We love it when star talent emerges in the unlikeliest of places. When the professional, classically trained Chinese-American pianist Lionel Yu stumbled across a selection of grand pianos in his local Costco store, he couldn’t resist giving the instruments a go, to the surprise of shoppers.
Playing a modern reimagination of a Beethoven piece, titled “Beethoven Virus” (which we’ll explain further down this page), Lionel stopped shoppers in their tracks, drawing a huge crowd with his unexpectedly dramatic and outright flawless performance. Music Man readers can watch the viral moment unfold in the video below – it’s already amassed an eye-watering 7.3 million views to date!
Lionel takes a seat at the Yamaha grand piano in the midst of the warehouse store, as shoppers fumble along in the background. But when he starts hammering out a fast-paced, rhythmic intro, it doesn’t take long to steal their attention.
A chaotic yet enigmatic melody soon surfaces in this lightning-fast piece, as shoppers slow their trolleys to catch a glimpse of the piano pro at work. A Yamaha rep turns the sheet music before Lionel, watching as speechless and stunned as the crowd gathering around them.
A mother and young son can’t resist but stop and watch the magic unfolding before them, with Lionel inserting a hilarious caption over the moment, reading, “Practice 40 hours a day or you’ll end up like this guy!”
The piece moves through phases of drama and deep emotion, drawing shoppers of all ages and races into Lionel’s web. He doesn’t miss a note, serving a spotless rendition from start to finish.
But as mind-melting as Lionel’s raw talent is, we need to give a shoutout to the shopper who gets in the way of the camera and hilariously dips out of frame once he realizes he’s ruining the view!
Classical music nerds will know that Beethoven never actually composed a piece called “Virus.” So where does this mystery rendition really come from?
This piece was inspired by the third movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor (Op. 13), with this remix tracing back to a popular Korean arcade dance game, titled “Pump It Up!” Its chaotic speed and complexity make it the perfect piece for competitive dancers and musicians alike, finding fame primarily amongst Asian audiences during the 2000s.
Want to hear a full, orchestral rendition of this modern Beethoven remix? We’ve tracked down the ultimate viral performance from a Seoul-based youth orchestra, which Music Man readers can check out in the video above!
Lionel Yu is certainly one to watch — his Costco grand‑piano stunt proves virtuosity can appear anywhere. If you enjoyed this clip, discover more about his background, videos and the “Beethoven Virus” rework via the useful links below this paragraph.