A brilliant musician who revolutionised his time, yet also the inspiration behind myths and mystical visions of existence, Richard Wagner still casts a shadow today. How we see the world and give shape to our fantasies has a great deal to do with his creations. Wagner had passionate admirers in Barcelona from the very start, like Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the architect who built the Palau de la Música, which is packed with images and symbols that allude to Wagner's oeuvre, and reveal him to be a fan of Wagner’s music. This year marks the centennial of the architect's death, and there is no better way to celebrate Domènech y Montaner Year than by listening to symphonic fragments from Götterdämmerung, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Walküre, Lohengrin, Siegfried and Tristan und Isolde in the concert hall he built. They are all part of the programme for this concert, which takes as its point of departure Alex Ross’s book, Wagnerism, which analyses the German musician's influence on the culture and imaginary of today. The texts in this book form the basis of the narration by actor Pere Arquillué, who will be sharing the stage with German baritone Michael Volle.
The music will be performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, an ensemble with more than 170 years of history behind it. Since 2012, the orchestra has been conducted by Josep Pons, regarded as one of the most prominent orchestra conductors of his generation. As well as being the conductor of the Liceu's Orchestra, he is also honorary conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra and Choir and the City of Granada Orchestra, and was the founder of the Chamber Orchestra of the Teatre Lliure in Barcelona and the National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia. Musical director of the Barcelona 92 Olympic ceremonies, in 1999 he was honoured with the “Premio Nacional de la Música” awarded by the Ministry of Culture, and is a member of the Reial Academia Catalana de Belles Arts.
A co-production by the Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música and the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Directed by: Josep Pons. Performed by: Pere Arquillué (narrator), Michael Volle (baritone), Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Texts: taken from the Alex Ross book Wagnerism. Music: Fragments from the following Richard Wagner operas: Lohengrin, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Tristan und Isolde, Götterdämmerung, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
