Cameron Carpenter calls in with his revolutionary organ at Palau de la Música
The concert, which is scheduled for 8 November, will be preceded by the screening of a documentary on the building of the instrument
Concertgoers at Barcelona’s Palau de la Música on Tuesday 8 November will have the opportunity to hear works by Wagner, Vierne, Tchaikovsky and J. S. Bach in a completely new way. And it’s all because on stage will be the organist Cameron Carpenter, a musician with a style and a look that are close to punk and who approaches the classical repertoire in a ground-breaking way. He has been labelled the most controversial organist in the world and has been acclaimed for his virtuosity, tecjnique and arrangements. A specially designed organ is his instrument of choice in his campaign aimed at shaking up the world of music. Carpenter will be accompanied for this date by the Orfeó Català and the chamber choir of the Palau de la Música Catalana, as well as conductor Simon Halsey.
One of the highlights of the repertoire chosen for this concert is the Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein, a positive, hopeful hymn that explores the Jewish and Christian traditions from a 20th century perspective. Carpenter is also setting aside a space for improvisation towards the end of the performance.
The concert is scheduled to begin at 8.30pm, though before that, at 7pm, there will be a screening, with the collaboration of the In-Edit Festival, of the documentary The Sound of My Life, which traces the construction of Carpenter’s organ.