Barcelona is known for its rich culture in many sides. One of them is, obviously, the music. Music has always been a part of Barcelona, from the classical music to pop music.
Today we are going to show you one of the highlights of Barcelona’s music scene: the Palau de la Música (Music’s Palace). A place where you can enjoy from the most classical pieces to contemporary music. A place where all artists, from many genres, love and feel honored to play in.
Palau de la Música Catalana
Where is the Palau de la Música?
Do not be afraid: the site is located in the heart of the city. On Sant Francesc de Paula Street you can find a section in Barcelona called La Ribera. Once you’re there you will for sure recognize the building, not only because it is a modernist masterpiece, because the rest of the buildings surrounding the Palau de la Música are very common buildings, normal flats or apartments. Indeed, those buildings appeared in one of Pedro Almodovar most well known films: All About My Mother.
The design of the Palau de la Música
This concert hall was designed by the modernist architect called Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a music society that was founded in 1891, it was inaugurated on February 9th 1908.
The society financed the project, but many other citizens put some money, specially wealthy people and bourgeoisie. Its design was awarded as the best building in Barcelona in 1909.
The Palau de la Música has been through many restoration processes, and in 1997 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the same year the Hospital de Sant Pau did.
The different spaces of the Palau de la Música
The Palau de la Música has so many spaces to enjoy: first of all there is the Concert Hall, considere done of the most beautiful music halls in the whole world. 2,200 people can sit and enjoy the performances as well as the stained-glass skylight designed by Antoni Rigalt.
The façade is the first amazing thing that you can see of the Palau, and the entrance is full of colors and still keeps the former ticket boxes, although they are not in use anymore.
The vestibule is decorated with ceramic moldings and the foyer used to be the headquarters of the Orfeó Català. You can also see the Lluís Millet hall, named after one of its founders, and is full of bronze busts from musicians all over the world.
Big premieres and big artists at the Palau de la Música
Half a million people attend every year to the concerts and performances that take place in the Palau de la Música.
These are some of the premieres that were performed on:
- Enric Granados symphonic poem ‘Dante’ (1908)
- Roberto Gerhard’s Concertino for strings (1929)
- Salvador Espriu’s ‘Primera historia d’Esther’ (1957)
- Joaquin Rodrigo’s Sonata a la breve (1977)