VIDEO: State Opera stars surprise passengers at Prague’s main train station with a pop-up concert

The State Opera (Státní opera) soloists performed several well-known arias in the six-minute clip while dressed as a handyman, a police officer and various travelers to an audience of unsuspecting passengers who were waiting for their connection in the station lobby.

Bass baritone Pavel Švingr, in a police uniform and tenor Josef Moravec as business passenger are next to pop up in the crowd. Bass baritone František Zahradníček then appears, holding a set of skis. Jánal and mezzosoprano Jana Horáková Levicová, dressed as a janitor with a mop, follow up with a romantic duet. The singers then all join together for a few final operatic hits.

The State Opera building has been closed since July 2016 for extensive renovations. Work is finally completed and the building will soon be turned back over to the National Theatre, which operates it. The first public performance is set for January 5, 2020.

Also in January 2020, there will also be an audiovisual show on the front facade of the State Opera. The art group 3dsence will take advantage of the specific location of the theater building on the highway. the show will run December 31 to January 5, and will be shown on a big screen on Wenceslas Square on January 5 during the theater opening.

“The first tests in the new premises will take place at the end of this year. A great attraction for artists is the new rehearsal space and recording studio with excellent acoustics,” National Theater spokesman Tomáš Staněk said previously.

The total cost of the renovation is estimated at 1.3 billion CZK. The turntable under the stage has been completely rebuilt, and new theater curtain was made, in addition to new air conditioning and other upgrades. A previous renovation took place in the 1970s.