Just watch him feel out the orchestral masterpiece using jazzy chords and syncopated rhythms.ĭerek’s talents have been the subject of two high-profile TV series. Here’s a fantastic video of Derek ‘jazzing up’ Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
“You’re guaranteed to never hear him play the same piece in the same way twice,” his team adds. Today, Derek is best known for his unique and charming improvisations, with musical influences ranging from Bach and Chopin to George Shearing and Keith Jarrett. Read more: ‘I was paralysed’ – piano legend Keith Jarrett reveals agony of his stroke and lost ability to play > The prodigy improvises beautifully on Nat King Cole’s ‘L-O-V-E’, to rapturous applause from the audience (watch above). “Derek has total recall of music, has never had sight but can put his hands on the right notes instantly,” the video’s narrator explains.
In an interview beforehand, the young pianist says he can “see” a piano’s “white notes and black notes” in his head. “Derek can play almost any piece by ear in any key or style,” the star’s team says on his YouTube channel.Īged nine, Derek gave a concert at the Barbican. He also has perfect pitch, the relatively – pun intended – rare ability to recognise any musical note on cue. It soon transpired that Paravicini, as well as displaying exceptional technical skill, had an incredible musical memory. Read more: Meet Maria Theresia von Paradis, the blind singer and composer who inspired Mozart > He took him on as a pupil, and Derek gave his first concert in South London aged seven. Ockelford’s head turned as soon as the young boy started playing. On his first day, he met a piano teacher, Adam Ockelford, who helps young people with learning difficulties in their pursuit of music. He began playing the piano aged two, and subsequently attended the Linden Lodge School for the Blind, in London. Born blind and prematurely, at just 25 weeks, Derek soon turned his ear to music. Wherever you look, his name tends to be associated with two adages: ‘prodigy’ for his nimble pianistic fingers, and ‘autistic savant’, meaning a person with autism who shows exceptional brilliance in a particular field – in Paravicini’s case, music.ĭerek has been living with severe autism and learning difficulties his entire life. The story of a musical marvel, and his extraordinary ability to play almost any piece after hearing it only once.ĭerek Paravicini is a deeply impressive musician and genius improviser on keys.