Meet Giorgio Lo Porto.
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He is an Italian who lives in London. And since there is nowhere to go because they are in lockdown, he has more time to share a glimpse of his life and interests on social media.
While in his apartment, he has all the time to listen to what’s going on around him.
But something catches his attention. Somebody is playing the piano on max volume on the other side of the wall. Though muffled, it is audible enough for him to hear clearly.
He loves what he is hearing. Music is also a passion of his. However, he has not been playing his favorite instrument for several months already. Can you guess what instrument that is? It’s a piano too.
One day, he sends a note to his neighbor. He appreciates the music and requested him to play “My Heart Will Go On.” Lo and behold, the pianist grants his wish.
Lo Porto asks his neighbor by sending another note if they could have a duet. He’s not sure if the pianist neighbor will respond to his call when the time came.
To his surprise, when he starts playing at 2 pm, he hears the neighbor play the piano as soon as he stopped.
This piano duet with a wall in between becomes a weekend meetup for them. They simply take turns in playing the piano until they finish the whole song.
On Valentine’s Day, they even played a duet. The neighbor starts playing a piece by Yiruma, “River Flows in You,” and Lo Porto plays along.
He writes,
“It’s Valentine’s Day. We’re in lockdown. This was our way of saying, I don’t know who you are, but I’m here. You’re not alone. This is for you too.”
Lo Porto is now getting excited to meet the mysterious neighbor who plays the piano very well that he even gets goosebumps.
Finally, on February 21, he meets him.
“Well, today I have met my neighbor. It was better than expected. His name is Emil.”
This is when Lo Porto learns a bit of Emil’s life and why he plays the piano every weekend, at the same hour.
“He is 78 years old, originally from Poland. This is his temporary accommodation while he waits for his house to be sold. He lost his wife in December due to COVID. And all he has left is the piano. And the reason why he plays at 2 pm every weekend is because his wife loved it.
He thanked me for keeping him motivated and less lonely. And I promised that I’ll play with him until he moves out.”
Lo Porto wants his followers on social media to meet his neighbor but…
“He is camera shy. But I’ll try again when he’s ready.”
For Lo Porto, he describes Emil as a “special soul”, and he finds his piano playing quite beautiful.
After several weekend meetups and piano duets with Emil, Lo Porto becomes inspired to write his own piece. He has worked on this piece diligently, and after completing it, he called it “Dear Emil.” This is the very first song that he has written.
“When I wrote this piece, I started picturing Emil’s life. A 78 y.o. widower who lost his wife due to this stupid virus. Spending days at home alone due to lockdown. Looking forward to play her favorite piano songs at 2pm every weekend, until a note appeared on his door. A letter showing he was heard and not alone. And a new friendship started. Two pianos between a wall, not knowing who was playing. But it didn’t matter.”
This is a reminder for him and to everyone. He writes,
“You can be the light of somebody else’s darkness. So keep shining.”
Lo Porto announces on February 26 that Emil is moving out the following week. Before he leaves, they played “Moonlight Sonata” as their last weekend duet.
He tries asking Emil again for a picture together but said he doesn’t want to be on camera. But he was happy and grateful to everyone who loved watching their duets that Lo Porto shares on TikTok. The latter promised that he would continue to play the piano for him on weekends and post it for him just like how they used to.
But on March 14, Lo Porto shares the horrible news that Emil passed away in his sleep.
Even if they only knew each other for how many days, but true friendship has been created. Their love for music and the piano is what connected them.
Lo Porto is saddened by the news and wrote:
“Dear Emil, I knew very little about you, but you changed my life. You gave me back my passion, and we shared that with the world. You’ll be in my heart. I’ll keep playing, thinking of how powerful music can be. You said I was your light, but you’ve been mine too. Bye, Emil.”
Some people in our lives come and go. There are relationships we form for a reason, for a season, and for a lifetime.
An individual can be our friend for a reason; to teach us an important lesson or help us gain back our passion.
Some individuals stay longer, and they are there for a season. They keep us company while we are battling loneliness and sadness. For instance, when we just have lost a loved one. It’s not easy to be alone and deal with grief. But the heavens make a way to send us a person who can help make things bearable even for just a short while.
There are friends we may grow old with together. But some go ahead of us. Despite their physical absence, the memories we have shared with them are cherished forever.
Watch Giorgio and Emil’s story of music and friendship in the video below, and try not to shed a tear.
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