Friedrich Nietzsche firmly believed that music was the authentic expression of the world, and did not hesitate to affirm that without it life would be “simply a mistake.” The German philosopher was clear that the works of composers such as Bach, Beethoven Mozart or Wagner (at least, before the friendship between the two was broken) managed to explore human nature as deeply, or more, than their philosophy. To confirm this particular vision of the author of Thus I Spoke Zarathustra, there is nothing better than starting the new year enjoying a series of concerts, by great performers and orchestras from all over the world, offered by the Palau de la Música Catalana.
After making his debut at the Palau in January 2021, even in the middle of the pandemic, the Mexican tenor Javier Camarena returns, on Wednesday, January 10, together with the Cuban pianist Ángel Rodríguez, to remember, with his velvety timbre, the excellences of bel canto, reviewing the songs of Francesco Paolo Tosti, a composer who is worth remembering, and who was previously performed by tenors of the stature of Caruso, Pavarotti or Josep Carreras. On Thursday, the 18th of the same month, the titular organist of the Sagrada Familia basilica, Juan de la Rubia, will join the video artist Eugènia Balcells, to propose a heterodox and dazzling interdisciplinary dialogue titled Sons per a imatges, imatges per a sons , where there will be space for Bach’s music or for musical improvisation, during the screening of the film Frecuencias.
On Monday, January 22, the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra will visit us, a group with more than 150 years of history that on this occasion will be led by the Asturian Pablo González, a figure well known to the Barcelona public (not in vain, he was some time ago chief director of the OBC). The program they will perform includes Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25, which will feature the presence of the young Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi, the Adagio from the immortal Symphony No. 10 by Gustav Mahler and the symphonic poem Death and Transfiguration, by Richard Strauss.
In addition, the Palau will host, on Friday, February 9, an exceptional guest, the Hungarian pianist András Schiff. We do not yet know the repertoire that he will address on this occasion, but his recital will surely be an unforgettable opportunity to meet the performer who has managed to shine in a special way interpreting Bach, Schumann or the complete cycles of Beethoven’s sonatas and concertos. Mozart piano.
Thomas Hengelbrock, for his part, will offer, together with the Balthasar Neumann Chor
Lovers of the best baroque opera should note, in a prominent place, at least a couple of dates on the agenda. The first, on Tuesday, February 6, in which you can hear Rinaldo by G. F. Händel, an early work by the German composer that became the most popular in his repertoire. It will be performed by Les Accents, an ensemble founded by Thibault Noally, and will feature a vocal cast that includes countertenor Carlo Vistoli, as Rinaldo, and soprano Emöke Barath. Nor should you miss L’incoronazione di Poppea, a mature work by Claudio Monteverdi that will be addressed, on Saturday, March 16, by The English Concert, a prestigious orchestra that stands out for its versions with historical criteria, together with the Cor de Cambra of the Palau de la Catalan Music and the soprano Jeanine De Bique, leading a luxury cast.
The “passions” will occupy a prominent space in the Palau’s programming in the first part of 2024. On Sunday, March 17, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations, under the direction of Jordi Savall, will interpret the Passion according to San Juan, by Johann Sebastian Bach. The same work will be revised, on Saturday, March 23, in a special production with a new dramaturgy written by Sergi Belbel, with Jordi Boixaderas and Silvia Bel in the narrative roles, as well as with prestigious voices, choirs and the Vallès Symphony Orchestra . Two days later, the Chamber Choir of the Palau, the Vespres d’Arnadí baroque orchestra, directed by Christoph Prégardien, and several voices of international prestige, will be responsible for making us relive the Passion according to San Mateo.
These are just some of the gems that music fans will be able to discover in the new year, within the various cycles programmed by the Palau, such as Imprescindibles 2024, which will give space to luxury guests, from Camarena to Yuja Wang, passing through Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou; Palau 100, where some of the most important orchestras and choirs in the world are brought together along with extraordinary soloists; Palau Ópera, which hosts large samples of baroque opera in concert or semi-staged versions in subtitled productions; Palau Bach, with a cycle dedicated especially to the immortal composer born in Eisenach; or Palau Fronteras, where daring contrasts are offered between music from diverse origins. The complete program can be consulted on the website /www.palaumusica.cat.
