If you see the city of Barcelona from above, it is impossible not to stop at the urban design of the Eixample neighborhood. The grid plan, which dates back to the 19th century, owes its design to the urban planner Ildefons Cerdà, a figure that the College of Civil Engineering, Canals and Ports of Catalonia, in celebrating the 50 years of the entity, seeks to vindicate with the cantata Cerdà: The Force of Civilization, composed by Albert Guinovart and Esteve Miralles, and which will feature the participation of the Orfeó Gracienc. The piece will have its premiere on May 9, at the Palau de la Música Catalana.
The musical piece, distributed in eight parts, aims to vindicate the validity of the work and the figure of Ildefons Cerdà, a character of great relevance for Barcelona and Catalonia and who still has a monument pending in his honor, something that the entity has urged to perform. But, in the meantime, it will give well-deserved recognition to the Eixample designer, through music.
The cantata will feature a performance by the Orfeó Gracienc, a group that will celebrate 120 years of history next year and will be guided by its director, pianist Pablo Larraz. The creators of the piece not only wanted to pay tribute to the contribution to the city of Cerdà. They also seek to show his life, his thoughts, interventions in public spaces and his love for society, which were rescued by Esteve Miralles when creating the text that reviews the history of the creator of the ‘Plan Cerdà’, from his birth to his death, in 1876.
Cerdà: La fuerza de la civilization will be directed by the actor Armand Villén, who will also be responsible for interpreting the character of Ildefons Cerdà.
