Young boy plays Philip Glass song on piano at Kharkiv hotel amid Ukraine-Russia crisis, Twitter recalls Bosnian war cellist

From what you might call a scene straight out of Roman Polanski’s masterpiece ‘The Pianist’, a young boy stirred the internet with his piano recital in the empty lobby of a hotel in Kharkiv, Ukraine .

The short clip shared by filmmaker and journalist Whitney Leaming on Twitter is spreading across the internet. For many users, the video conjured up images of hope amid a grotesque humanitarian crisis.

Several users inquired about the music, while many were seen sending prayers to help improve the situation. “Living at this time, the young boy is playing music composed by Philip Glass,” one netizen said. “The world is a sadder place tonight. Even this boy’s music. Any idea of ​​the name of this room? Sad a little and beautiful too. Sorry I woke you up,” another user chimed in.

The song and the influences

The boy would play “Metamorphosis” by legendary American pianist and composer Philip Glass.

Whitney Leaming, who shared the video, is a journalist who actively publishes updates on Ukraine in crisis. Polanski’s “The Pianist” is based on the Holocaust memoirs of Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, a survivor of the Holocaust.

The video also reminded Twitter users of Vedran Smailovic, the “cellist from Sarajevo”. During the Siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, Smailovic played the Adagio in G minor by Venetian Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni in ruined buildings.

The darkest hours for a long time

Ukraine is under devastating attack from Russia by air, land and sea. Observers believe these are horrible times for the people of Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Incidentally, this is the first time that a major superpower has invaded a neighboring European country since World War II.

So far, hundreds of soldiers and civilians have died in what Germany has called “Putin’s war”. European leaders believe the invasion brought the darkest hours since the 1940s.