Girl gives a coin to a living statue but never expected to get a complete orchestra

A Spanish bank made a flash mob, considered by many to be the best one in the world, with 100 musicians in a square in Barcelona. Those who were lucky enough to be present witnessed something extraordinary.

The unexpected show begins with a girl putting a coin in a hat, for a living statue holding a cello. Then, the man who until then had remained static begins to play "Ode to Joy" from Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Symphony No.9.

Little by little, people from the audience start to join the cello player with instruments, until they form a complete symphony orchestra of a hundred musicians, choirs included. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa

The majestic event was staged for a commercial to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Banco Sabadell. It was recorded in front of the bank's headquarters, in Plaza Sant Roc, Sabadell, Spain.

It makes it impossible to hold back the tears

"Once the orchestra has been formed and coming from different areas of the square and the nearby streets, the members of the choirs are appearing, adding to the performance", reads in Banco Sabadell’s website.

The Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, the Coral Belles Arts, the Cor Lieder Sabadell, and the Cor d'Amics de l'Òpera de Sabadell, were responsible for setting the music and voices to this wonderful presentation.

This flashmob rapidly turned into an internet sensation; some even say that it was the best one in the world by 2012, when it was released, thanks to the quality of the production, capable of bringing many to tears, overcome by emotion.

The power of music

The video of this rendition of Beethoven's most famous Symphony has been reproduced more than 77 million times, with 15,300 comments.

The tribute that the bank wanted to make both the city and its customers was a complete success in view of the reception it has had.

This is not a big surprise, for we all know that hearts cannot remain indifferent when such beautiful music starts to play, even more so when it happens out of the blue.

The rise of flash mobs

Flash mobs are an increasingly popular practice thanks to the connecting power of social media, and they are not only a fabulous way to turn the everyday landscape of busy cities into something out of a musical film at least for a few minutes.

Their seemingly spontaneous and relatable nature makes flashmobs an ideal medium to spread a political message or even as a publicity stunt such as what Banco Sabadell did.

For instance, with way less budget that the big Spanish bank, a group of artists performed a string of flash mobs in Stockon, England, to promote a local street arts festival.

Their intentions were largely exceeded after their act outside a local sandwich shop became a huge hit on the internet. There is no doubt that art brings people together and brings the best out of all of us.