Most of us mind our businesses while in a public setting such as malls and transport stations.
Still, plenty of people around the world have probably had the experience of being caught off guard as a group of people suddenly bundled up together for a spontaneous performance. For those who haven’t experienced this, it’s a mostly internet-fuelled phenomenon known as a flash mob.
Flash mob groups commonly perform for entertainment, artistic expression and to raise awareness for various issues.
In this video, passengers at a train station were taken by surprise by this grand performance from the Australian Federal Railways.
It was just a normal day at the Wien Westbanhof station.
You could observe the usual flow of passengers getting in and out of their trains and the train station employees who were working hard on their job.
What they didn’t know is that the Austrian Federal Railways had something prepared for them.
There were choir and orchestra members of the Volksoper Vienna who were hired by Austrian Federal Railways to perform “Carmina Burana,” but before we get to the performance, let us take a quick dive into the history of the song.
“Carmina Burana” is a compilation of songs and poems from the monastery of Beuren in Bavaria during the 13th century.
It was said that the collection was discovered in 1803 and is currently archived in the Bavarian State Library.
However, in 1934, a German composer came across these texts and decided to choose 24 songs to be converted into the music along with a law student and Latin scholar, Michael Hoffman.
Their selection covered an array of topics, which have remained relevant from the 13th century until now.
Together, they divided the “Carmina Burana” into three major movements, namely “Springtime (Primo vere),” “In the Tavern (In Taberna)” and “Court of love (Cour d’amours).”
Among the 24 chosen songs, “O Fortuna” became the most popular song from Orff’s orchestral masterpiece. One by one, people began singing the classic song as they slowly broke away from the crowd.
In the Wien Westbanhof station, the performers disguised themselves as passengers and workers to avoid getting noticed as they blended with the crowd.
It started with the melancholic passage from a song called “Love Flies Everywhere (Amor volat undique)” from the third major movement of the classical masterpiece.
As they performed the song, the singers slowly walked towards the center with the rest of the orchestra. The onlookers were confused to see these people slowly emerging into the center.
After assembling, the astonished crowd was already surrounding the performers.
However, the crowd was taken by surprise once again as they heard a thunderous drumbeat.
It was the signal for the orchestra and choir performers to transition into the famous “O Fortune (O Fortuna).” You could see the dressed up cleaners at the start of the video now executing flips and tumbles in front of the audience.
Beyond them, the disguised employees and passengers started taking part in the show as well!
The show was filled with surprise after surprise, and the huge performance ended up with an explosive finish. The audience then rewarded the performers with utmost appreciation in a big round of heartfelt cheers and applause. When it was all over, falling confetti covered the whole station. Needless to say, this was a performance to remember!
Be sure to click the link below to watch the entire performance:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
