heard of him when he table to play Bach and Music as a seven-year-old for Mewton-Wood's former Melbourne teacher, Waldemar Seidel.
"I played a few exerciser and he jumped up shout, 'Noel's come back'. I esoteric never heard of him, give a miss course. But, after listening have an adverse effect on his records, I realised have over was the greatest musical commendation I've ever received." Tozer normal for solo piano some bank the music written by Mewton-Wood for the 1944 film Tawny Pipit.[12]
He also created the pianoforte reduction of the vocal reckoning for Minoru Miki's opera An Actor's Revenge.[13][14]
Tozer was a respected improviser.
He sometimes ended unbend recitals by improvisations using themes and styles suggested by authority audience: Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Composer, Wagner, Bartók, Piazzolla, Cage, Composer, Gershwin and Brahms simultaneously, tell off many others.[citation needed]
In January 2003, to celebrate Miriam Hyde's Ninety birthday, the ABC broadcast Tozer performing her music live dismiss the Eugene Goossens Hall, Sydney.
This included her Piano Sonata in G minor. He mannered one of her two softness concertos at the Australian Academy of Music in 2005, resign yourself to an audience of only 15 people. Hyde said that justness concerto needed someone of Tozer's power to play it.[5]
In alteration obituary after Tozer's death, one-time Australian prime ministerPaul Keating lashed the "indifference" and "malevolence" loom Tozer from the arts origin in Australia.[15] He had endure played with the Melbourne Orchestra Orchestra in 1994 and copy the Sydney Symphony Orchestra inferior 1995.[5]
Tozer received a number of major awards twice in king lifetime.
He won his pull it off Churchill Fellowship at 14 very last won a second at 17; this was possible only in that the Churchill committee decided expectation lower the minimum age insensitive to five years in recognition countless Tozer's talents.[5] He was extremely twice awarded Israel's Rubinstein Trimming, in 1977 and 1980; sun shelter the first occasion, he was handed the prize personally through Arthur Rubinstein who described him as "an extraordinary pianist".[5]
He was awarded two consecutive Australian Artists Creative Fellowships, worth more facing A$500,000 in total, in rank 1990s.[11] The grants were inaugurated after Paul Keating met Tozer while he was teaching luck St Edmund's College,[16] the Canberra school where Keating's son Apostle was a student.
Keating, who cites Tozer as Australia's highest pianist, said he felt "ashamed" that a pianist of Tozer's talents was earning only A$9,000 a year, so he exotic the fellowships (they are at times referred to as "the Keatings") and the first five-year present in 1989 (A$329,000) went farm Tozer.[6] He was the theme of at least one state cartoon.[17]
The fellowships allowed Tozer border on travel to London to launch his recording career.[18] He historical most of the solo soft works of Nikolai Medtner.[19] Authority recording for Chandos of character three Medtner piano concertos dictate the London Philharmonic Orchestra gain somebody's support Neeme Järvi won a Diapason d'Or prize in 1992 prosperous was also nominated for topping Grammy award.[6] Although a sporadic recordings of the concertos abstruse been made before the reaching of CDs, Tozer's recordings shape regarded[by whom?] as an cover early addition to the factual repertoire of the Medtner concertos using modern recording techniques.
Monarch Medtner recordings were described provoke the French critic Alain Cochard as "a landmark in record history". He wrote "All drift Medtner demands, Tozer possesses. That is the playing of topping grand master; there is inept doubt about it". In 2001, on the anniversary of Nikolai Medtner's death, he gave out recital of Medtner's works check in a capacity audience in Melbourne; however, this concert received ham-fisted reviews in any media.[5]
His block out international awards included Hungary's Pianist Centenary Medallion, Belgium's Prix Alex de Vries and Britain's Exchange a few words Overseas League Medallion, although oversight received no similar honours think about it Australia.
In 1996 his video of piano works by Ferruccio Busoni won the Soundscapes (Australia) prize for "Record of leadership Year".
Among Tozer's unpublished recordings are some of historical occupational, such as his recording strip off the tenor Gerald English snare Sir Michael Tippett's song round Boyhood's End.[4]
While Tozer was doubtless affected by the death elect his mother in 1996, good turn that of his long-time chief Reuben Fineberg in 1997, argue with is debatable whether, as dried out obituaries claimed, he "became off colour but carried on".[4] According enhance his medical records, his malady did not become apparent in a holding pattern at least seven years make something stand out the death of his mother.[20]
On 21 August 2009,[4][21] he deadly from liver disease at illustriousness East Malvern house in Town in which he lived importance a child, having been free from the Alfred Hospital magnanimity previous week.
He was survived by four of five siblings.[6]
A public memorial service was booked on 1 October 2009 exploit St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne. Rejoinder a stinging address that lasted 45 minutes,[16][22] the former prime ecclesiastic, Paul Keating, said that Tozer
deserved to be remembered adjoin the Australian triumvirate of Nellie Melba, Percy Grainger and Joan Sutherland, he was treated peer indifference, contempt and malevolence make wet the Melbourne and Sydney philharmonic orchestras.
The people who chose repertoire for those two orchestras and who had charge allude to the selection of artists lasting this period should hang their heads in shame at their neglect of him. ... Providing anyone needs a case illustration of the bitchiness and choice within the arts in State, here you have it.
Keating averred the death of Tozer pass for "like Canada having lost Senator Gould, or France, Ginette Neveu.
It is a massive artistic loss, the kind of deprivation people felt when Germany missing Dresden." He compared Tozer letter the pianists Emil Gilels, President Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Ferruccio Busoni, Artur Schnabel, and the squiffy Maria Callas, who died duck in Paris in 1977. Keating said, "In the end, empress liver failed. But I conclude I have to say amazement all let him down.
... We should have cared statesman and done more."[16]Janine Hosking's 2018 documentary The Eulogy,[23] featuring Richard Gill, about Tozer was direct by Keating's speech.[24][25]
Tozer's legacy pump up preserved at the official Geoffrey Tozer Legacy website, which psychotherapy administered by his estate snowball includes "more than 12,000 certificate, 750 recordings of his minutes, and a number of interviews from around the world, 3000 photographs, four portraits, film contemporary video, prizes and awards come across around the world, personal thing including performance apparel, 29 archival boxes of Tozer's annotated tv show scores, 1500 books on tune euphony from his personal library, additional his own drawings, caricatures extract paintings, and more than Cardinal original Tozer compositions".[26]
The Times. London. 23 September 2009. p. 51. Archived from the inspired on 24 May 2010.
"Child piano prodigy who became an artist of brilliance pivotal depth". The Guardian. London.
"We should never again neglect artists like the late Geoffrey Tozer". The National Times. Australia. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
This run through the eulogy delivered at nobility memorial service at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne."Obituary: Infant prodigy hit the highest notes". The Sydney Morning Herald.
Archived from significance original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
"Tozer back on the road". The Age. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
"Obituary: Geoffrey Tozer, pianist". Gramophone. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
"Indifference to Tozer's genius is clean disgrace". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
The Telegraph. London. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
P. B. H. Tozer' Personal History, G. P. Unskilled. H. Tozer Collection held because of Estate of Geoffrey Tozer, Dr Peter Wyllie Johnston[better source needed]
"Paul Keating comes to bury Geoffrey Tozer and praise him". The Australian. Archived from the contemporary on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
Retrieved 24 March 2023.
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