Concert commemorating 125 years of the Orfeó Català
Simon Halsey will be conducting a programme featuring pieces by Pau Casals, Francis Poulenc and Mozart, among others, as part of this season’s celebrations
The Palau de la Música is an outstanding building not only for its architecture and its exterior and interior beauty, but also because it was conceived for a very specific purpose: to be host to one of the most important musical institutions in Barcelona, the Catalan Orfeón, a choir that was founded 125 years ago with the mission of offering regular recitals showcasing the legacy of Catalan choral music and the most important choral music of all time. The 2016/2017 sees the anniversary of this institution and the commemorative concerts scheduled are continuing with a program of music conducted by Simon Halsey.
The programme features two pieces by Pau Casals, “O vos Omnes” and “Nigra Sum”; one by French composer Maurice Duruflé, namely his “Requiem, op. 9”, Alexander Mason’s “Veni Creator”, in which he improvised on a hymn, F. Poulenc’s “Litanies à la Vierge Noire”, and Mozart’s incomparable “Ave Verum”. In fact, the latter work has a great symbolic importance for the Orfeó Català since it was the first piece they performed 125 years ago. This will not be the last of the institution’s celebratory concerts – there is another scheduled for 14 May at Petit Palau – but it is, undoubtedly the culminating point of the season’s musical programme.
Additional information and tickets sales are now available at the Palau de la Música website.