A delightful surprise performance that recently took place in Spain has been receiving acclaim from around the world on the internet, and we thought we’d share the feel-good story with you. It’s all captured in a video clip titled “Som Sabadell flashmob” and it begins when a girl drops a coin in a musician’s hat on May 19, 2012, in the city of Sabadell, Spain. But what follows is no ordinary musical performance. Everyone who happened to be there was in for a real treat!

When the girl puts in the coin, the musician starts to play Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, which in itself is nothing unusual. But after a while, you realize that more and more musicians carrying different instruments appear and join in the performance. Eventually, you have a whole orchestra playing on the street in the middle of the city! This certainly must have surprised the surrounding onlookers!

In the end, even a full choir joins in and the symphony comes to a wonderful dramatic finale. The people who have been listening are overwhelmed with delight by the music, and thunderous applause follows.

The entire performance was planned by “Banco Sabadell”, a bank based in Sabadell that is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, as a surprise thank-you treat for the people of Sabadell. A total of over 100 people from the Valles Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Belles Arts participated in the performance.

The video of this wonderful performance has caused quite a stir on the internet and viewers are posting numerous comments of praise, including:

“The video made me smile.” (Viewer from Germany)
“What joyful music. The crowd listening is also really charming.” (U.S.A.)
“Just wonderful!” (Mexico)
“The location and the way the musicians appeared, everything about it just made me feel very happy.” (Israel)
“The most wonderful thing about this surprise performance is that it let children and youngsters experience a kind of music they didn’t know before” (U.S.A.)
“I was moved. Thank you for a lovely treat.” (France)
“Terrific!” (Argentina)
“Bravo! It would be so cool if something like this happened in my country.” (Mexico)
“I was moved to tears. I watched the video 6 times today.” (U.S.A.)
“Music connects us all.” (Canada)

The video, which we’ve posted below, certainly makes you wish you were there in person, doesn’t it? If you take a close look, you can tell that both the people listening and the people performing are smiling beautifully. It reminds us of the tremendous power of music – it makes you smile and can connect us in amazing ways. Bravo to everyone involved!

Original Article by: Daiichiro Tashiro
Source: YouTube/BancSabadell

▼This is the video of the performance. Do watch it in full-screen, high-resolution mode!

[ Read in Japanese ]