Tbilisi Metro turns into… opera house

The Tbilisi Opera company has toured the city's newly-renovated Metro system and given a performance. It is as part of European Opera days celebrated across the continent.

Passengers on the Tbilisi Metro found themselves slightly surprised to see singers and musicians getting ready for a show.

And the Georgian opera baritone Sulkhan Gvelesiani finds the acoustics in the subway just fine.

The Tbilisi Metro's recently had a “facelift”. The city's administration proudly shows off the Metro to another Tbilisi’s pride – Opera company.

“I think it’s great, people love it, and those who love opera and cannot go can hear this,” says Vice Prime Minister Mamuka Akhvlediani. “The sound is great and we should do this more often.”
 
It was hard to find anyone who could deny themselves the pleasure of listening to live music. Some passengers may have missed several trains. For an hour the platform turned into a concert hall. People found the show amusing and surprising.
 
“I think it is unusual, and everything unusual must be welcomed…” said one of the ‘metro-theatre goes’. “Besides, I have not been to the opera for a long time, and here they are – I can hear them in the metro…”
 
The performance was followed by a storm of applause, just like in a real theatre. Part of that belonged to the show initiators and organisers.