OBSERVER: Beyond the Baton
Tycho! Beyond the Baton is the remarkable story of a post-war immigrant whose music infiltrated the ears of most Australians.
Tommy Tycho became a household name in Australian television as conductor, composer and orchestrator of the music for a wide range of shows, from the Mavis Bramston Show to Number 96, not to mention creating the music for the hit film Young Einstein.
And if you can’t immediately think of something you know that was created by Tycho, just think of the way the Australian National Anthem is performed at so many events.
Originally regarded as something of a dirge, Tycho orchestrated it to include emotion and pathos, so when singer Julie Anthony recorded it, her version of Tycho’s arrangement became the gold standard.
What is incredible in this documentary is the huge range of people whose lives have been influenced by Tycho, from Olivia Newton-John and Peter Allan to local artists such as Kamahl, Rhonda Burchmore, James Morrison, Simon Tedeschi and John Foreman.
Tommy made his concert debut with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at the age of 10.
But when war came, as a Jew, Tommy was interned in a labour camp, and after the war was unable to finish his academic or musical studies when the Communists moved into Hungary.
Tommy and wife Eve settled in Australia in 1951, where he eventually as musical director at Channel 7, Tommy became a household name to variety show viewers.
He was also a prolific composer, with over than 1000 compositions to his name.
In 2008 a serious stroke paralysed his left hand, but he continued composing, and playing with his right hand until he died of complications from pneumonia is 2013 at the age of 84.
This is a fascinating documentary about the man and musician behind the name, who was beloved by so many of Australia’s top musicians and performers.
Tycho! Beyond The Baton will be screened at Cinema Nova in Carlton on Saturday (July 18) as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Julie Houghton