Concert Violinist Performs in Metro Station During Rush Hour-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
A forwarded eRumor about concert musician, Joshua Bell, who played six Bach pieces on his violin to commuters at a Metro station in Washington DC on a cold January morning during rush hour. The eRumor claims that this was a social experiment put on by the Washington Post.
The Truth:
Concert Violinist Joshua Bell did perform the concert at the Metro station, according to an April 8, 2007 Washington Post article. Bell performed his mini concert incognito on a priceless violin that was “handcrafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari” while commuters walked by. Some commuters turned their heads momentarily to catch the virtuoso as he played, some just walked by and a few even threw some money in the violin case that laid open at his feet.
According to the article, “His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities — as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?”
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updated 1/02/09