21/07/2025
The proms debut of Nicholas McCarthy, the left handed pianist born without a right arm, set me thinking about the amazing career of my professor at the Royal College of Music, Cyril Smith. Cyril had a dazzling career as a concert pianist before losing the use of his left arm to a stroke when he was in his forties. He started to explore right handed repertoire (more limited than that for the left hand) and built a successful three handed piano partnership with his wife Phyllis Sellick. Four handed piano music was rearranged by them and composer friends, and they also commissioned works for three hands. Cyril showed me some of the scores and the complexity was staggering. I was also a student of Phyllis's after Cyril's untimely death.
https://youtu.be/514SEfhpYGI
https://www.bbc.co.uk/.../bbc-proms-2025-ravels-piano...
Provided to YouTube by Warner ClassicsConcerto for Piano Three-Hands, Op. 104 "For Phyllis and Cyril": III. Allegro · Cyril Smith · Phyllis Sellick · City of...
