Liceu, Palau de la Música and Auditorium, high marks in classical

In the case of the Liceo, initiatives such as Arts Hall They establish an active dialogue with citizens not only through opera, as has been a tradition since the theater’s creation over 175 years ago, but also in dialogue with other artistic disciplines, ranging from dance to the plastic arts. Sometimes the dialogue sought to inspire, as is the case with the interventions of William Kentridge or Chiharu Shiota. Other times, reflection on current events invites itself, as when, last season, Schellekens & Peleman installed “The Inflatable Refugee” in the theater stalls: an immense inflatable figure of an immigrant with a life jacket , made with the same materials. with which pateras and cayucos are made.

World Heritage

Inside Music Palaceheritage speaks face to face with the best national and international orchestras and soloists. It is the only auditorium in the world listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The modernist hall hosts concerts almost daily and is also the headquarters of the Orfeó Català, one of the most traditional choral groups in Spain, founded on September 15, 1891 by Lluís Millet, Amadeu Vives and Aureli Capmanyand which has achieved notable success in recent years in auditoriums such as the Berlin Philharmonie and the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie.

Inaugurated 25 years ago, the Auditori is the last major musical installation in the city of Barcelona. The building it occupies, the work of Rafael Moneo, also houses the Music Museum and the Higher School of Music of Catalonia (ESMUC). It is the headquarters of the Barcelona National Symphony Orchestra (OBC), which, with its current conductor, Ludovic Morlot, offers three concerts per week and records the orchestral work of Maurice Ravel, screened to foreign audiences.

Opening of Barcelona

The three institutions collaborate closely throughout the season to attract local, national and international audiences. In this last area, efforts are channeled through the Barcelona opening platformwhich offers several weeks a year, at the beginning of spring, a rigorous selection of the best concerts so that visitors from outside can enjoy the climate, architecture and museums during the day and attend each evening a concert highlighting featured different lyrical stars. .

But the musical offer is not limited to that of the Catalan capital. Tarragona, Lleida and Girona also have a more than remarkable offer, especially in terms of festivals. Those of Peralada, Torroella de Montgrí and Vilabertran have had a more than loyal following on the Costa Brava for decades.. Inside, Espurnes Barroques stands out, which organizes early music concerts every year in small churches with remarkable Baroque heritage. More focused on the Lleida Pyrenees, the Antiga dels Pirineus Music Festival (Femap) is also an excellent opportunity to discover unusual landscapes and heritage.

But in terms of heritage, it is the monastery of Poblet which wins the prize, another UNESCO-listed building where an organ festival takes place each year using the instrument of the basilica, which, due to its characteristics , is unique in the Iberian Peninsula.

Diversified offer

Festivals are also present in the Catalan capital itself and enrich the programming of the large installations already mentioned. There are some dedicated to lied, such as LIFE Victoria, which each year honors the figure of the soprano Victoria de los Ángeles by offering a careful program of recitals.

L’Auditori promotes the Llums d’Antiga festival, which presents ancient music in different churches around the city. For lovers of contemporary music, Mixtur offers an excellent showcase of the latest trends with interdisciplinary proposals.

Every year, all this activity attracts the attention of more than half a million spectators who attend some of the concerts organized in Barcelona: an offer that brings in millions of euros and which, in addition and above all, positions the city as cultural capital reference on the international market.