Mom’s big moment turns into an unforgettable family memory.
Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s The Bells is not an easy piece to perform. Complex, dynamic, and just plain fast, it can be an amazing showcase of a pianist’s talents, but it’s also one that requires the utmost concentration.
Nevertheless, The Bells is what Japanese Twitter user Mie Hirai (@hirai_mie) chose to play for a piano recital she was taking part in at a concert hall in Osaka. As she took the stage and her fingers flowed over the keys, all eyes were on the pianist…until she had an unexpected visitor.
As shown in the video above, half-way through Hirai’s performance a young boy enters stage left. For a brief moment he looks back, as if he thinks maybe he shouldn’t be up there, but then he quickly overcomes any awkwardness and strolls right up to Hirai. The kid, it turns out, is her two-year-old son, and if Mom is up on stage, why shouldn’t he be there too, his young mind seems to have concluded.
Through it all, Hirai keeps playing, and coincidentally strikes a very dramatic note as she glances down at her son and their eyes meet. There’s still plenty of time left in the song, and the boy remains remarkably well-behaved, alternating between meandering around the stage and watching the keys, but all without making any noises or getting in the way of his mom’s hands.
When the music is finished, Hirai clasps her son’s hand as she takes a bow and the crowd applauds. She exits from the opposite end of the stage than her son appeared from, and he trots along after her, rather than go back the way he came.
As for how this unexpected heartwarming scene unfolded, Hirai’s son was sitting in the back row of the concert hall, with her husband. As kids tend to do, though, he slipped away and made his way up on stage before Dad could catch him. With the huge amount of practice that Hirai has obviously put into her performance, odds are her son has seen her playing a piano many times at home, probably with him hanging out or amusing himself nearby, just like what we see in the video.
Hirai says that everyone in attendance at the recital were family members or friends of the performers, and the warm, friendly atmosphere means no one got bent out of shape over her son’s surprise appearance, least of all Hirai herself. “By the time he got up on stage, I’d already made several mistakes,” Hirai says (though our ears couldn’t detect any), “so having him there was a relief, and I was able to have fun and play the second half of the piece with a smile.”
As you’d imagine, playing The Bells isn’t the only time Hirai has shown musical prowess, and she’s also an aspiring singer/songwriter. Here, have a listen to one of her songs, “Hatsumode.” It’s a catchy and energetic number, with a cool video…
…and we’re sure the only reason her son doesn’t show up in it is because it was shot before he was born.
Source: Twitter/@hirai_mie via IT Media
Top image: Twitter/@hirai_mie
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!