A Lithuanian violinist and a Parisian pianist joined up in London’s St Pancras International train station to play an impromptu duet like nothing else you’ve heard before. Together, they took on Vivaldi’s lightning-fast classical masterpiece, “Summer” from the historic violin concerti, “Four Seasons,” and took the internet by storm in the process, amassing over 8M YouTube views since May last year, and over 115M on TikTok.
Parisian pianist Aurélien Froissart was playing the public piano while waiting for his train in London when Ugnė Liepa Žuklytė approached him to ask if he knew Vivaldi’s “Summer,” one of the most famous violin pieces ever composed. Aurélien was instantly on the case, and when music student Ugnė took her violin out, the whole train station was in for a treat.
Born in Lithuania and now studying violin at the Royal College of Music, London, the young Ugnė is a maestro on the violin, mastering the impossibly complex song as if she were already a first violinist at the opera. Her control is insane, every passionate note pitched perfectly as she shreds through the antique riffs and makes them instantly cool again.
As the duet ensues, countless people crowd around them to catch a glimpse of the magic, from London businessmen to elderly tourists. In his description, Aurélien calls it “the best duet I ever had,” which becomes quite a statement when we dig into his internet reputation.
Aurélien, 28 years old at the time, is no stranger to partaking in impromptu duets and viral videos with musical strangers. Playing on public pianos across Europe, Aurélien has already won over 2.59M subscribers on YouTube on top of his 3.4M TikTok followers and 3M Instagram followers, with multiple viral clips breaching millions of views across social media. His most viewed video to date has racked up just under 150M TikTok views, while this duet with Ugnė has surpassed an incredible 115M on the same site.
With all of his most popular videos featuring him jamming classical music with a passer-by and, with his stupendous piano technique and musical ear, it’s not hard for Music Man readers to see why Aurélien has gone so viral. But this spontaneous duet with Ugnė definitely takes the biscuit.
Ugnė Liepa Žuklytė has been an orchestral violinist since she was only eight years old, before making her concerto debut when she was 12. She’s studied under multiple distinguished soloists and professors, been awarded scholarships to study on prestigious courses, and received pro support from multiple organizations as she makes her way to the top. Professors have praised her balance of musical technicality and emotional depth, rarely found in musicians of her age.
If you would like to hear more from this talented pianist, Aurélien Froissart, you can subscribe to his YouTube Channel for more incredible music. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram for updates and performances.