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One-handed British pianist is carrying forward the legacy of those who came before him
One-handed British pianist is carrying forward the legacy of those who came before him

CBC

time21-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • CBC

One-handed British pianist is carrying forward the legacy of those who came before him

Nicholas McCarthy is often described as the world's only professional one-handed concert pianist. But he wasn't the first, and he has no intention of being the last. "Each century from the 19th century tended to have this kind of one well-known concert pianist who had one hand," McCarthy told As It Happens guest host Megan Williams. "In the 21st century, I find myself being that one-handed pianist who seems to have more prominence. So I feel a lot of responsibility." On Sunday, the British pianist made his debut at The Proms, one of Britain's most prestigious classical music concert series, held annually at London's Royal Albert Hall, and broadcast on BBC. It was a dream come true for McCarthy — and one he says he couldn't have achieved without the thick skin that comes with having a lifelong disability, and a road paved by those who came before him. "I am still on a high. I'm absolutely buzzing," he said. "I would say this is really the pinnacle of my career so far." A 'full-circle moment' For his Proms debut, McCarthy regaled the audience with Maurice Ravel's bravura Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, alongside the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The deceivingly rich piece is probably the most famous left-hand-only piano composition, he says. And it only exist because it was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian-American concert pianist who lost his right arm in the First World War. It was one of several pieces Wittgenstein commissioned from prominent composers as he sought to build his post-war career, while developing novel techniques for one-handed play. "It's really thanks to him that I'm able to have the career that I have today, because I'm able to play these wonderful big famous works," McCarthy said. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand has been performed many times in the festival's 130-year-history, usually by two-handed pianists showing off their skills with their non-dominant hand. But McCarthy is only the second one-handed pianist to perform the piece at The Proms. The last, he says, was Wittgenstein himself in 1951. "It's really a full-circle moment," McCarthy said. Humble roots and a late start McCarthy was born without a right hand, but his disability wasn't the only obstacle on his journey to becoming a professional concert pianist. While most of his industry peers spent their childhoods studying classical music and practicing for hours on end, McCarthy says he spent his youth playing outdoors with his friends and doing regular kid stuff. "We come from a very non-musical family. Just normal pop stuff on the radio, you know, normal, working-class parents," he said. But at the age of 14, McCarthy heard his friend playing a Beethoven composition at school, and his whole life changed. "I just had one of those — it sounds corny — of those kind of Oprah Winfrey moments, you know, these kind of life-changing, lightbulb moments where I was like, wow, this is what I want to do for my career. I want to be a pianist," he said. It didn't even occur to him in that moment that he couldn't do it, he says. "You remember what it was like when you're 14," he said. "Everything's so possible, you know, full of teenage invincibility." But not everyone believed in his dream the way he did. "The early part of my career, for sure, I was being told left, right and centre by very respected people in the industry that I should give up, you know, this wasn't the career for me," he said. "It used to be fuel to my fire, almost, that's what kept me going and kept me focused on what I believed and what I knew I could do, which was obviously proven last night." A vast repertoire of left-hand only music Most piano compositions weren't made with someone like McCarthy in mind, but he didn't have to start from scratch. He says there is a surprisingly vast repertoire of piano music written for the left hand alone — roughly 3,000 solo pieces, and several dozen concertos. "It's all left-handed, and not right-hand alone, which I always find quite an interesting fact," he said. Many were commissioned by Wittgenstein, while others were commissioned or composed by Count Géza Zichy, a Hungarian composer who lost his right arm in a hunting accident in the 1860s. But many more, McCarthy said, were written in the 19th century for two-handed pianists to wow audiences. "Concert pianists would perform a wonderful bravura encore at the end of their amazing recitals," he said. "As a play on irony, they used to kind of say, 'You thought I was good with two hands. Wait till you see what I can do with my weaker hand!'" Now that McCarthy is in the spotlight like Wittgenstein and Zichy before him, he makes a point of regularly commissioning new left-hand pieces to build on the rich repertoire he's benefited so greatly from.

Cyril Smith, the postwar pianist who played with one hand
Cyril Smith, the postwar pianist who played with one hand

The Guardian

time21-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Guardian

Cyril Smith, the postwar pianist who played with one hand

An interesting article by Nicholas McCarthy, a left-hand-only pianist, on Paul Wittgenstein (Left turns: How a terrible war injury led to the birth of one-handed piano music, 16 July). Wittgenstein was perhaps one of the first performing pianists using only one hand, but there was a one-handed pianist in Britain in the years after the second world war. Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick became a piano-playing couple in 1941. They performed at the Proms and toured widely. They used all four hands, sometimes on one piano, sometimes on two. They were touring the Soviet Union in 1956 when Cyril had a stroke that paralysed his left arm. Just as Wittgenstein had experienced, Smith and Sellick had music written or arranged for them for the rest of their careers. How do I know this? They came to play at the University of Liverpool in 1962 and I was the student given the task of looking after them and was their MyttonDorking, Surrey Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

BBC Proms debut for one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy
BBC Proms debut for one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy

Times

time20-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Times

BBC Proms debut for one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy

When Nicholas McCarthy called a music school as a 15-year-old to inquire about piano lessons, they were perplexed to learn he only had one hand. 'How can you possibly play scales one-handed?' the head teacher asked. 'No problem,' he replied undeterred. 'I want to play music, not scales.' The phone line went dead. What happened next is testament to what McCarthy, 36, calls his 'Kevlar ­exterior'. Yesterday he made his debut at the BBC Proms when he was joined by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall to ­perform Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. 'It's such a career milestone,' he said, speaking from the dressing room before the performance. 'It's a dream come true for me. It's a huge moment for me and my family.

Only 5 Fingers Playing Piano, but the Sound of So Many Hands
Only 5 Fingers Playing Piano, but the Sound of So Many Hands

New York Times

time18-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • New York Times

Only 5 Fingers Playing Piano, but the Sound of So Many Hands

When Nicholas McCarthy was 15, he telephoned a local music school to ask about taking piano lessons and mentioned that he was disabled, having been born without a right hand. The school principal didn't take the news well. 'How will you even play scales?' McCarthy recalled her saying, dismissively, before hanging up. Now, some 20 years later, McCarthy is set to prove anyone who doubted him wrong — and in a high-profile way. On Sunday at the Royal Albert Hall in London, McCarthy is the star name for a concert at the Proms, Britain's most prominent classical music series. In front of thousands of spectators in the hall, as well a live TV audience, McCarthy, 36, will perform Maurice Ravel's bravura Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, using the grand piano's sustain peddle to elongate the bass notes while his hand leaps around the keyboard. 'Ravel's really created an aural illusion,' McCarthy said. 'Everyone might be thinking, 'Bloody hell, I'm only seeing five fingers playing, but I'm hearing so many hands.'' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Proms in the dark: BBC plans an all-nighter at the Royal Albert Hall
Proms in the dark: BBC plans an all-nighter at the Royal Albert Hall

BBC News

time24-04-2025

  • Entertainment
  • BBC News

Proms in the dark: BBC plans an all-nighter at the Royal Albert Hall

Organisers of the BBC Proms are encouraging fans to stay up all night, with a "magical" and "intimate" after-hours concert at the Royal Albert for the Dark Till Dawn Prom were unveiled in the programme announcing the summer festival, which will also feature one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy, rock star St Vincent and a celebration of film composer Bernard ever-popular CBeebies Prom will return, and Claudia Winkelman will host a concert exploring the tense and haunting soundtrack to the hit TV show The of the classical repertoire include Shoshtakovich's opera Lady Macbeth, and Korean sensation Yunchan Lim playing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 4. On 5 September, Sir Simon Rattle will conduct Chineke! - Europe's first minority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra - for the first concert will include a performance of the final work by Pulitzer-winning US composer George Walker, which was written as a response to the 2015 Charleston church stars gracing the 2025 season include soprano of the moment Aigul Akhmetshina, making her Proms debut, violinist Randall Goosby, sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar, Pakistani-American singer Arroj Aftab, and Grammy award-winner Angelique will be 84 concerts in all, with a number taking place in Gateshead, Bristol, Bradford, Belfast and Sunderland. Tickets go on sale at 9am on 17 May. On-the-day "Promming" tickets are £8 including booking fees, and seated tickets start from £10 plus booking fees. The all-nighter, on 8 August, is being planned by organist Anna Lapwood, who said the idea had been several years in the making."I spend a lot of time at the Albert Hall in the middle of the night, practicing, and I find it fascinating that the building is still just running overnight," she says. "There are always people there - cleaners and security guards - a bit like A Night At The Museum. "So we talked about how fun it would be to be able to invite people into that space, both physically, but also the abstract space of being in an iconic building in the middle of the night."Her programme will include YouTube pianist Hayato Sumino, Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina and Norwegian ensemble Barroksolistene, whose "Alehouse sessions" aim to recreate the atmosphere of a 17th Century English says the artists are all connected by an enthusiasm for "messing around" with music, citing Sumino's viral video of the "seven degrees of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". "There are various moments where we're hoping to do some collaborations," she reveals. "But the logistics of this are all very, very complicated, not least trying to figure out everyone's sleep schedules!" This summer's season is the first since the departure of Proms director David Pickard. He has been replaced by Hannah Donat who, as director of artistic planning, had shaped the festival alongside the controller of BBC Radio 3, Sam Jackson. "I think of the Proms as the classical music equivalent of Wimbledon," she says. "Everyone likes to go to Wimbledon, even if they don't watch tennis for the rest of the year; and everyone likes to go to a Prom, even if they're not going to concerts for the rest of the season.""It gives the concerts a warmth and an informal atmosphere. "People don't worry too much about knowing the repertoire inside out - there's just something spectacular about the Albert Hall and seeing the orchestra onstage." Among the concerts to watch out for are:19 July: The Great American Songbook and Beyond with Samara Joy. Fresh from winning best jazz album at this year's Grammys, US singer Samara Joy teams up with the BBC Concert Orchestra for a night of standards by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holliday.20 July: Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. The world's only professional one-handed concert pianist, Nicholas McCarthy, makes his Proms debut, playing a concerto originally written for Paul Wittgenstein, after he lost his right arm during World War One.26 July: The Traitors. "I've asked for a cloak and an owl," says Claudia Winkelman, ahead of this one-off concert, featuring classical pieces "with betrayal at their heart" alongside the gothic re-workings of pop songs heard in the TV reality show.2 August: Mahler's Resurrection Symphony. Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D'Angelo, whose voice has been called "a thing of wonder", makes her Proms debut with Norwegian soprano Mari Eriksmoen and the Hallé orchestra. 8 August: 100 Years of the Shipping Forecast. The subtle magic of the Shipping Forecast is celebrated in a special concert, in Belfast's Ulster Hall, featuring Radio 4's continuity announcers and a new work by poet laureate Simon Armitage. 9 August: The Planets and Star Wars. The National Youth Orchestra play two of the world's most recognisable pieces of orchestral music, with an intergalactic theme.10 August: Edward Gardner Conducts the LPO. Taking a journey through icy waters and cascading waterfalls, the London Philharmonic present a quartet of pieces, including Debussy's La Mer and Sibelius's Oceanides - with an aquatic theme. Electrifying mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina joins in, for her Proms debut.14 August: Joe Hisaishi and Steve Reich. Legendary Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi makes his Proms debut conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, playing his symphony The End Of The World, inspired by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.23 August: Mäkelä conducts Mahler's Fifth. Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä isn't yet 30, but his electrifying performances have already made headlines around the world. He comes to the Proms with the Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, to play Mahler's leonine fifth symphony.7 September: Angelique Kidjo - African Symphony. "I want to show the world the richness and beauty of African culture," says the Beninese-French music icon Angelique Kidjo of her return to the Proms. Part of Bradford's City of Culture programme, her concert will highlight iconic tracks from legends including Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti and Youssou N'Dour. The season concludes with the traditional "Last Night" on 13 September, conducted by Elim Louise Alder and trumpeter Alison Balsam will make star turns, alongside the traditional medley of sea shanties, Pomp and Circumstance and Auld Lang concert will also include Donat's favourite "Easter egg" for her first year in charge."There's a piece of music that I'd wanted to get into the Proms for some time," she says, referring to Arthur Benjamin's Storm Cloud music was originally written for Alfred Hitchcock's spy thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1934; and re-arranged by Bernard Herrmann for Hitchcock's Hollywood remake in 1956."The final scene takes place in the Albert Hall," explains Dotan, "and while Jimmy Stewart's chasing this assassin around the building, Bernard Herrmann is conducting the orchestra on stage - and that's the piece we're including in the Last Night of the Proms. "It's one of those little winks to the audience that I like to include during the season."For those who cannot attend, all of the concerts will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds, and 25 of the nights will be televised.

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