David Helfgott (born May 19, 1947) is an Australian pianist, born in Melbourne to Polish-Jewish parents, whose life inspired Australian director Scott Hicks' Oscar-winning film Shine. He is as well known for having schizoaffective disorder as for his piano playing. His other interests include cats, chess, philosophy, tennis, swimming and keeping fit in general. May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of approximately 3. ... Scott Hicks is an Academy Award winning Film Director from South Australia. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Look up film in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shine is a 1996 film which tells the true story of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. ... CATS The Musical is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) in 1981 based on Old Possums Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. ... A chess table is a table with a chessboard painted or engraved on it. ... These five broad types of question are called analytical or logical, epistemological, ethical, metaphysical, and aesthetic respectively. ... Tennis balls This article is about the sport, tennis. ... Swimming is the method by which living creatures move themselves through water in a method not involving simply walking on the bottom. ...

Helfgott became known as a child prodigy after his father started teaching him the piano when he was six. When he was ten years old he studied under Frank Arndt, a Perth piano teacher, and won several local competitions, sometimes alone and sometimes with his elder sister Margaret Helfgott.

When David was fourteen, the Australian musical community, led by Perth journalist James Penberthy, and including writer Katharine Susannah Prichard, raised money to enable him to go to America. However, his father denied him permission, on the grounds that he was not ready for independence (and presumably the indications of mental illness). When he was nineteen, he won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music for three years, where he studied under Cyril Smith. Katharine Susannah Prichard was born in 1883 in Levuka, Fiji, but spent her childhood in Launceston, Tasmania, then Melbourne, where she won a scholarship to South Melbourne College. ... The Royal College of Music from Prince Consort Road, London The front facade of the RCM The Royal College of Music is a prestigious music school located in Kensington, London. ...

During his time in London he began showing more definite manifestations of mental illness. His doctor in Australia, Chris Reynolds, whom he met some twenty years later, said that he suffers from an acute anxiety neurosis. He returned to Perth in 1970, and married his first wife, Clara, in 1971. He also took part in several Australian Broadcasting Corporation concerts. After his marriage broke down he was institutionalised in Graylands, a Perth mental hospital. Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ... Anxiety is a complex combination of the feeling of fear, apprehension and worry often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, chest pain and/or shortness of breath. ... In modern psychology, the term neurosis, also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, is a general term that refers to any mental imbalance that causes distress, but does not interfere with rational thought or an individuals ability to function in daily life. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australias national public broadcaster. ...

In 1984, after performing for some years at a Perth wine bar called Riccardo's, he met astrologer Gillian Murray. Some months later they married, and he continued a successful playing career throughout the 1980s and 1990s in both Australia and Europe. In 1994 he played in Russia, but his world tour in 1997 met with poor reviews. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An astrological chart (or horoscope) _ Y2K Chart — This particular chart is calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time in New York City, New York, USA. (Longitude: 074W0023 - Latitude: 40N4251) Astrology (from Greek: αστρολογία = άστρον, astron, star + λόγος, logos, word) is... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Helfgott generally prefers to perform romantic music, mostly Modest Mussorgsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. A Helfgott concert is typically a bravura performance with lots of hugging and kissing. Many of his recordings, especially that of Rachmaninoff's third piano concerto, have been criticized as lifeless and barely competent. The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Russian: Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский) (March 9/21, 1839 – March 16/28, 1881; sometimes spelled Modeste Moussorgsky (and Russians often prefer to transliterate his name now as the phonetically correct Modest Petrovič Musorgskij), was an innovative Russian composer famed for his colourful, exotic, and lush orchestral pieces dedicated to various subjects... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian: , Sergej Vasilevič Rahmaninov, April 1, 1873 (N.S.) or March 20, 1873 (O.S.) – March 28, 1943) was a Russian-born American composer, pianist, and conductor. ... Frédéric-François Chopin as portrayed by Eugène Delacroix in 1838. ... Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc) (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer. ... Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer and pianist. ... Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844–June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his fine orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synaesthesia. ...

David Helfgott now lives in Happy Valley in New South Wales with his second wife, Gillian. He continues to perform concerts at his home, 'Heaven'. Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ...

In December 1999, David Helfgott was the opener for the "Geniuses, Savants and Prodigies" conference of Allan Snyder's Centre for the Mind. He also appeared on rock group Silverchair's album Neon Ballroom. Allan Whitenack Snyder is an Australian optical physicist/visual scientist, born in Philadelphia and Foundation Director of the Centre for the Mind. ... Silverchair is one of Australia’s most successful contemporary rock bands. ... Neon Ballroom is the third album from the Australian grunge band Silverchair. ...

Awards

• State Finalist ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition (6 times)
• Time for Peace

External links

• Biography at Geocities
• Review of a New Zealand performance by Denis Dutton
• David Helfgott Live in Singapore review from The Flying Inkpot