One evening in Verbania, Italy, a beautiful sunset began to appear over the harbour. However, this was not about to be the only spectacle that evening. An enormous floor piano known as Il Grande Piano had been installed next to the harbour. As two women in white dresses approached the piano, it became clear they were about to give a special performance, and they took everyone by surprise when they launched into a version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen, played entirely with their feet.
Music man readers may wonder how such a feat may be possible, but when they watch the performance, they will be utterly blown away by the beauty of this cover version. Despite only playing the piano with their feet, they created a beautiful, gentle rendition of the song. Not only was their playing beautiful, but they also created a delicate dance to go along with the music. One viewer was so astonished they amusingly commented, “Hands down, the best hands-free version of Bohemian Rhapsody ever.”
One of my various comments by an online viewer was one that read, “Freddie Mercury said, ‘Do anything you want with my music, just don’t make it boring’.” I felt that this performance captured this sentiment beautifully. The performers brought creativity and skill to their cover to create something entirely unique. I never would have thought that an artist playing a floor piano with their feet could be quite so beautiful; however, these skilled performers have entirely changed my views.
Despite the project being based in Italy, Il Grande Piano has now been taken all over the world. Music Man readers who loved the Il Grande Piano rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ will also enjoy watching the rendition of the classic ragtime song ‘The Entertainer’ that was performed on the piano at the Goyang Lake Park Art Festival in South Korea. The upbeat tune really lends itself to the fun behind the concept, and it seems to give the dancers an extra spring in their step as they play.
It would be easy for something like Il Grande Piano to simply come across as a novelty public experiment or musical toy. Instead, the routines crafted on this instrument make for beautiful works of art, combining music and dance to create a magnificent audio-visual spectacle for all who happen upon it. So if you ever see an enormous piano on the floor whenever you’re out in public, make sure to hang about because you might just see one of the most beautiful street performances around.