Whether you are a musical omnivore or only have ears for early music, you’ll find something to get excited about at the Palau de la Música 21/22 season. From recitals and chamber music to operas and symphonic programmes, the Palau is definitely “celebrating life” – their motto for next season. Let’s look forward to their celebration of live music through a wealth of artists, from the most established and the starring ones to the young talents.
The season’s opera is new and exciting: a diverse programme is rounded off nicely by five baroque titles from Handel, Monterverdi and Purcell. The prestigious historically informed ensemble Vox Luminis debuts at the Palau with semistaged versions of King Arthur on 14th March and The Fairy Queen 16th March. The spectacular apparatus that these early operas used to be staged with will definitely be on show as Vox Luminis reveal their thorough work on the beautiful stage and surroundings of the Art Nouveau building. Noble and heroic deeds of the Romans are depicted in Radamisto and Giulio Cesare, both composed by Handel for the opera company of the Royal Academy of Music; thanks to a splendid budget, Handel could afford the best voices of his day. Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and sopranos Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Emöke Barath will surely be up to the challenge in Radamisto well matched with Il Pomo d’Oro. Countertenor Christopher Lowrey, soprano Carolyn Sampson and contralto Hilary Summers will join forces in Giulio Cesare with the weighty Spanish ensemble Forma Antiqva. The fifth title will be an italian business, as the acclaimed Europa Galante will perform Monteverdi’s Orfeo under the artistic direction and leading violin of Fabio Biondi.
Another important series in the Palau season is the symphonic cycle with an appealing selection of some of the best European orchestras. One of the highlights is a project that will definitely make an impression: Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform the four Brahms symphonies in two consecutive days on 9th May and 10th May. Following the recent release of a recording dedicated to some of Stravinsky ballets, François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles will visit the Palau’s Concert Hall with an all Stravinsky programme. The project, previously cancelled due to the pandemic, will include The Firebird Suite, the Violin Concert and The Rite of Spring. Les Siècles play instruments contemporary to the genesis of the compositions: this fresh approach, together with Roth’s thoughtful preparation of Stravinsky scores, opens up the opportunity to appreciate Stravinsky’s striking music in a different way. The violinist Isabel Faust will be in the spotlight for the Violin Concerto. Mendelssohn’s Italian and Mahler’s Titan will sound certainly impressive under the baton of one of the top living conductors, Riccardo Chailly and the Filarmonica della Scala. Another doyen of conducting, Sir John Eliot Gardiner will present soon before Christmas his sensitive approach to Berlioz music on L’enfance du Christ, an oratorio of exquisite music brought to live with Monteverdi Choir joining forces with the house choirs, Cor de Cambra del Palau and Cor Infantil de l’Orfeó Català. Gardiner will be back in June with music from Schütz and Bach.