SEASON 6 - "Lighthouse" - How the Composer Chopin Is a Part of Both the Mythology of "Lost" and "Lost Horizon"

In this episode of Lost, we learn that Jack's son, David is a talented pianist as we see him play of Chopin's "Fantaisie Impromptu".

This same Chopin compostion is also played by Daniel Faraday in the Season 5 episode, The Variable.

However, what is significant is that Chopin plays a role in both the 1933 novel, the 1937 film, and the radio play version of Lost Horizon.

There is a scene on a ship involving the main character, Conway, playing piano. A pianist happens to be on the ship and recognizes the song as the style of Chopin, but knows that the song is definitely not a piece that Chopin published. The pianist asks Conway about it. Conway has amnesia about a lot of his recent life, but remembers some and explains that he learned it recently from an apprentice of Chopin. The pianist says that is impossible as because Chopin had died so long ago that even a young apprentice of his would be well over a hundred years old now. That is when Conway remembers more about Shangri-la and realizes that the apprentice had lived in Shangri-la and thereby aged much slower, and was able to teach him the song while Conway was in Shangri-la.

The connection is maybe not a direct parallel to Lost, but it does beg the question of why the producers chose to use Chopin in two episodes rather than another composer. The way I figure it, they are at the very least paying another small tribute to a significant part of Lost Horizon by making it a small part of Lost.

What do you think?

I would love to know.