'Born in India but raised in Victoria, the late Geoffrey Tozer was a child prodigy who played with the Victorian Symphony Orchestra when he was nine years old, and at 13 became the youngest ever recipient of a Churchill Fellowship. He was a virtuoso pianist and improviser with an unprecedented repertoire, whose career saw him lauded around the world. But in Australia he struggled to achieve recognition, despite the well-documented patronage of then Treasurer Paul Keating. Tozer died in poverty in 2009, aged 54; at his memorial service, Keating delivered a characteristically unforgettable 45-minute address.
'Supported by the MIFF Premiere Fund and drawing extensively on Tozer’s own archives, The Eulogy sees Keating re-stage his famous funeral oration, around which director Janine Hosking (My Khmer Heart) weaves a long overdue commemoration for the under-appreciated musician. Conductor and music educator Richard Gill AO goes on a journey to rediscover and restore Tozer’s historical legacy, while interviews with family and friends offer revealing, previously un-earthed insights, into his life and loves.'
Source: Melbourne International Film Festival.
'How could one of the best pianists Australia has ever produced die lonely, neglected and impoverished in a dilapidated house in suburban Melbourne?' (Introduction)
'At the time of writing, the nation is arguing over whether the Sydney Opera House exists as world-heritage architecture or advertising space. This is the kind of stoush between culture and vested interests that Paul Keating would have relished. The Eulogy—a new documentary about classical pianist Geoffrey Tozer—returns us to the Keating years in which the prime minister played a crucial role in Tozer’s life. The title refers to Keating’s 45-minute address at Tozer’s funeral in 2009, which combined palpable grief with a searing attack on the arts establishment, whose negligence Keating felt contributed to the pianist’s premature death.' (Introduction)
'How could one of the best pianists Australia has ever produced die lonely, neglected and impoverished in a dilapidated house in suburban Melbourne?' (Introduction)
'At the time of writing, the nation is arguing over whether the Sydney Opera House exists as world-heritage architecture or advertising space. This is the kind of stoush between culture and vested interests that Paul Keating would have relished. The Eulogy—a new documentary about classical pianist Geoffrey Tozer—returns us to the Keating years in which the prime minister played a crucial role in Tozer’s life. The title refers to Keating’s 45-minute address at Tozer’s funeral in 2009, which combined palpable grief with a searing attack on the arts establishment, whose negligence Keating felt contributed to the pianist’s premature death.' (Introduction)
