Pianist David Helfgott, whose life story
was the subject of the film Shine,
will perform at the Canberra Theatre
tonight. Photo: ANDREW SHEARGOLD
"... Yesterday afternoon at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra, Australia's most eccentric pianist, David Helfgott, had just flooded the bathroom. A few hours later it wasn't difficult to see why.Courtesy of The Canberra Times
Helfgott, as usual, was full of energy. He makes it his mission to say hello to everyone that crosses his path and it's often impossible to capture his full attention. Luckily, there was a piano in the room.
''What do you want to hear? What do you want to hear?'' he asked.
Helfgott then launched into the final movements of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No3, the famous concerto featured in Shine, the film which made Helfgott famous.
''I love the piano, I love the piano, can't imagine life without it,'' he said.
His wife of 26 years, Gillian Helfgott, then took over the conversation, Helfgott clearly engaged with the piano.
''He's always got to play some Rachmaninov wherever we go,'' she said.
Helfgott will play Rachmaninov Prelude in C# minor Opus 3 No2 and Prelude in G minor Opus 23 No5 at the Canberra Theatre tonight, among other works; one from Mendelssohn, many pieces from one of Helfgott's favourite composers, Liszt, and Chopin. ..."
2 comments:
One of my favourite Rachmaninov pieces. I have never seen David Helfgott before ... what wonderful facial expressions he has when he plays. Thanks for sharing this. You've quite made my day. Thank you also for your kind comments on my blog.
just catching up with your posts
eclectic as always
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