Imagine: Paris pianist pays tribute to John Lennon
The pianist who stunned the world with a heart-wrenching performance of peace anthem Imagine after the Paris terrorist attacks in November has paid tribute to John Lennon while admiring the last piano the icon played. Davide Martello visited The Beatles Story in Liverpool while in the city filming Klavierkunst: A Documentary, which is about his life and performances. Inside the award-winning attraction, Davide journeyed through the lives of The Beatles and admired the memorabilia, including the last piano John Lennon played. The instrument was John’s favourite and he insisted on moving it to every studio he worked in. The piano’s distinctive sound can be heard on Beatles’ songs including Walls and Bridges and Double Fantasy. Davide said: “John Lennon’s music means a lot to me. He didn’t do it because he had to, he did it because he wanted to. He was a true pacifist and music was his gift to people. He’s the one of the most important people to me”. Speaking about his performance outside the Bataclan, Davide said: “Imagine was always the first choice for me to perform. It resonates with me because the words are what people need. I didn’t know how much impact the performance in Paris would have. I just had a voice behind me saying do it. It’s a very important thing to send a message of peace through music and today I’m standing here next to a piece of history and I am very proud to be here. The piano is incredible, it looks very fantastic to me.”
The 34-year-old achieved worldwide praise after footage of his performance of the classic track went viral with more than two million views in the wake of the terrorist attacks on 13 November. Davide watched the horror unfold at the Stade de France where explosions rocked the France Vs Germany match from a pub in Konstanz, Germany. Within minutes he put his grand piano on a trailer and drove 400 miles to Paris to perform. He wowed crowds outside the 1,500 capacity Bataclan theatre where 89 people were killed by four gunmen at a sold-out Eagles of Death Metal concert. The footage of Davide performing went viral after being posted on YouTube. He visited Liverpool to perform for crowds on Wednesday 9 December at the John Lennon Peace Memorial which is outside The Beatles Story, but visited the award-winning attraction for filming. So far, the independent film crew led by director Jack Peagam have filmed in London, Calais, Belgium, Amsterdam and Liverpool. Buy tickets for the Beatles Story online here.
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