IF THERE is one musician who has set audiences against critics it is David Helfgott, writes Dan Glaister While his Rachmaninov 3 has become one of the biggest selling classical recordings ever and his concerts have been received with the sort of rapture normally associated with girl groups, the critics have been scornful and other musicians have remained politely aloof.
The Australian pianist's British tour, which opened last night at the Royal Festival Hail, is sold out. His concerts around the world, part of the Shine tour have been received with standing ovations. He has an assistant whose sole job is to answer fan mail. One woman in New Zealand wrote to say that his recital helped her in her battle with cancer.
The critics, however, are not impressed. One wrote of a performance by the 49 year old pianist in New Zealand that it was "like Beethoven on Prozac". In Australia it was described as "having all the appeal of a freak show", while the critic at the Boston Globe wrote "The sad fact is that David Helfgott should not have been in Symphony Hall last night and neither should the rest of us."
The recent parallel is with Nigel Kennedy, but whereas some critics may have resented, Nigel's popularity and his ability to crossover to a new audience, there was never any doubt about his talent as a musician.
With Helfgott, critics say his success has little to do with his ability as a musician, but more to do with the success of Shine, the film of his life story, and the resulting exploitation of his name.
Shine, which won an Oscar and a BAFTA for best actor for its star Geoffrey Rush, is a moving and some would say manipulative biopic which features John Gielgud as Rush's music professor and Lynn Redgrave as his wife Gillian. The film has all the elements of movie heaven as the young prodigy is mistreated by a harsh father, and finally cracks under the strain during his debut performance of Rachmaninov 3.
The film story, however, which the director makes clear is fiction based on a true story, has provoked a family rift, as well as confusion among audiences. The confusion arises because it is not always clear at which point fiction departs from fact. His mental illness did not suddenly manifest itself during his debut recital of the notoriously difficult Rachmaninov 3, but evolved gradually. Indeed he had already played the piece successfully in public before his breakdown.
Meanwhile Helfgott's sister has objected to the portrayal of their father as a fierce, dominating bully. She says that he was a gentle man who encouraged and protected the young David.
But film and reality merge in the larger than life character of the real David Helfgott. The success of the film has, it is argued, helped him to overcome his illness and return to the concert stage. But detractors say that his performances are a sorry spectacle. Like many musicians, he talks to himself and makes unintelligible noises as he plays. Off stage, it is not very different. His speech consists of short, staccato phrases, often bearing little connection to each other. In the stuffy world of classical music such extrovert behaviour is frowned upon. Helfgott may not be the greatest pianist in the world, but he is almost certainly the most well known. His Rachmaninov 3 was number one for months in the classical charts and his new album Brilliantissimo is released today.
His musical contemporaries have shown little interest in the Helfgott phenomenon. Julian Lloyd Webber, the cellist, was at the Royal College of Music at the same time as Helfgott, but was un aware of him until Shine. He said yesterday he didn't want to go and see the concert. "I would have wanted my interest in his playing to be brought to my attention in another way."
The pianist Stephen Coombs said he too had no interest in seeing Helfgott: "Critical judgment has been resoundingly against him. I think it is a bit tasteless in a way. I wish him no harm, but there are so many concerts on that you have to chose carefully."