There is not even a bit of sloppiness even though the audience is green trees, the programConcert for the BioceneThe event was elaborately staged as if welcoming real guests. The organizers even arranged a red carpet from outside to inside the theater to celebrate this "unique" event.
The event took place on the first day after Spain's state of emergency ended, and was streamed live on the theatre's website. The UceLi Quartet performedCrisantemi(Chrysanthemums) by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. At the end, the organizers used wind to blow on the trees to create a rustling sound, instead of applause.
The trees will then be donated to healthcare workers, an idea by artist Eugenio Ampudia to show his appreciation for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19.
Ampudia said he was inspired by nature during the pandemic. “I hear more birds singing. And the plants in my garden and outside have grown faster. And then, without a doubt, I think I can now have a close connection with both people and nature,” he said before the performance.
He believes that given the chance, nature will take over the spaces that humans have taken away from it. "Through this event, we want to send a message: it's time for humans to coexist and empathize with animals in nature. Let's start with art, inviting nature to enjoy it," Ampudia said.
Ampudia also said that he had chosen a piece of music that was particularly fitting for the occasion. "It's a piece composed by Giacomo Puccini on the death anniversary of his friend, Prince Amedeo di Savoia. It has some very interesting passages but also a melancholy feel. And feeling the message that nature is sending through the pandemic, I felt the need to speak to the plants in a concrete way, to tell them what we've been going through during this time, through the form of music - a language that plants can hear and feel. It's almost like a requiem, a penitential service, really."
Mr. Victor Garcia de Gomar - director of the Liceu theater - said that the concertConcert for the Biocenewill be the prelude to the 2020-2021 season. According to him, this idea is first of all to help relax families who are still stuck at home due to social distancing orders. Besides, the organizers also want to send a message: when people cannot attend concerts in person, nature can do it instead.
Liceu is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. After the plant guests, it is expected that this theater will officially welcome human guests next September.
