Is there an instrument with more emotional range than the piano? Sometimes, it is tough to believe that the same collection of wood and wires can make you stamp your feet with delight one minute and wipe away a tear the next. But that’s exactly what happens in The Piano, the perfect showcase for the instrument’s versatility. So far, the show has been to railway stations in London and Leeds, treating crowds of commuters to everything from Debussy to Darude – with London playing host to virtuosos as young as 11 and as old as 92.
And, spoiler alert, there’s plenty to applaud and get misty-eyed about. Take Daniel, the 14-year-old who describes himself as “quite shy” and then belts out a heartstring-twanging version of the Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris with an octave-jump that gets the crowd applauding. Or 71-year-old Liam, who has built a shed on wheels to haul his own upright around, holding back his own tears as he plays a Chopin nocturne, and explaining via voiceover that the instrument is “not always an easy friend, but a great friend”. Reader, did I even get a little lump in my throat when Christopher the waistcoat-wearing pub pianist was (quite kindly) told to stop singing by host Claudia Winkleman, and immediately found a new level to his performance on the keys? I’m not ashamed to tell you that I absolutely did.
