Barcelona’s Modernista movement reached its aesthetic culmination in this magnificent concert hall (1905–1908), designed by renowned architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The lavish façade, ringed by mosaic pillars and brick arches, just hints at what awaits within. Domènech’s “garden of music” (as he called it) unfolds beyond the front doors, with each surface of the ornate foyer, from pillars to banisters, emblazoned with a flower motif. The concert hall – designed so that its height is the same as its breadth – is a celebration of natural light and forms, climaxing in a stained-glass, golden orb skylight that showers the hall with sunlight.
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Orfeó CatalàPerhaps the most famous choral group to perform here is the Orfeó Català, for whom the concert hall was originally built. This 90-person chorus performs regularly and holds a concert on 26 December every year. Book in advance. |
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Stage
The main, semicircular stage swarms with activity – even when no-one’s performing. Eighteen mosaic and terracotta muses spring from the backdrop, playing everything from the harp to the castanets.
Stained-Glass Windows
Blurring the boundaries between the outdoors and the interior, Domènech encircled the concert hall with vast stained-glass windows to let in sunlight and reveal the changing times of day.
Horse Sculptures
Charging forth from the ceiling are winged horses (by the sculptor Eusebi Arnau), infusing the concert hall with movement and verve. Also depicted is a representation of Wagner’s chariot ride of the Valkyries, led by galloping horses that leap toward the stage.
Chamber Music Room
Designed as a rehearsal space, the semicircular, acoustically-sound Chamber Music Room is a smaller version of the massive concert hall one floor above. In its centre is an inlaid foundation stone commemorating the construction of the Palau.
Concert & Dance Series
Over 300 concerts and dance shows are staged each year, and seeing a show here is an experience not to be missed. For traditional Catalan dance and choral singing, look out for the Cobla, Cor, i Dansa series (usually begins February).