The Piano viewers break down in tears over ‘heartbreaking’ ending to Channel 4 premiere
THE Piano viewers broke down in tears over a ‘heartbreaking’ ending to the Channel 4 premiere last night.
The new series is hosted by Claudia Winkleman and sees her searching for passionate pianists at public pianos in train stations across the UK.
However, The Piano participants don’t know that their performances are not only being watched by members of the public, but also by acclaimed pianist Lang Lang and musician Mika, who are looking for one amateur musician to perform at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
One of the pianists in the first episode was Harry, 93, who arrived to play at London’s St Pancras Station.
Before his performance, a video of him at home with his wife Patricia was shown as he discussed how he started playing the piano when he was four.
His piano-playing skills are also what helped him meet “the love of his life”, as he revealed how he was playing at a party Patricia had attended, and they were the only two left at the end of the night so he made sure she got home safely and they never looked back.
But in recent years, Patricia has been blighted by health problems, with Harry revealing: “We’ve been married 49 years, over the last four years she’s had a mini-stroke which took away some of her memory. She’s got dementia.”
He continued: “We’ve had three years now – my daughter and I – trying to do what we can, but it is a 24-hour a day job, it really is.”
Harry was then seen playing the piano for his wife as he explained: “She often doesn’t know who I am. On other days she’ll think that I’m her dad.
“Although her memory’s gone, not her memory for music. Not her memory for tunes and that makes her happy.
“When I sit down and play the piano it’s usually because I want to block everything out of my mind. It’s like a holiday.”
While Harry’s talents impressed the judges, in the end, he wasn’t chosen to take part in the performance at Royal Festival Hall.
But it didn’t stop Harry playing the piano one more time as a fellow contestant called Fiona sang along with him.
Sadly, at the end of the episode, the screen went black before it was revealed Harry’s wife Patricia had died in November last year aged 79.
Viewers took to Twitter to share their heartbreak, with one writing: “I loved watching this show and everyone’s special stories but I was not ready for that tribute at the end. Sending love to you Harry.”
Another added: “So sad to see Harry’s wife passed away.”
A third tweeted: “What a joyous and uplifting show #ThePiano is, hit me right in the feels, how amazing is #Harry? Emotions all over the place then to learn that his wife died.”
Meanwhile a fourth shared: “Am also in pieces after seeing that message about Harry’s wife Patricia – I hope we see more of #Harry.”
The Piano airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Channel 4.