Awe-inspiring footage of a pianist and a violinist at a train station in England has been going viral for all the right reasons. The young musicians’ impromptu performance of Vivaldi’s “Summer” stunned a huge crowd, and proves the timeless power of classical music.
Paris-born pianist Aurélien Froissart, 27, was visiting his brother in London when he decided to go to the busy St. Pancras train station on his last day (May 23) to play piano for the public. Froissart,’s brother, who studies at London’s Royal College of Music, also called some of his musician friends, one of whom plays the violin.
“I was going back to Paris, and I took the whole afternoon to stay in the station to make videos before taking my train,” Froissart told The Epoch Times. “I had learned a piece for the video ... because I wanted to play it the next month with another musician, but it happened kind of by chance. We were all hanging out in the train station, and [the violinist] wanted to play Vivaldi because she was also studying it.”
Froissart, who had learned the piece a week before the video was taken, has been playing the piano since the age of 12. His brother’s friend, Ugne Liepa Zuklyte, approached to ask if Froissart knew Antonio Vivaldi’s “Summer,” —which is one of the composer’s four violin concertos comprising “Four Seasons.” Froissart nodded yes, and the pair took a second to prepare before launching into a passionate rendition, stunning commuters.
Witnessing this, Froissart was no less impressed than the gathered crowd.
“It was very, very magical. ... She had so much passion when she played violin, you know? It was like a new personality,” he said, marveling that Zuklyte was “shy” when he first spoke to her.
“Summer” was a great coincidence, he added, since the city of London was enjoying its first signs of summer when they played the song together. “It’s a metaphor for a lot of passion,” he said. “For me, it’s a piece that, when you hear or when you play it, it is like a kind of tempest; it forces you to go until the end, and it takes your attention.”
Froissart was inspired to learn the piano at the age of 11 after watching the movie “The Blues Brothers” and falling in love with its soundtrack. But he was already late by industry standards.
“I tried to enter the conservatory and they told me, ‘No, you cannot be a beginner at this age, you should start at 6,’” Froissart said. “I was very motivated, so I found very good teachers.”
Froissart attended Conservatoire de Paris also known as Paris Conservatory, the most important music school in France, and graduated from there at the age of 23.
While studying, Froissart was pushed to compete and practice in public in high-pressure situations and he thus attended many competitions for young pianists. Over the years, he began to collect many accolades, with his most recent being first place at Napoli Nova in Italy.
Yet, after graduation, Froissart said he lost sight of his goal.
“I was supposed to be a professional pianist, but I didn’t like the path that it was opening for me because it was with many constraints,” he said. “I just traveled the world, I studied philosophy, I did a lot of different things.”
Three years later, Froissart realized that piano was his true calling. But by now, he had lost his professional network and much of his technical skills. To rebuild his reputation as a musician, he started playing classical music in public places to connect with his audience, filming and posting videos on the internet.
However, the first year was challenging, as not many people were watching his videos. He noticed that those who were successful were playing pop music or movie covers.
But, Froissart was determined to follow his “heart,” and continue to play what he believed in and not sell his soul for the views.
Since achieving viral fame, Froissart has been receiving offers for concerts in France and wants to expand his brand into teaching piano to other young musicians. His “message” to anyone who dismisses classical music is that this genre deserves a second chance.
