Dr david helfgott biography meaning

Pianist

For the Record…

Pressure on the Teenage Prodigy

The Debut of Shine

Helfgott Returns to the Concert Circuit

Selected discography

Sources

Helfgott became known to international audiences as the troubled Australian pianist depicted in Australian director Scott Hicks’ 1996 film Shine.

A child prodigy, Helfgott eventually suffered a mental breakdown after his overbearing father forbade him to accept an invitation from Isaac Stern to study music in the United States. After more than a decade in and out of mental institutions, during which he underwent electroshock therapy and was forbidden to play the piano due to his delicate health, Helfgott gradually recovered, first playing piano in a wine bar in his native Perth, then returning to concert halls in Australia with the help of his wife, Gillian.

Following the success of the much-acclaimed Shine, Helfgott released a highly popular CD recording of his rendition of Rachmaninoff’s