David Helfgott, Barbican, London, review: He’s harnessed his demons, and now plays like a proper concert pianist

The Australian pianist rose to prominence in the 1996 film ‘Shine’, in which Geoffrey Rush played the child prodigy batting with schizophrenia

The Australian David Helfgott, who performed at the Barbican, has learnt to live with his schizophrenic disorder (Jack Meagher)

For those who have forgotten or are too young to remember, David Helfgott was the Australian pianist catapulted to fame by the 1996 film Shine, in which Geoffrey Rush memorably incarnated the tangled story of his life.

Helfgott was a child prodigy whose career was cut short by schizophrenia; after a decade off the rails, he was saved by the love of a good woman, and was taught not only how to live with his disorder, but also how – with astute management – to turn it to financial advantage. I was one of just two London critics who wrote sympathetically about his controversial South Bank recital to launch the film; the others sang a sneering chorus of disapproval.

But it seemed perverse not to be kind, for behind his weird mannerisms lay poetry in his playing. Twenty years on, he’s back. Any fears this might be a freak show were dispelled from the start: he’s harnessed his demons, and now plays like a proper concert pianist. Chopin’s first Ballade was accompanied by an excited “woo” at climactic moments, but that was no more intrusive than Glenn Gould’s humming, and the momentum and character of the piece was unaffected.

He then rose to the virtuoso challenge of three big Liszt pieces, pausing only to bestow kisses and handshakes on adoring members of the audience, most of whom, it’s safe to assume, were devotees of the film.

The finale was a two-piano arrangement with Rhodri Clarke of Rach Three, exhilarating and smart as a whip. After three encores – starting with a high-octane delivery of Khachaturian’s Sabre dance – the evening dissolved into a love-in between performer and audience. And why not? This man, who has just turned 70, has come through exceptionally difficult trials with his sunny nature intact and his talent brightly burnished. He’s a life force, and people draw strength from him.