This 2024 begins in a very special way on the mountain of Montserrat with the predictions of the ancestral Sibil·la, that semi-divine being who in ancient times predicted the future in places like the very caves of Delphi, in Greece. Now, with the resurgence of this ancient musical manifestation, the Montserrat Abbey offers one of the most unusual experiences linked to this mystical and magical tradition: that of listening to the Cant de la Sibil·la in its place of origin, that is, the cave. And in the same way that it was celebrated in Cumas, near Naples, or in the aforementioned Delphi, the liturgical drama that was widely spread in Europe in the Middle Ages will be heard this January 1 (7 p.m.) in the Salnitre caves, in Collbató.
The symbolic charge of the place makes this event a transformative experience. Because on the one hand the myth returns to its original pre-Christian space, like the predecessor Sibyl of Cumae, who proclaimed her oracles and prophecies from the very bowels of the earth. And on the other hand, it tries to appeal to the conscience of each person in the current moments of confusion and “loss of essential values” by making a current reading of the apocalyptic message of the Sibil·la.
Organized by the Gong Festival, the experience has top performers: the Cor Francesc Valls of the Barcelona Cathedral directed by Pere Lluis Biosca, to whom the current recovery drive of the Sibyl la as an introductory part of the Midnight Mass will give the polyphonic responses to the Sibil·la. This figure will be performed by the very young soprano Kiani Vilar, one of the voices of the Amics de la Unió de Granolles choir, which has performed at the Palau de la Música Catalana or at the Liceu, and who also emerges from the choir of the cloister from Solsona. “Her youth and her voice direct us to the universality of the Sibil·la and link us to the figure of the brunette in Montserrat,” say the organizers.
The current owner of the Sagrada Família, Juan de la Rubia, one of the Catalan musicians with the greatest international projection, will sit at the organ, who in this case will act as a common thread between the verses sung by the choir and the Sibil.la, but also will provide improvisation. The Cuban-born cellist Lixsania Fernández (and has had teachers such as Savall or Ghielmi) will participate in various intermezzos, as will the clarinetist Gener Salicrú, who will gloss the opening and closing songs. The event will culminate with a musical progression of versions by Alonso, Càrceres, Magrané and Bernat Vivancos.
