Catalonia - Art and Culture 2018

Music A diverse soundtrack

Batuta or synthesiser? There’s no need to choose, as Catalonia’s rich music scene satisfies the appetite of the most diverse and demanding ears.

© Marc castellet

he Barcelona Metro is full one night in June of elegantly dressed couples and others younger and more informal. They are all going out and music is what gets them out of their homes. Some go to the Gran Teatre del Liceu for an evening of opera and oth- ers to the latest edition of the Sónar festi- val, where the most avant-garde rhythms are played. T

This image is an allegory for the varied soundtrack of a place that has given the world great geniuses, that delights in music, and listens to it in all of its forms. The main cities have great facilities, such as the Liceu, the Auditori , and the Palau de la Músic a in Barcelona, the auditoriums in Girona and Tarragona , and the Auditori Enric Granados in Lleida . They put on both classical and contemporary music. À LA CARTE FESTIVALS The activity is completed with fixed pro- grammes. Classical music festivals, as well as festivals devoted to pop, rock, electronic, or jazz spring up all around Catalonia partic- ularly in the summer months. Many of these festivals are well-established, like the ArReus festival, which brings musical groups from all over the world to the city of Reus and offers festivalgoers a chance to hear not only the music, but to see the cul- ture of other peoples. There are also jazz fes-

tivals in which the best artists in the world take to the stage, such as the Girona Jazz Festival , Jazz Terrassa, Voll-Damm Festival Jazz Vic , and the J azzTardor, in Lleida . The Vijazz takes place in Vilafranca del Penedès, and gives attendees the chance to pair wine and cava with jazz notes in the background. The Mercat de Música Viva of Vic , one of the largest musical showcases, has taken place every year for the past three decades and serves as a great meeting place for pro- fessionals in the music industry. pau casals, the sound of peace

recognised today as a musical message of peace and fraternity. In his Villa-Museum we can see his instruments, look at the rooms where he lived until his exile, and feel his ar- tistic and humanistic legacy. The Pau Casals International Music Festival in el Vendrell re- members him every year. There are many world-renowned Catalan composers. Among them are Isaac Albéniz and Enric Granados , who were both pianists and Romantic composers. Their contempo- rary, Frederic Mompou, and avant-garde authors like Xavier Montsalvatge are also internationally celebrated, as is com- poser and pianist Albert Guin-

MERCAT DE MUSICA VIVA DE VIC programmes international artists.

sónar, international advanced music festival.

In 1971, an elderly but excited Pau Casals addressed the United Na- tions. He had just received the Medal of Peace in reward for his fight for justice and freedom. He went on to perform a popular Catalan song, ‘El cant dels ocells’ (The song of the birds), which is still

ovart , who has written music for operas, plays, and even films.

© MArc castellet

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