Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu had a very green return following Spain’s coronavirus lockdown.
Instead of playing to a concert hall packed full of people, the UceLi Quartet played to a crowd of 2,292 plants in the opera house. The quartet’s Monday night performance, which was also livestreamed to a human audience, marked the first since the opera house was shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic.
“After a strange, painful period, the creator, the Liceu’s artistic director and the curator Blanca de la Torre offer us a different perspective for our return to activity, a perspective that brings us closer to something as essential as our relationship with nature,” the opera house said in a press release.
Artist Eugenio Ampudia conceived of the idea to fill the empty theater with plants. Ampudia said he was inspired by the sights and sounds of nature during the lockdown, which was one of Europe’s most stringent.
“I heard many more birds singing. And the plants in my garden and outside growing faster. And, without a doubt, I thought that maybe I could now relate in a much intimate way with people and nature,” he said prior to Monday’s performance.
The foliage will be given to healthcare workers as a tribute to their service and sacrifice during the pandemic.
“After the concert, the plants will be donated with a certificate from the artist to 2,292 people who have been on the healthcare frontlines, the toughest front in a battle unprecedented for our generations, in recognition of their work,” the opera house said.
Spain’s total of confirmed coronavirus cases is approaching 250,000, and the country has had at least 28,300 deaths since the start of the health crisis.
These classical musicians performed for 2,292 plants at Barcelona’s famous opera house ?? pic.twitter.com/fQ4nMHqOyo
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 23, 2020
