Spanish opera house in Barcelona reopens with concert exclusively for plants

Spanish opera house in Barcelona has reopened with a concert exclusively for plants.

AFTER three months being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the El Liceu opera house in Barcelona marked its comeback on Monday with a performance for 2,292 potted plants.

Conceptual Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia prepared an ‘original, unique and different concert,’ in which the seats of the auditorium were occupied by plants from local nurseries, with no social distancing required.

Ampudia said he wanted to examine “our relationship with nature and the impact lockdown has had on public spaces.”

Prior to the performance, the obligatory announcement was made, asking audience members not to make too much noise or take photos and to turn off their mobile phones “out of consideration to the audience and performers.”

The string quartet performed Giaccomo Puccini’s ‘Crisantemi’ (Chrysanthemums), which was written in memory of Ampudia’s friend the Duke of Savoy, formerly King Amadeo I Of Spain, who died in 1890.

The opera house said in a statement: “After the concert, the plants were 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.”