When most people think of street musicians, they usually don’t imagine classical music.
What do you think about when you hear “street musicians?” You might think about hip hop, boogie-woogie, or really any kind of fast-paced music that gets people to want to dance. These street performers usually make flash mobs that feature dancers performing to modern-day music.
But this flash mob in Spain decided to do things a little differently.
Instead of hip-hop, these musicians chose to perform Beethoven’s iconic “Ode to Joy”. Now that may not be a surprise when you learn that they were from a professional Symphony, but it certainly surprised one little girl.
It all began in Placa de Sant Roc in Sabadell, Spain, which is not too far from Barcelona. The flash mob itself featured over 100 musicians from the Amics de l’Opera de Sabadell, Orchestra Simfonica del Valles, Coral Belles Arts, and Cor Lieder Camera.
The show begins when one little girl drops a coin into a double-bass player’s cup
The little girl watched as the double-bass player played for himself. But as a crowd came in, the real show began.
The performance started off simply enough…for about 30 seconds. After that…
A cellist joined the double-bass player. Then violinists appearance alongside an oboist to add to the music. More and more musicians appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, to join in the flash mob. The plaza was eventually completely full of these incredibly talented musicians playing an incredible rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”.
The performance was only two minutes deep when it got even more amazing.
Because after that, professional singers joined in adding the topping on the incredible symphony that had been building up.
Just imagine everyone’s reaction when they walked past that plaza and saw what was going on. Many of them couldn’t help but to stop and watch. Adults, children, and everyone in between just had to watch this incredible flash mob play.
Everyone had big grins on their faces and wanted to see what would happen next. One little girl even clambered up a street light to get the best view she could.
This video didn’t just impress onlookers, it became a viral hit as soon as it was on YouTube.
Everyone loved how these musicians pulled the fast one of the century. But it wasn’t just the incredible coolness of the musical flash mob that made it popular. It was also how incredibly accessible they made classical music.
As one commenter said:
“A performance like this can turn a whole new generation on to the classics. This needs to happen more!”
Another commenter thought about how the little girl must have felt about what her coin got her:
“The little girl: ‘Well, that was a well spent coin…”
This is incredible, but flash mob musicals aren’t just a one-time thing!
Let’s not forget about the 2011 street performance by the Copenhagen Philharmonic at a train station. Everyone loved their rendition of “Bolero”.
And there’s also the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra’s own version of “Ode to Joy” in Minneapolis from 2015. This show took place at a mall that surprised shoppers who couldn’t help but to stop and listen.
But none of these shows captured smiles and hearts quite like the show paid for by one little girl’s coin…
Check out the video below to see the chilling flash mob in Spain for yourself!
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