Emotional moment father, 90, with Alzheimer’s, sings along as his daughter plays a traditional Welsh song they used to sing together on The Piano – as she reveals they can still ‘connect’ through music
This is the emotional moment a contestant on The Piano played a traditional song for her father with Alzheimer’s disease – and he remembered the words.
The second episode of the Channel 4 show takes place at Cardiff Central Station, with brilliant pianists from across the country showcasing their talent.
In Sunday’s episode, host Claudia Winkleman and judges Mika and Lang Lang witnessed an incredibly raucous performance from Nerys from Caerphilly, who played a traditional Welsh song for her father.
Nerys emotionally sang ‘Anfoanf Angel’, which means ‘I’ll Send an Angel’ – which she used to sing with her father, who is now 90 and has Alzheimer’s disease.
As she played the sweet tune, Nerys’ own angelic voice was joined by bystanders in the station, who were actually a male choir and began singing in harmony with her.
On Sunday’s episode of The Piano, Nerys brought the judges to tears with her performance of “Anfoanf Angel,” which means “I’ll Send an Angel.”
She played the emotional tune for her father, 90, who has Alzheimer’s, but he managed to remember the words
And Mika was moved to tears as her father, watching from the station, said the words to the song.
Before she started playing, Nerys said to Claudia, “He may not remember everything, but music is always there.
‘Music is the connection, sometimes you may forget other things, but with singing you always have that connection’
“So daddy and I used to sing this song together and it’s a special song and it makes him feel good.” He’ll cry.’
As Nerys continued to play, Mika could be seen with tears in his eyes as he exclaimed, “I have goosebumps.”
Overcome with emotion, he even rushed out to give Nerys a hug at the end of the performance, calling her performance “absolute magic” while Nerys said she was left “speechless” by the Grace Kelly singer’s reaction .
Cardiff Central is the smallest station the group has been to so far in their hunt for Britain’s best amateur piano players, and it gave a much more intimate feel to the performances.
Elsewhere in Sunday night’s episode, Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang were surprised by triplets and a man on a piano bike singing about conkers.
Nerys stars in the second episode of the series, which takes place in Cardiff Central Station
Her angelic voice was soon joined by bystanders in the station, who turned out to be a male choir
Judges Mika and Lang Lang were moved to tears by the performance and said it gave them ‘goosebumps’
Nerys said she sang the song with her father when she was younger, and it’s a way for them to still connect amid his Alzheimer’s.
They heard about it Gavin, 54, from Cardiff, owner of a snack bar on Mount Caerphilly; Katie MacGregor who performed a Manic Street Preachers song; and Anton from Bristol, who is only 10 years old.
You can find out which pianist will be present at the final concert at the Aviva Studios in Manchester on Sunday evening.
Last week viewers witnessed an emotional performance by a man with dementia at Manchester Piccadilly Station.
Duncan, 80, was seen with his wife Fran, the couple had been married for 42 years.
He started playing the piano when he was just four years old, but six years ago he was diagnosed with dementia.
Contestant Duncan said he can still play, but the couple shared how life has changed for both him and Fran since his diagnosis.
Fran said: ‘There’s a vulnerability now that wasn’t there before and there’s a lot more I need to do… the future is unknown.
“Duncan is everything to me, I would rather have him in any situation than not have him.”
Judges Mika and Lang Lang return with host Claudia Winkleman for a new episode on Sunday evening at 9 p.m.
The series sees talented pianists compete at train stations across the country for a chance to perform at Manchester’s Aviva Studios.
Duncan took to the piano at the station to play a song dedicated to his wife called Theme for Fran.
He said, “It just makes me feel so total about the girl I found and the girl I married, the girl I love and always will.”
After Duncan’s performance, presenter Claudia told Mika and Lang Lang: ‘He’s going to the concert, it’s not a debate.
“It’s important to have someone like that and the fact that he can speak through the piano.”
Last year, viewers of Channel 4’s The Piano were captivated by the triumphant performance at the show’s debut by then 13-year-old blind and autistic girl Lucy Illingworth.
Claudia Winkleman hears from pianists in Wales for this episode, while Nerys performs a Welsh song
The teenager from Halifax, West Yorkshire, brought viewers to tears with an awe-inspiring recital of Debussy’s Arabesque, prompting judges Lang Land and Mika to call her a ‘genius’.
A year later, the moment was nominated for a BAFTA, in a category that included scenes from Doctor Who, Succession and Happy Valley.
Since her stunning performance on the Channel 4 talent show, Lucy has performed to a packed Royal Albert Hall and left the King and Queen speechless at King Charles III’s coronation concert.
The Piano on Channel 4, stream or watch live Sunday at 9pm. To overtake here.