While some people left flowers and candles at one of the sites devastated by violence in Paris, pianist Davide Martello left a song.
For a few minutes, the musician returned a feeling of calm to Paris’ Bataclan concert hall the morning after gunmen burst through its doors, killing at least 80 inside.
Martello, who also performs under the name Klavierkunst, arrived in a cordoned-off area in the 11th arrondissement Saturday, pulling a piano behind his bike, according to journalist Natalia Gallois.
Outside the historic theatre, he set up the heavy instrument with its lid raised, painted with a white peace sign.
Bystanders moved closer as Martello sat down and played a moving rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
“What a moment,” one journalist told ITV News.
Earlier this year, he was recognized by the European Parliament for his “outstanding contribution” for the promotion of common values through music.
According to Martello’s website, it’s his goal to “play in every capital of the world with his grand piano.”
Two years ago, the Berliner earned the moniker “The piano man of Taksim Square” after he brought his instrument to Turkey to promote a message of peace amid protests turned violent.
Listen to Martello play “Imagine” in Taksim Square:
The impromptu performance in Paris comes a day after at least 128 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in co-ordinated violent assaults in the city, prompting French President François Hollande to shut its borders Friday.
Watch a longer version of his “Imagine” cover below:
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