The seventh edition of the Barcelona Obertura Ciutat de Clàssica festival is set to fill the city with music from March 5 to April 1, offering a sweeping program of 52 concerts performed by over 500 artists across 29 unique venues. This year’s event places a special emphasis on the city’s architectural heritage, incorporating four spaces designed by Antoni Gaudí to connect Catalan Modernisme with classical music in celebration of the upcoming ‘Gaudí Year’.
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Driven by Barcelona’s three principal classical music institutions-the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música Catalana, and L’Auditori-and managed by Turisme de Barcelona, the festival aims to bolster the city’s reputation as a premier destination for cultural tourism. To make classical music accessible to all audiences, the program features a balanced mix of 25 ticketed performances and 27 free concerts distributed throughout Barcelona’s 10 districts.
Marking the centenary of Antoni Gaudí’s death in 1926, the festival will present a musical exploration of his era. Concerts held in Gaudí-designed venues like Casa Batlló, Palau Güell, Torre Bellesguard, and Casa Vicens will feature repertoires from the architect’s Catalan contemporaries. These include works by composers who embodied the Modernista spirit, such as Francesc Pujol, Enric Morera, and Francesc Tàrrega. The festival also continues its mission to revive overlooked compositions, this year highlighting three female composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Luise Greger, Margarete Schweikert, and Johanna Müller-Hermann.
The 27 free concerts, a cornerstone of the festival’s outreach, will transform historical buildings, museums, and civic centers into stages for nearly 250 young local talents. Returning venues include the Monastery of Pedralbes, the Norman Foster-designed Torre de Collserola, the Fundació Joan Miró, and the Centro Cívico Cotxeres de Sants. This edition also introduces ten new locations, expanding the festival’s footprint to include the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (MEAM), the Museu Frederic Marès, Casa Vil·la Joana at the MUHBA, and the Biblioteca Horta-Can Mariner in the Horta-Guinardó district.
In parallel, the city’s grand concert halls will host 25 performances by internationally acclaimed artists. As reported by El País, the Gran Teatre del Liceu will premiere a new production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, directed by Àlex Ollé and starring soprano Asmik Grigorian. The Liceu’s program also includes a recital by tenor Juan Diego Flórez and a concert version of Handel’s opera Orlando performed by Les Musiciens du Louvre.
The Palau de la Música Catalana will present 12 events, among them a performance by pianist Jan Lisiecki. At L’Auditori, the festival will feature nine concerts, kicking off with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC) performing Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7. Other renowned artists participating in the festival include pianist Martha Argerich, violinist James Ehnes, the Cuarteto Casals, and Le Concert des Nations led by Jordi Savall.
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