Redtree Times

I’m a little intrigued by the concept of flash mobs, where in public settings throngs of seemingly random people break into spontaneous (and well choreographed) acts such as singing and dancing.  They’ve been around for a while now and, for the most part, are relatively harmless.  Some are really great to see when they are meant to entertain.   I saw a short clip of this one the other day on CNN.  It takes place at a mall food court in Welland, Ontario, just outside Niagara Falls.  The diners there, one by one , begin to sing Handel’s  Hallelujah Chorus and by the end there appears to be more singers than listeners.  The looks on the unsuspecting and surprised diners are wonderful.

Handel’s piece is not an original choice.  You can find other versions online from all over including one at Macy’s in Philadelphia that had 650 choristers singing as they mingled among the regular shoppers.  But this version is a bit more intimate in setting and sound.  There have been some that complaints about the religious nature of the selection but I think that’s ridiculous.  The beauty and power of the music is evident to anyone regardless of their religious views.

So let the hum-buggers crow and give a look and a listen.