Washington Post video reporter Whitney Leaming, who is on the ground in Ukraine, heard the sound from several floors above. She ventured down the hall to find out more. She pulled out her video camera, filming as he played against the backdrop of the swirling beige carpet below. The melodies reminded her of her mother’s piano when she was a baby and couldn’t sleep.
Leaming’s video was shared on The Post’s Instagram account, where thousands of people left comments, with many calling the footage “heartbreaking”. To date, the images have been viewed on Instagram nearly 9 million times.
Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan, the composers of the music, could never have imagined that the piece would be the soundtrack to a war.
The piece, titled “Walk to School,” was written in 2020 and is featured on the soundtrack to the sci-fi drama TV series “Tales from the Loop” on Amazon Prime.
Glass said living in New York’s East Village, which he says is widely known as “Little Ukraine” due to the large number of Ukrainians there, has broadened his knowledge of their culture and his love for his people.
“I got to know and become friends with many of my Ukrainian neighbors,” he said. “I sympathize with them, their families and all innocent citizens and inhabitants of Ukraine. They are going through hardships that we all hope never to encounter.
Scottish-born Leonard-Morgan, 48, who now lives in Los Angeles, said the young boy’s piano “in the face of adversity” moved him to tears.
“I saw the clip and was moved beyond words that someone could find the escape in our music at this horrific time in their lives,” he told the Washington Post on Monday.
Although he was unsure whether the boy “found comfort or hope” in the song, he considered it powerful that the music could “transcend all boundaries” and evoke emotion.
“Music can affect each of us personally, but it can also reach a collective consciousness,” Leonard-Morgan said.
A few days earlier, Leonard-Morgan took to Twitter and shared the boy’s piano video, in writing: “I can’t believe this is happening.” He shared emojis of a broken heart.
Nearly a week after it was recorded, the Ukrainian boy who played the piano has yet to be publicly identified.
“We went [the hotel] minutes later to come out and report,” Leaming said. “I never saw the family again.”
