Nicholas McCarthy, who at one point was told he would never have a career, is not your average artist. Born in 1989 without his right hand, he only began to play the piano at the late age of 14, going on to become the first one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in that insti
Nicholas McCarthy, who at one point was told he would never have a career, is not your average artist. Born in 1989 without his right hand, he only began to play the piano at the late age of 14, going on to become the first one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in that institution's 130-year history. The same year, he performed alongside Coldplay at the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in front of a televised audience of half a billion worldwide. Accessible yet surprising at every turn, Nicholas McCarthy’s debut album ranges from Wittgenstein’s arrangement for left hand of Bach/Gounod’s Ave Maria to popular early 20th-century works such as ‘O mio babbino caro’ from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (arranged by Frédéric Meinders) and ‘Summertime’ from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (arranged by McCarthy himself). "I hope this album will offer a snapshot of the range of repertoire that exists for left hand. My selection also offers a portrait of me as an artist, including three of my own arrangements.” The final track is a new commission by the British composer Nigel Hess – a Nocturne for left hand, written specially for Nicholas: “It has a really simple, beautiful theme and I've I love the way Nigel uses harmony. He does some unexpected things that I really like.”