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CBC
a day ago
- 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.
CTV News
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Paralyzed concert pianist makes triumphant return to the stage thanks to new technology
A concert pianist who became paralyzed and lost the ability to play the piano for many years was thrilled to make his return to the stage with the help of a technology he helped develop. Riccardo Baldini is a pianist who came to Edmonton from Italy in 2017. Six years ago, he woke up paralyzed from the chest down due to a spinal cavernoma burst. In order to play the piano, you need to use the foot pedals to change the sound being produced. 'As you get to a more advanced and professional level, it's your entire body that's (being used) …it's like a self awareness of where your body is to create certain sounds, create certain effects,' Baldini said. He didn't give up hope and dreamed of being able to play the piano again, the instrument he devoted himself to for decades. Working with engineers and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation's research and innovation department, he helped develop Resonate, a tool that lets him control the foot pedals using his mouth. 'It's a huge win for music, and it's a huge win for accessibility music and equality of opportunity,' Baldini said. '(Now), people with disabilities have the potential for performing on stage and on a professional level, which is something that has never been done before. 'The few images that we captured, the videos, are going to be the start of something that maybe could inspire some kids with disabilities to pursue musical careers.' Resonate was actually named after the right of the three piano pedals, known as the sustain, damper or resonance pedal, which is required to play the majority of classical music, according to Baldini. It keeps the notes playing after a musician's fingers are taken off the keys. The stage beckons Last December, Baldini went to the Winspear to see if a performance like this would be possible, if he could wheel onto the stage and if Resonate would work with the piano. A few months later, he was asked if he would be interested in playing in some shows with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO). ESO The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's Anime in Concert show. (Edmonton Symphony Orchestra) The three concert performances for Anime in Concert over two days in June were the largest crowds Baldini had played in front of since Resonate was developed. 'It's been a dream come true for me to be able to perform with a full symphony orchestra on stage after my injury in my wheelchair,' said Baldini. 'I had an incredible feeling, It went really well. 'The audience responded not as at a classical concert where the audience is more composed, which made the energy coming from the audience amazing.' When he wheeled out onto the stage, he started playing, not saying anything until after the first song, once the audience had a chance to question how he could play while in a wheelchair. 'The focus was music, not disability,' Riccardo said. 'The stigma about disability should disappear from the concept. I'm there performing like anyone else.' Baldini performed One Summer's Day from Spirited Away and Kanashikute Yarikirenai from In This Corner of the World. 'Growing up, I watched a lot of anime and I love it. I think there's so much depth into these Japanese productions that I always enjoyed,' Baldini said. 'I was very much pleased to play the music from these movies.' He said the other performers and staff at the Winspear were very accommodating and encouraging, 'like a big family.' Music is what matters Resonate in its current form has been ready since 2024, as the first prototype was 'too loud' according to Baldini and having it be unobtrusive was important to him. 'It's not about you, it's about the music and conveying some emotions, and I think we achieved that throughout the concert, and hopefully also shared a good message with my performance,' he said. He hopes to be able to perform with ESO again and would like the opportunity to play in other venues to showcase what he can do now. Carnegie Hall is on his bucket list, and he also said he would like to be able to perform with the Vancouver and Toronto symphonies. One of the pieces he hopes to be able to perform in front of an audience again is Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 31 Op. 110, a technically challenging 20-minute piece. 'It's a bit of a journey of music that goes through a deep dive into depression … it's almost a lament, like crying,' Baldini said. 'Then from there, when you hit rock bottom, you are coming back out of that with a huge, major conclusion, which is a triumph of the Ode to Joy. 'I really resonate with (the piece) because of my life experience.' Resonating around the world Baldini has received inquiries about Resonate from all over the world from people in a similar situation like him and people with disabilities interested in learning the piano. They did presales for the device and are moving into the manufacturing phase for the first production run. 'The stories that come with each individual are so unique and it really warms my heart every time, because I understand … when I first got injured and looked out there, and there was nothing that would have helped me to go back and play the piano, and nobody was doing it, it really crushed me,' Baldini said. Resonate was designed for pianos, but Bandini said people have asked about potential uses in other instruments in the future, like drums, and for things outside of music like sewing machines and pottery wheels. His advice for people who find themselves suddenly unable to do what they love because of injury or illness is to 'keep moving forward in uncertainty.' 'You will go through a grieving period and some pain and some mental work that needs to be done, but at the same time, you don't want to waste your time and waste your life,' Baldini said. 'There is so much more that can come and you can do despite whatever situation and whatever cards you are dealt by life. Just be creative and don't give up.'
