Oct 26, 2021

“Anything is possible”: 81-year-old living with dementia performs with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Paul Harvey A (1)

Paul, who is 81, made headlines last year with a piano composition he wrote from just four notes given to him by his son, and a video of the performance went viral.

“Dad’s ability to improvise and compose beautiful melodies on the fly has always amazed me,” Paul’s son, Nick, wrote at the time.

“Tonight, I gave him four random notes as a starting point.

“Although his dementia is getting worse, moments like this bring him back to me,” said Nick.

The tune received nearly 70,000 likes and has been shared more than 10,000 times and reported on all over the world.

The BBC picked up the story, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra performed the piece. 

Paul has now performed the piece with the BBC Philharmonic, both playing piano and conducting.

“What a joy,” he said following the performance.

“It was wonderful, an experience I loved.”

Organised by Music for Dementia, money raised will be used to fund therapy sessions for people living with dementia all over the UK.

“Seeing all this amazing work across the UK because of Four Notes is just amazing,” she said.

At the end of the special day recording, Nick played piano and Paul conducted the orchestra.

“I never ever thought I’d conduct one of the BBC orchestras, one of the great orchestras,” said Paul.

“What lovely people they are. They’re so nice.

“Music’s a wonderful thing. It brings memories alive.

“I’d say anything is possible, even if you have dementia.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Why is music therapy so successful in helping older people get their groove back?

While some may envision music therapy as putting on an old record or strumming a guitar, the reality is a clinical health service that is far more intriguing and complex in nature. It also happens to yield amazing results. Read More

The Care Home Bell

Why do you not hear it? When I ring my bell? Why do I ring it several times? Please do come and tell, I may be old and frail, My hearing not so good, But you are so much stronger, With YOUTH rushing through your blood, When I lived at home, If the doorbell went,... Read More

Allo Allo! Actor Gorden Kaye Dies at 75

Gorden Kaye, the actor famous for playing Rene Artois in the hit series Allo Allo!, has passed away aged 75. Kaye passed away yesterday morning at an aged care home he had been residing in, as confirmed by his former agency. Airing on the BBC, Allo Allo! was a household favourite for 10 years during... Read More
Advertisement