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

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

The short clip shared by film-maker and journalist Whitney Leaming on Twitter is spreading all across the internet. For many users, the video evoked the imagery of hope amid a grotesque humanitarian crisis.
Several users enquired about the music, while many were seen sending prayers to help improve the situation.


“Living in that moment, the young boy plays music composed by Philip Glass,” said a user. “The world is a sadder place tonight. Even that boy's music. Any idea what the name of that piece is? Sad a bit and beautiful, too. Sorry, I woke you,” chimed in another user.

The Song and The Influences
The boy is reportedly playing ‘Metamorphosis’ by legendary American pianist and composer Philip Glass.
Whitney Leaming, who shared the video, is a journalist who has been actively posting updates from the crisis-hit Ukraine. Polanski’s 'The Pianist’ is based on the Holocaust memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Holocaust survivor.

The video also reminded Twitter users of Vedran Smailovic, the ‘Cellist of Sarajevo’. During the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, Smailovic played Venetian baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor in ruined buildings.

Darkest Hours In A Long Time
Ukraine is subjected to a devastating attack from Russia by air, land, and sea. Observers believe these are horrific times for the people of Ukraine and the rest of the Europe. Incidentally, this is the first time a major superpower is invading a European neighbouring country since World War II.

So far, hundreds of soldiers and civilians have succumbed in what Germany has termed 'Putin’s war'. European leaders believe that the invasion has brought the darkest hours since the ‘40s.