JOHN COVELLI HAS MASTERED
THE UNIQUE MUSICAL TALENT OF
BOTH PERFORMING AND CONDUCTING
AT THE SAME TIME.
UP NEXT, THIS AMERICAN PIANIST
TALKS ABOUT HIS MUSICAL
PASSIONS AND THE EVOLUTION
OF HIS SPECIAL TALENT.
♪
WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD,
I STARTED PLAYING THE PIANO
SIMPLY BECAUSE I WAS DRAWN TO
IT BY IMITATING MY TALENTED
SISTER WHO WAS PLAYING MUSIC
THAT MY MOTHER WAS TEACHING
HER, AND WHEN SHE LEFT THE
PIANO, I WOULD GO UP ON THE
PIANO AND PLAY EXACTLY WHAT
SHE DID ONLY BY EAR,
AS THEY CALL IT.
♪
I STARTED CONDUCTING
BECAUSE I HAD THIS ANXIETY
WHEN I WAS IN MY HIGH SCHOOL
BAND AND ORCHESTRA IN ONE OF
THE GREAT SCHOOLS IN THE
MIDWEST IN CHICAGO,
AND I WASN'T HAPPY
WITH THE CONDUCTOR.
I WOUND UP CONDUCTING MY
ORCHESTRA IN HIGH SCHOOL,
AND I GOT THIS BUG THAT SAID
THIS IS SOMETHING I REALLY
WOULD LIKE TO DO.
MY FIRST TRIP BEING ASKED TO
GO TO MOSCOW WAS, OF COURSE,
VERY, VERY EXCITING.
THE WHOLE IDEA OF GOING TO ONE
OF THE GREAT ORCHESTRAS OF THE
WORLD, BEING ABLE TO PERFORM
IN ONE OF THE GREAT CONCERT
HALLS IN MOSCOW, PLAY WITH
THEM AS WELL AS CONDUCT THEM,
WAS A GREAT HIGHLIGHT.
♪
I WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR HAVING
TRIED AND HAVING ACCOMPLISHED
AS MUCH IN AS MANY FIELDS
OF MUSIC.
I'M MOST PROUD OF BEING A
PIANIST AND OF A CONDUCTOR,
BUT I AM SO GLAD THAT I HAVE
BEEN INVOLVED VERY HEAVILY
WITH THE WORLD OF OPERA,
CHAMBER MUSIC, BROADWAY,
BALLET, BEING A GUEST
CONDUCTOR, BEING INVOLVED WITH
ORGANIZATIONS AS LOFTY AS THE
BOSTON POPS AND HAVING SPENT A
LOT OF MY YEARS IN THE WORLD
OF POPULAR SYMPHONIC MUSIC.
ALL OF THIS HAS ENRICHED MY
LIFE, AND I WANT TO DO MORE.
♪
THE QUESTION ALWAYS COMES UP,
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST --
PLAYING THE PIANO
OR CONDUCTING?
AND THAT'S WHY I'M REALLY
PROUD OF THE FACTS.
AND I WAS ONE OF THE -- YOU
MIGHT SAY, ONE OF THE FEW AS A
PIANIST AND AS A CONDUCTOR
THAT COMBINED THE TWO.
AND SO I HAVE RELISHED THE
FACT THAT I CAN CONDUCT A
SYMPHONIC CONCERT AND THEN SIT
DOWN AT THE PIANO AND ALSO
PLAY A CONCERTO OR SOME OTHER
WORK THAT'S WRITTEN FOR PIANO
AND ORCHESTRA AND LEAD THE
ORCHESTRA WHILE I'M PLAYING
THE PIANO.
SO THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION
IS VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE I
LOVE THEM BOTH, AND THE
INTEGRATION OF THEM HAS MADE
ME A BETTER MUSICIAN.
WHY?
BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN,
IT INVOLVES WORKING WITH AND
COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE.
WHEN YOU'RE AT A PIANO AND
YOU'RE ALSO LEADING
AN ORCHESTRA, YOU'RE
A CHAMBER MUSIC STYLE
OR MENTALITY.
YOU HAVE TO GIVE.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE.
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN, LISTEN
VERY, VERY CAREFULLY, AND SO
YOU'RE EXERCISING EVERY ONE OF
YOUR FACULTIES IN MUSIC
BY DOING BOTH.
THEREFORE, I LOVE BOTH
CONDUCTING AND PERFORMING
AS A PIANIST.
AND WHEN I DO THEM TOGETHER,
IT'S A MIRACLE.
IT'S ONE OF
THE GREAT PLEASURES.
[ APPLAUSE ]
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT
COVELLI AT HIS WEBSITE
JOHNCOVELLI.COM.