BBC -Concert Orchestra - Appointments

Flashmob - The Opera

"Don't tell anyone where it's going to be", came the order from BBC THREE back in the summer. The BBC CO had been booked to perform BBC THREE's first opera, Flashmob, which was to be a live broadcast from a surprise location in London. As the project began to take shape it became clear that this was to be no run-of-the-mill opera, but something extraordinary in so many ways, and very exciting to be a part of.

The first exciting element (and only one we couldn't let on about) was the location for the performance: all we were allowed to say was that it would be 'a mainline station in central London', but was actually Paddington Station, in the middle of rush hour. To bring an entire orchestra, several choirs, four soloists and a presenter, plus the BBC camera crew to one of London's busiest stations sounded like sheer madness!

BBC THREE also had another trick up their sleeve - they intended to invite hundreds of members of the public to turn up and take part in the opera, by signing up to be part of the flashmob. This spontaneous act is based on the work of an American street performer who organised 150 members of the public to turn up at a carpet warehouse in Manhattan together and leave after a few minutes. The phenomenom quickly spread via the internet - which is where BBC THREE recruited their audience.

The opera itself was also going to be pretty extraordinary. To bring opera right into BBC THREE's target audience, conductor Robert Ziegler was set the task of weaving together music from operas by Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Rossini and Mozart into a modern day story, written by Stephen Powell with lyrics by Tony Bicat.

Wednesday 6 October began with the mammoth operation to bring this opera to life - the orchestra chairs and stands took over the cafe section of the station, whilst the BBC THREE team prepared the cameras and cables, and rehearsals began. The morning commuters must have wondered what on earth was going on!

By the 6.30pm start time everyone was in position: the four soloists, the BBC CO, a police chorus, a gospel choir, a chorus of football supporters and singers from the BBC. The signal came for the overture to begin and the Orchestra burst into the overture from Bizet's Carmen - at which point any commuters who hadn't noticed anything untoward certainly had now!

Rachel Nicholl and Rodney Clarke in Flashmob - The Opera

As the story progressed the action moved around various locations on the station, from the main concourse to the sushi bar, the pub, the entrance to the underground and finally onto the platform. You never quite knew who would start singing next! Monitors set up around the station allowed those watching to follow the story, and speakers allowed the Orchestra to be heard wherever you stood.

And finally, the climax was approaching and those who had signed up to be in the flashmob were summoned to their meeting points. Over by one station entrance was gathered a small crowd, clutching song sheets and furtively asking each other if they could sing, probably wondering what on earth thet had got themselves into! Suddenly the opening notes of Puccini's Nessum Dorma sounded and we were led over to the action, told to get to the front and sing loudly!

A large crowd was gathered round the actors playing the two main characters, everyone singing or humming along, including several hundred train passngers who had stumbled across the action! The atmosphere was convivial as the opera drew to a close, with people linking arms with total strangers and swaying along to the music. And then it was all over, and what a great experience it had been.

If you missed the broadcast first time around, there's another chance to see it on Boxing Day at 4.45pm on BBC TWO. You can also get more information on the programme from the Flashmob website, including the storyline and actors' biographies.

Flashmob is not over yet...watch this space for the next one, coming soon to a venue near you!

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