Family wins battle over virtuoso

London: The family of a severely disabled piano virtuoso has been entrusted with the control of his musical career after an extraordinary court battle.

Derek Paravicini, the Duchess of Cornwall's nephew, has overcome blindness and autism to develop an international reputation as a concert pianist.

Paravicini, 30, is nicknamed the human iPod because of his astonishing ability to learn and play any piece of music simply by listening to it. But his severe learning difficulties mean he cannot make ordinary decisions for himself, and he needs 24-hour care to cope with basic tasks such as cooking and washing.

His family had asked the High Court for the right to make such decisions for him, including where he should live and how often he should be allowed to perform. The Royal National Institute for Blind People opposed the request and said an independent guardian should be appointed.

But on Thursday a High Court judge appointed Paravicini's father, his sister Elizabeth and his mother Mary Ann, whose brother Andrew Parker Bowles was Camilla's first husband, as his official "deputies".

In emotional evidence to the court, Paravicini's father said it would be unfair to deprive his son of performing his only true form of expression.

Nicolas Paravicini, 72, a retired stockbroker and private banker, said: "Derek's whole life is his music. He is very disabled and he expresses himself and fulfils himself through music. You can see the sheer joy on his face when he's doing this. We feel it is terribly important that he is able to fulfil himself through performing. If he can have a career that makes money as well that is something on top."

Paravicini, who was born 14 weeks prematurely, could play a tune from memory by the age of two and by nine he had performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Barbican in London.