The Wednesdays at the Manoel series continues tomorrow with a recital by the unique musician Nicholas McCarthy, an international and award-winning concert pianist who was born without his right hand and is the world’s only one-handed concert pianist focusing on the dynamic world of left hand alone repertoire.
He was born in 1989 and only began to play the piano at the age of 14. Having once been told that he would never succeed as a concert pianist, McCarthy would not be discouraged and went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London. His graduation in July 2012 drew press headlines around the world, being the only one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in its 130-year history.
McCarthy is a champion of the dynamic and brave world of left hand alone repertoire, something that first came into being in the early 19th century and developed rapidly following World War I as a result of the many injuries suffered on the battlefield.
Paul Wittgenstein was responsible for its 20th century developments with his commissions with Maurice Ravel, Sergey Prokofiev and Benjamin Britten among others.
McCarthy has performed extensively throughout the UK and internationally in notable concert venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, The Kennedy Centre, Washington DC. His talent has also been showcased widely across the press and media with many television and radio broadcasts.
In September 2015 McCarthy was thrilled to announce his exclusive record deal with Warner Music, his album entitled Solo featured 17 stunning pieces of left hand repertoire spanning three centuries. It has been released around the world to great acclaim, securing a top 10 classical chart position and five star reviews.
Tomorrow’s repertoire is a celebration of determination and three centuries of music played with the left hand alone.
It features composers as diverse as Liszt, Chopin/Godowsky, Bach, Scriabin, Gershwin, Blumenfeld and so many others.
The recital starts at 8pm with a pre-recital talk at 7.15pm.
• Tickets at €20 with discounts for full-time students and senior citizens may be obtained by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt, online: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, or by calling 2124 6389.
Primary school aged children (6+) enter free but must be accompanied by a paying adult.