Season Programme 2023/24

SEASON 2023—2024

IRREVERSIBLE CRACKS

Tragedy is consubstantial with opera. The inescapability of the main characters’ bleak destinies makes them into heroes. In parallel, these same characters are shown to be tremendously human; full of doubts, dreams, obsessions, weaknesses... these are their irreversible cracks. They may all wish they could be someone else, but it is too late. They cannot

move beyond who they are and, hence, they must learn to live with their ghosts and many consequent scars.

This season, audiences will meet a gallery of very human characters (Tatiana, Turandot, Cleopatra, Calaf, Amelia, Don José, Angelina, Riccardo, Lecouvreur, Liù, among many others), who – chasing their dreams and bearing weighty burdens from the past – will reveal their humanity, but also the irreparable cracks in their love.

Kintsugi (金継ぎ)

This Japanese technique literally means ‘repairing with gold’. It dates back to the 15th century and consists of using gold or silver dust and lacquer to repair ceramic objects, by joining the broken shards of a piece of pottery with metal. The poetic idea lies in the possibility of creating a piece with greater aesthetic perfection from faults and cracks. What is kintsugi for repairing mankind’s cracks? It just might be knowledge, art and opera.

Board of trustees of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Honorary president

Pere Aragonès Garcia

President of the Board

Salvador Alemany Mas

First vice-president

Natàlia Garriga Ibáñez

Second vice-president

Víctor Francos Díaz

Third vice-president

Jordi Martí Grau

Fourth vice-president

Núria Marín Martínez

Representatives of the Government of Catalonia

Jordi Foz Dalmau, Irene Rigau Oliver, Josep Ferran

Vives Gràcia, Àngels Barbarà Fondevila

Representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport

Maria Pérez Sánchez-Laulhé, Joan Francesc Marco

Conchillo, Àngels Ingla Mas, Helena Guardans Cambó

Representatives of Barcelona City Council

Marta Clari Padrós, Josep Maria Vallès Casadevall

Representative of Barcelona Provincial Council

Joan Carles Garcia Cañizares

Representatives of the Society of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Javier Coll Olalla, Manuel Busquet Arrufat, Ignasi

Borrell Roca, Josep Maria Coronas Guinart, Àgueda

Viñamata y de Urruela

Representatives of the Sponsorship Council

Luis Herrero Borque, Elisa Durán Montolio, Rosario

Cabané Bienert, José Manuel Casas Aljama

Honorary trustees

Josep Vilarasau Salat, Manuel Bertrand Vergès

Secretary of the Board (not a trustee)

Joaquim Badia Armengol

General Manager

Valentí Oviedo Cornejo

Executive Comission of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu

President

Salvador Alemany Mas

Representatives of the Government of Catalonia

Natàlia Garriga Ibáñez, Jordi Foz Dalmau

Representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport

Joan Francesc Marco Conchillo, Ana Belén Faus Guijarro

Representatives of Barcelona City Council

Jordi Martí Grau, Marta Clari Padrós

Representative of Barcelona Provincial Council

Joan Carles Garcia Cañizares

Representatives of the Society of theGran Teatre del Liceu

Javier Coll Olalla, Manuel Busquet Arrufat

Representatives of the Sponsorship Council

Luis Herrero Borque, Elisa Durán Montolio

Secretary

Joaquim Badia Armengol

General Manager

Valentí Oviedo Cornejo

To those who make it possible...

175th Anniversary Supporters

Supporters

Protectors

EL PETIT LICEU and LICEUAPRÈN

LICEUNDER35

LICEUAPROPA

BOARD OF BENEFACTORS

President

Cucha Cabané

Vice-president

Elena Barraquer

Carlos Abril

Ramon Agenjo

Alfons Agulló

Eulàlia Alari

Muntsa Alcañiz

Salvador Alemany

Laura Álvarez

Mercedes Álvarez

Pere Armadàs

Esperanza Aubert

Luis Bach

Josep Balcells

Marc Balcells

Mercedes Barceló

Simon P. Barceló

Rafael Barraquer

David Barroso

Núria Basi

Mercedes Basso

Carmen Bastardas

Margarita Batllori

Manuel Bertran

Manuel Bertrand

Ignacio Borrell

Agustí Bou

Josep M. Bové

Carmen Buqueras

Sonia Burgos

Jordi Calonge

Joan Camprubi

Ramona Canals

Rosa Carcas

Montserrat Cardelús

Alejandro Caro

Aurora Catà

Ramon Centelles

Guzmán Clavel

Sergio Corbera

Javier Cornejo

Rosa Cullell

Cuca Cumellas

Lluís de la Rosa

Ignacia de Pano

M. Dolors i Francesc

Maria Eugenia Duff

Meya Durall

Francisco Egea

Fernando Encinar

M. José Enguix

Joan Esquirol

Antonio Establés

Patricia Estany

Marisa Falcó

Bettina Farreras

Ignacio Feijoo

Cristina Ferrando

Magda Ferrer-Dalmau

Inés Fisas

Ricardo Fisas

Santiago Fisas

Albert Foraster

Mercedes Fuster

José Gabeiras

Gabriela Galcerán

Gema Galdón

Jorge Gallardo

Beatriz García-Sarabia

Albert Garriga

Pau Gasol

Francisco Gaudier

Anna Gener

Lluís M. Ginjaume

Ezequiel Giró

M. Inmaculada Gómez

Andrea Gömöry

Albert Gost

Casimiro Gracia

Jaume Graell

Quica Graells

Ainhoa Grandes

Francisco A. Granero

Pere Grau

Calamanda Grifoll

Poppy Grijalbo

Helena Guardans

Pau Guardans

Maria Guasch

Bernardo Hernández

Pepita Izquierdo

Gabriel Jené

Josep Juanpere

Iolanda Latorre

Sofia Lluch

Ma. Teresa Machado

Waltraud Maczassek

Rocio Maestre

Carmen Marsá

Cristina Marsal

Mercedes Marsol

Josep Milian

Verónica Mimoun

Inma Miquel

José M. Mohedano

Alexandra Molina-Martell

Joan Molins

Victòria Moncunill

Chelo Mora

Juan Pedro Moreno

Cecilia Nordstrom

Josep Oliu

Magda Onandia

Victoria Onyós

Eduardo Ortega

Victoria Parera

Ivan Pons

M. Carmen Pous

Jordi Puig

Marian Puig

Ton Puig

Gloria Pujol

Juan Eusebio Pujol

Victòria Quintana

Neus Raig

Juan Bautista Renart

Blanca Ripoll

Joan Roca

Miquel Roca

Pedro Roca-Cusachs

Alfonso Rodés

Gonzalo Rodés

Salvador Rovirosa

Jacqueline Ruiz

Josep Sabé

Francisco Salamero

Josep Ll. Sanfeliu

Luis Sans

Elina Selin

Maria Soldevila

Rafael Soldevila

Josep Tabernero

Manuel Terrazo

August Torà

Ernestina Torelló

Ana Torredemer

Josep Turró

Joan Uriach

Joaquim Uriach

Marta Uriach

Manuel Valderrama

Gloria Ventós

Josep Viader

Eduardo Vilá

Antoni Vila Casas

Josep Vilarasau

Maria Vilardell †

Luis Villena

Salvador Viñas

Joaquim Viola

Lydia de Zuloaga

Yolanda de Zuloaga

INTERNATIONAL BENEFACTORS

Pierre Caland

Johanna Derksen

Maria Rosela Donahower

Carmen Egido

Philina Hsu Chang

Mónica Lafuente

Barry Lynam

Brian Pallas

Martina Priebe

Sylvain Sachot

Paul Schulz

Karen Swenson

Verònica Toub

Michael WinstrØm

DANCE CIRCLE BENEFACTORS

Pitu Lavin

M. Rosa Ollé

Adelaida Planella

Tati Quera

YOUNG BENEFACTORS

Alex Agulló

Lidia Arcos

Gonzalo Ayesta

Paula Barrachina

Ignacio Baselga

Marc Busquets

Diana Casajús

Inés Cuatrecasas

Marta Cuatrecasas

Luigi Esposito

Patricia Ferrer

Pau Font

Víctor García

Enric Girona

Albert Hernández

Rodrigo López de Armentia

Santiago Lucas

Alexandra Maratchi

Marc Mayral

Juan Molina-Martell

Elisabeth Montamat

Felipe Morenés

Marta Parent

Santiago Pons-Quintana

Andrea Puig

Julia Puig

Inés Pujol

Pepe Pujol

Toni Pujol

Sara Ramírez

Ana Recasens

Antonio Roca

Esperanza Schröder

Claudia Segura

Manuel Torralba

Carlos Torres

Oscar Vilá

SEASON

2023—2024

SEASON PRESENTATION

IRREVERSIBLE CRACKS

p. 4

RESIDENT

ARTIST

p. 30

THE VOICES OF THE IRREVERSIBLE CRACKS

p. 32

Opera

EUGENE

ONEGIN p. 44

Concert

JORDI SAVALL

A MIDSUMMER

NIGHT'S DREAM p. 49

Concert

ALICIA DE LARROCHA TRIBUTE

CONCERT p. 51

Opera

ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

p. 52

Opera (C.V.)

ORLANDO

PALADINO p. 56

Recital

LA COMMEDIA

È (IN)FINITA p. 61

Concert

VICTORIA DE LOS ÁNGELES

CENTENARY

GALA EVENING p. 63

Opera

TURANDOT p. 64

Opera (C.V.)

MÉDÉE

p. 68

Concert

EL CONTE DE NADAL DE CHARLES DICKENS

p. 73

Recital

SONDRA

RADVANOVSKY RECITAL

p. 75

Concert

KAFKAFRAGMENTE

p. 77

Opera

CARMEN

p. 78

Recital

LISE DAVIDSEN & FREDDIE DE TOMMASO RECITAL

p. 83

Family

Opera

LA CUINA DE ROSSINI

p. 85

Concert

TENOR VIÑAS

CONTEST

p. 87

Opera UN BALLO IN MASCHERA

p. 88

Opera (C.V.)

L'ORFEO

p. 92

Dance

LA NIT DE SANT JOAN

p. 97

Concert

WINTERREISE

p. 99

Dance FAUN / NOETIC

p. 101

Opera

THE MESSIAH

p. 104

Opera

ORGIA

p. 108

Opera (C.V.)

BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

p. 112

Dance

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

p. 117

Concert

LYRICAL GALA

p. 121

Concert

MAHLER’S UNIVERS (III)

SYMPHONY NO. 5

p. 123

Opera LA CENERENTOLA

p. 124

Opera (C.V.)

FIDELIO

p. 128

Family Opera

LA TORRE

DELS SOMNIS

p. 133

Concert

MONTEVERDI’S MADRIGALS V

p. 135

Opera

ADRIANA LECOUVREUR p. 136

Concert

THE VALKYRIE

CONCERT

p. 141

Dance

SACRE

(THE RITE OF SPRING)

p. 143

Opera ÒH!PERA

p. 146

Dance

THE SWAN LAKE

p. 151

‘CONSTELLATIONS’ SERIES

Concert I

p. 157

Concert II

p. 158

Concert III

p. 159

EXHIBITIONS AND TALKS

P. 160

EL PETIT

LICEU

P. 164

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND TICKETS

P. 170

LICEUAPROPA

P. 188

CALENDAR

P. 192

DIRECTORY OF ARTISTS

P. 204

The modern world is facing increasingly complex economic, social and environmental challenges. The liquid society conceptualised by the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman defines the current historical juncture marked by change. In this context, and as a cultural institution with a public mission, the Liceu questions what it can contribute to this social paradigm marked by its transitory nature. Asking questions, reflecting and providing answers through art and humanism are the steps that this theatre wishes to continue to take.

We are carrying on with the clear conviction that we are the theatre of great voices, batons and productions. We should note here the programming of a new co-production with the Liceu: Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams, which will come to the theatre conducted by the same composer in its European premiere. The Gran Teatre del Liceu is also participating in the co-production of the new chamber opera Orgia by Hèctor Parra with libretto and stage direction by Calixto Bieito. In this sense, the Theatre is reaffirming its commitment to the revival of the musical heritage and to give the country’s creators opportunities. Going back to our roots, the Liceu is reprogramming Núria Espert’s production of Puccini’s opera Turandot, which opened the new theatre after the 1994 fire.

In this 23/24 season, we will also be able to enjoy the unique sound of our choir and orchestra performing great works from the lyric repertoire, such as Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Rossini’s La centerola, Georges Bizet’s Carmen and Handel’s Messiah. Another great classic, Beethoven’s Fidelio is coming to the Liceu’s stage in a concert version by the renowned maestro Dudamel and his American orchestra, the LA Phil.

THE ART OF RESILIENCE

Being an institution with a long history is both an honour and a responsibility. That is why we want to embrace and learn from the past, looking for the keys to the future where the Theatre will remain the ‘Liceu for everyone’. We want to make a Liceu with an economic balance and a quality artistic programme that also includes educational and social projects that will help us to create the audience of tomorrow. The result of this is our recent commitment to new challenges, such as the new ‘Opera Prima’ line of community creation and the new family show La torre dels somnis, by Lluís Danés, which will premiere this season. We also maintain our desire to consolidate the Under35 Community, a successful project that connects the operatic genre with the younger members of society. Another tool that the Liceu has recently developed to bring opera closer to the public is LICEU+, the theatre’s audiovisual platform that offers content to complement the programme. This tool also includes the digital subscription LICEU+LIVE, which allows subscribers to see titles from the season in an outstanding viewing experience, either live or in a special edited version.

Reaping the fruits of our 175th anniversary, we look forward to welcoming you to this new season. We continue in this stage of growth and maturation on a path towards uniqueness and excellence thanks to the subscribers, patrons, benefactors, public administrations, workers and the general public who make it possible.

And we will continue to move forward with this resilience intrinsic to the Liceu’s history: with every stumble comes a new opportunity to rise again with strength and ambition to achieve what we want to be. Let’s move forward!

THE LICEU AND CULTURAL ALCHEMY

Before the beginning of each performance, I have the habit of stopping in the lobby and looking around. This moment is undoubtedly the first of the evening. Some people arrive with the nerves and anxiety of finding themselves in the Gran Teatre del Liceu for the first time and look at their tickets with aw: ‘Second floor, door E, will I know how to find it?’ Others are excited to discover a unique space with 176 years of history; they mythologise its past and grasp that everything that happens there is part of the city’s cultural and artistic history. With subscribers it is different. Some arrive 5 minutes before the show and others with enough time to meet friends and catch up, but they all have the self-assurance of entering a space that is perceived as known, familiar and friendly; in short, a beloved space. It is curious how the same location can be approached in such different ways: from the ceremony of becoming the temple of opera to being a theatre that is like home for most subscribers. The different moods and energies of these 2,292 people who fill the Teatre -together with the music, sets and shows onstage- are fundamental ingredients for opera nights at the Liceu to be unique and to create a kind of cultural alchemy, a transformative effect that usually makes us grow both spiritually and humanistically.

The Liceu is not resigned to the idea that everyone can feel this cultural and transformative alchemy through opera. And this is the reason why this season we are focusing more on Liceu Aprèn and Liceu Apropa, with the aim of continuing to provide tools to make opera an accessible art form and the Liceu a theatre without barriers. This accessibility, the Liceu’s hallmark, is also reinforced by the Liceu+LIVE, a unique platform that brings the Liceu and opera into the home with live broadcasts of

five productions: Eugene Oneguin, Antony & Cleopatra, Turandot, Un Ballo in Maschera and La Cenerentola. Liceu+LIVE is also a fantastic way to enjoy the opera by rewatching each show from many different angles.

The most precious summary of all that the Liceu is offering and this new season 23/24 is the libretto you are holding, and we hope that it inspires, beguiles, motivates and excites you. For many of you, the Liceu remains an engine of joy, a place where time stands still. We at the Liceu view this time of yours, this time that you choose to spend on us, as a fundamental responsibility which we want to meet with a season that delights you.

As I do every year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the audiences, the public administrations, the patrons, the benefactors and the Board of Trustees for their dedication, commitment and trust in this institution. The Orchestra, the Chorus, and the technical and administrative staff are working to bring to fruition everything you have read in this season’s programme. This is our commitment.

The last moment of the evening is when the show ends. At that time, I often stop back in the lobby and look at, greet and chat with the audience as they leave. As I came across looks of happiness and gratitude, the Liceu team and I feel that we have done what we were supposed to do.

Happy 23/24 season.

GOLDEN SEAMS A

fter 176 years, and now more than ever, the opera showcased on the Liceu stage is a mirror of the world; a reflection that is expressed in artistic allegories and metaphors from which beauty, emotion and living thought emanate.

The 2023/24 season presents a series of titles that announce times of moral confusion and oppression, exaggerated gestures and, above all, instruments of manipulation against the weakest. Environmental destruction, poverty, racism, global inequalities, social violence and the asymmetrical distribution of resources, are all unmistakable signs that we have not achieved a ‘common world’. We are in an overlapping of ‘many worlds’ that are not fair or equitable, coexisting without harmony and crashing into each other.

These existential fables and initiatory journeys replete with cruelty lead individuals and the collective to their own debasement and ruin. This infinite gallery of characters reveals their golden seams and – paradoxically – from this point of view, this is where we can discover that alongside our incredible vulnerability, we also have extraordinary strength. Turandot, Oneguin, Cleopatra, Don José, Adriana Lecouvreur and Renato, with their tragic fates, perfectly exemplify a fragility born of these deep fissures.

Art is undoubtedly a powerful vehicle for rethinking the dominant narratives and a stage on which to construct criteria based on distrusting those who blindly embrace their own certainties without even considering the questions, and the Liceu is a place of creation but, in parallel, a place where meaning is created.

The guest artist (and author of the photographs in the book you hold in your hands), Joan Font-

cuberta, presents part of his extensive work on the amnesia of images; sublimating his idea, the Liceu itself erases and reconstructs itself, making room for new messages.

Opera, as a living art, is the most fascinating discipline of all. Contributing to the rich tradition of the Gran Teatre del Liceu will be the best voices in the world (Jonas Kaufmann, Sondra Radvanovsky, Javier Camarena, Lise Davidsen, Nadine Sierra, Sonya Yoncheva, Maria Agresta, Freddie De Tomasso, Julia Lezhneva, Michael Fabiano and Aušrinė Stundytė, among others), with the most stimulating stage directors (Christof Loy, Calixto Bieito, Graham Vick, Robert Wilson, Emma Dante, David McVicar and Núria Espert) and the greatest conductors (Josep Pons, John Adams, Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Giovanni Antonini, Jordi Savall, René Jacobs and Alondra de la Parra) showing us some of the deepest mysteries of the human soul.

The world lays bare certain conditions of life and forces us to understand humans not as separate entities driven by self-interest, but as fully interdependent beings bound to a living world that requires our collective determination to fight against its destruction. Opera, as a permanent laboratory, cannot turn its back on this thinking.

Dear audiences, artists, teams, theatre staff and myself, we are delighted to invite you this season to discover messages, to recognise the golden seams and to dream that knowledge, art and opera help us to alleviate the burdens of our lives.

THE MIRACLE OF TRANSFORMATION

It is a pleasure for me to address all of you once again to present the projects by our stable musical corps in everything but staged opera, which we have carefully prepared for this season.

But first let me make a different gesture this time, not self-congratulations, which is by no means my way of thinking, but instead to pause for a moment to visualise the enormous amount of work done over these years. The stable musical corps of a theatre is its nerve organs; they provide the dimension of quality, together with the voices and the stage productions.

The renovation and optimisation of the musical score is precisely the task that brought me to this theatre, to my theatre. Allow me to take this brief pause, this look back in time, to see and appreciate the work done over these years, with the musicians’ invaluable commitment and dedication to the work, the renewal of ideas and spirit, the constant questioning and improvement, which have led us to have one of the leading orchestra among the symphony orchestras in Spain right now. I would also like to highlight the work that Pablo Assante is doing with the Choir. And I want to tell you that we are not resting on our laurels, that collectively we want to grow and improve even more. This is our commitment to you.

The concerts we are presenting for this season focus on five symphonies and a series we call ‘Constellations’ in the space dedicated to chamber orchestras.

Two of the symphonic concerts are in homage to two grande dames of the most international Catalan music: Victoria de los Ángeles and Alicia de Larrocha.

We have also programmed a new instalment of the ‘Mahler Universe’ series with his fifth symphony, and two opera-related programmes: a concert version of Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and the first act of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre (The Valkyrie).

We are also offering you, in the original version with ballet, one of the peaks of symphonic music worldwide, the revolutionary Le Sacre du printemps, by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, which he himself conducted with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at this theatre when it premiered in Spain.

I am particularly pleased to present a new version of the chamber orchestra series, which we call ‘Constellations’, with the aim of showing you the stars that make up the different constellations in our orchestra’s firmament in concerts featuring soloists. This season we invite you to enjoy the soloists from the viola and double bass sections, as well as the traditional concert with the outstanding brass section of the Liceu Brass Ensemble.

The Choir’s outside activities include the invitation from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel to sing the choral part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, both in our theatre and on the tour that will take them to London’s Barbican and Paris’s Philharmonie.

The Orchestra, in its outside activities, will take the music of Brahms - with the first symphony and the violin concerto, with Kai Gleusteen, our concertmaster, as soloistaround Catalonia, in these concerts that we appreciate so much and that spread the Liceu’s L around the territory.

Musical Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

The Chorus and Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Josep Pons, its resident conductor, and Pablo Assante, the Chorus director.

The Chorus and Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Josep Pons, its resident conductor, and Pablo Assante, the Chorus director.

RESIDENT ARTIST

Looking to the Future 2.0

This year’s unifying theme is golden seams. And the truth is that I’ve been thinking about it for days and a lot of ideas come to mind... Seam (in general) as the beginning of a crisis of what is old and needs to be restored or... demolished. Seam (in a wall) as a fissure that lets us see, or sense, what lies behind, which is, after all, the function of art. Seam (in a tectonic plate) that is the beginning of a continental drift that makes a new world appear at the end of time with a nature that has evolved in an imaginative and surprising way. Seam (in time) as a resurgence of a new stage...

I believe that it is in these seams where the Art Council of the Gran Teatre del Liceu has done its work since I joined it. In the presentation of the first season, 2020-2021, I entitled my text Looking to the Future and, re-reading it now, it occurs to me that this introduction should bear the same title, but with a 2.0, which is what you do with software versions as they are improved. Because I think that’s what has happened with all the challenges we set ourselves: educating children, arousing young people’s interest, attracting audiences in their 20s and 30s, and broadening the tastes of adult audiences. And this thanks to a programme open to everyone, with extremely varied styles, a notable presence of women creators and a commitment to

young talent – Oh!pera – or doing social work – La Gata perduda (The Lost Cat), which integrates residents of El Raval district – or educational work – The Monster in the Maze, a participatory opera for school-age students –or seeking the youngest audiences – La Torre de Nadal (The Christmas Tower) went to Plaza Catalonia. We are working with projects for young dancers connected to both the Theatre Institute and the city of Barcelona. And we must not forget the success of Under35, whose tickets sell out to young and enthusiastic audiences, future spectators of our opera house. And the twinning of the Liceu with different arts has led to all kinds of artists using the theatre’s spaces.

Is it possible to ask for more? Of course it is! And, in fact, all of us who work on this project called the Gran Teatre del Liceu are already looking to the future with version 3.0 in mind. However, for the moment I would like to highlight the work done and the great dedication of all the theatre’s teams. And, from my point of view, I am especially excited about the presence in the 2023-2024 season of wonderful names in stage direction such as Christof Loy, Elkhanah Pulitzer, Nuria Espert, Calixto Bieito, Graham Vick, Bob Wilson, Emma Dante, David McVicar and, in the field of choreography, Alexander Ekman, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Sasha Waltz.

After all, we all live perpetually in a seam in time.

Barcelona, February 2023

THE IRREVERSIBLE OF THE

VOICES CRACKS

JOAN FONTCUBERTA

VISUAL ARTIST

‘Photography was born in the nineteenth century under certain historical, ideological, political and cultural parameters. Many of the values that we still preserve stem precisely from that time, precisely from that time germinating from photography. This is why I think that photography is a philosophy more than an artistic system that has to do with forms or aesthetics’.

Artist, essayist, critic and photographer Joan Fontcuberta (Barcelona, 1955) offers a critical vision of reality and of photographic, historical or fictitious truths through photography and his context.

His work can be found in the most important museums and art galleries in the world, such as MoMA and the Met in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago, CAAC in Seville, IVAM in Valencia, the Folkwang Museum in Essen, the Parco Gallery in Tokyo, MNAC and MACBA in Barcelona, the Redpath Museum in Montreal and Musée de l'Elisée in Lausanne, among others. In 2013 he received the prestigious Hasselblad International Photography Award.

Photographs are not mere props offered passively for our observation; they are symbolic mediations between us and reality and contribute to giving form, meaning and existence to the world around us. Almost without realising it, we have become addicted to images and suffer from image bulimia. Today we all produce and consume photos. We belong to the order of homo photographicus, a species on the evolutionary ladder

that has led to the advent of a post-photographic culture.

The project that serves as the backbone of the partnership between Fontcuberta and the Gran Teatre del Liceu shows the transformation process of the same photographs through different pathologies. Photographs are organisms like an organic metabolism and have their own life cycle: they are born, grow, reproduce and die. Their deterioration begins through a chemical process when conditions are not optimal. Fontcuberta rescues these ailing photographs which have suffered from some kind of trauma when they have almost disappeared and lost the information they contained.

The result of this image vengeance / amnesia is both poetic and nostalgic. They are photographs that have lost their materiality but nonetheless, though mutant, project powerful new images in a creative act of photographic recycling. It is a proposal that engages the natural and the supernatural in dialogue.

Joan Fontcuberta's work seduces, provokes and intrigues, but at the same time irony is a strategic part of it: an amenable façade for a very profound critique.

JOHN ADAMS

COMPOSER AND ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR

Born in Worcester (Massachusetts, USA) in 1947, John Adams is one of the world’s most often-performed and appreciated classical music composers. With deep roots in minimalism, he has won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Music (2003) and five Grammy Awards.

Among his most outstanding works are Harmonielehre, Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Shaker Loops or Sheherazade.2, and a series of operas such as Nixon in China, Doctor Atomic, The Death of Klinghoffer and The Flowering Tree.

As co-producer and active stakeholder since the initial commission, the Liceu is privileged to host the European premiere of his latest operatic creation, Antony and Cleopatra. On this occasion, not only is he the composer but will also be conducting It will be tantamount to harking back Stravinsky’s and Ravel’s incredible visits to Barcelona.

He likes to define his music as post-minimalist, and although he does use the technique of pattern repetition, he does not follow it strictly. ‘My works are varied, detailed constructions that include light and dark, calmness and upheaval’.

His music sprang up in reaction to serialism and the ‘scientific’ composer. Like Mahler or Bach, Adams stands at the end of an era, and his language incorporates all the evolutions and advances of the last 50 years.

A composer, conductor and thinker, Adams stands out in contemporary music for his profound expression, his brilliant sound and the humanistic nature of the themes he addresses. Far from more analytical aesthetics and modern academicism, he seeks an expansive, expressive language.

OPERA

Antony & Cleopatra

FROM 28 OCT TO 8 NOV 2023 (6 performances)

John Adams, composer and conductor

CONFERENCE

To be confirmed

At the Foyer

ROBERT WILSON

STAGE DIRECTOR AND VISUAL ARTIST

‘I rise up and walk with myself’.

Born in Waco, Texas, Robert Wilson is one of the world's leading theatrical and visual artists. His works for the stage embrace a wide range of artistic media, including dance, movement, lighting, sculpture, music and text. His images are aesthetically striking and emotionally charged, and his productions have won acclaim from audiences and critics around the world.

A major figure in the world of experimental theatre, Wilson explores the use of time and space on stage. Educated at the University of Texas and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Wilson founded the New York performance collective The Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds in the mid-1960s and developed its first plays.

Wilson's close ties and collaborations with leading artists, writers and musicians continue to fascinate audiences worldwide. He has worked with Philip Glass, with whom he wrote the opera Einstein on the Beach (1976), and with Tom Waits, Susan Sontag, Laurie Anderson, William Burroughs, Lou Reed and Jessye Norman, among many others.

He has also left his mark on masterpieces such as Brecht/Weill's The Threepenny Opera, Debussy's Pelléas te Melisande, Goethe's Faust, Homer's Odyssey, La Fontaine's Fables, Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Verdi's La Traviata and several Shakespeare plays.

Wilson's drawings, paintings and sculptures have been presented around the world in

hundreds of solo and group exhibitions, and his works are also held in private collections and museums worldwide. Wilson has been the recipient of numerous awards celebrating excellence, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination, two Ubu Awards, the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale and an Olivier Award.

Wilson is the founder and artistic director of The Watermill Center, a laboratory for the arts in Water Mill, New York.

Since the late 1960s, Robert Wilson's productions have decisively shaped the face of theatre and opera. Through his use of light, his inquiries into the structure of simple movement and the classical rigour of his stage and furniture design, Wilson has continually articulated the strength and originality of his vision.

WILSON UNIVERSE

EXHIBITION. Ivory: Black Panther

FROM 16 TO 26 MAR 2024—

Mirror Room

CONFERENCE

To be confirmed

At the Foyer

EXHIBITION. The Messiah Drawings

MAR 2024

Galeria Senda

SUSANNA RAFART

POET IN RESIDENCE

Born in Ripoll (Girona, 1962), Susanna Rafart is a poet, fiction author, literary critic and cultural project promoter. Her poetic voice is comprised of elegant, delicate words, so well-chosen and precisely carved that they are able to occupy their place within the verse like the tesserae of a mosaic. Without any resonance or trumpeting, without vulgarity or outbursts, everything is said with subtlety and tenderness.

Since her first work, Pou de glaç (2002), she has garnered constant acclaim from her readers. Her most significant works include Baies (2005); the trilogy L’ocell a la cendra (2010), La mà interior (2011) and La llum constant (2013); En el teu nom (2014); and D’una sola branca (2021).

Her work is framed within a mirror-poetics of the female voice in the past and present, where the richness of her lexicon is not wielded to embellish images projected with a refined preciousness but instead serves the search for a disembodied semantics where words are organised around human emotions. Her oeuvre can be considered ‘posthumous’ as a whole, because it illustrates, with hindsight, the gradual way in which the subject achieves his or her own elimination. Therefore, when read in sequence, her volumes appear as separate sections in a single songbook.

LOLO & SOSAKU

INSTALLATIONS AND SOUND-SCULPTURES

‘Our work runs along the edges, pushes them, blurs them, questions them’.

Lolo & Sosaku (Buenos Aires, 1977, and Tokyo, 1976) met in Barcelona in 2004. As artistic partners, they have collaborated in a wide variety of artistic expressions with an interest in exploring art experimentally to create new art forms.

Seekers of new possibilities in sculpture as an expanded field, their work is the outcome of an object’s relationship with its environment and with the spectator, an object that seeks friction and tension to explore the capacity to create new meanings.

Thus, their works range between different artistic languages such as sculpture, installation, kinetic art and painting, and they often incorporate music and sound. Their modus operandi is to constitute themselves as a subject, and to reach transcendence, mysticism and the unknown based on their mechanical materiality.

Electronic music is undoubtedly the highlight of their inspiration, as a complex language translated into sound installations and sculptural compositions. Shapes, lines, materials and sounds come together in sculptures of movement that act by taking their own voice in a continuous, unpredictable transformation. By exploring many artistic horizons and redefining boundaries, their interest is the

energy and hidden forces that guide life in our technological age.

Moreover, the self-awareness of the recipient, who is also a participant, and the experience of sound are characteristic of Lolo & Sosaku's works. They are an invitation to exploration based on subtlety.

FROM SEP 27 TO OCT 15 2023

Mirror Room

OPERAS RECITALS

CONCERTS DANCE

FROM 27 SEPT TO 09 OCT 2023—

EUGENE ONEGIN

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

(1840 – 1893)

OPERA IN THREE ACTS

Libretto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Konstantin Shilovsky based on Alexander Puskin’s homonymous novel in verse World premiere: 29/3/1879 at Moscow’s Conservatory Barcelona premiere: 4/1/1955 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Last Liceu performance: 29/5/1998 Total number of Liceu performances: 25

Christof Loy Stage director

Andreas Heise

Choreography

Raimund Orfeo Vogt Set design

Herbert Murauer

Costume design

Olaf Winter Lighting

Den Norske Opera (Oslo), Teatro Real (Madrid), Gran Teatre del Liceu

Production

Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pablo Assante, conductor

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Josep Pons

Conductor

SEPTEMBER 2023

Wednesday27 19.30 h —From 10 to 286 €

Friday29 19.30 h Turn EFrom 10 to 286 €

OCTOBER 2023

Sunday1 18 h Turn FFrom 10 to 286 €

Monday2 19.30 h Turn AFrom 10 to 286 €

Wednesday4 19.30 h Turn BFrom 10 to 286 €

Thursday5 19.30 h Turn D-HFrom 10 to 286 €

Saturday 7* 19 h Turn CFrom 10 to 286 €

Sunday8 17 h Turn TFrom 10 to 286 €

Monday9 19.30 h #LiceUnder35 20 €

OCTOBER 2023

Sunday 8 17 h LIVE 20 €

Approximate running time: 2 h 55 min

(*) Function with audio description

LARINA

Liliana Nikiteanu

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct.)

Mireia Pintó

(29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

TATIANA

Svetlana Aksenova

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct..)

Kristina Mkhitaryan

(29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

OLGA

Victoria Karkacheva

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct.)

Cristina Faus

(29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

FILIPIEVNA

Elena Zilio

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct.)

Janina Baechle

(29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

EUGENE ONEGIN

Audun Iversen

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct.)

Iurii Samoilov

(29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

VLADIMIR LENSKI

Alexey Neklyudov

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct.)

Josep Bros

(29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

PRINCE GREMIN/ZARETSKY

Sam Carl

(27 Sept., 1, 4 and 8 Oct.)

Adam Palka (29 Sept., 2, 5, 7 and 9 Oct.)

CAPTAIN

Josep-Ramon Olivé

MONSIEUR TRIQUET

Mikeldi Atxalandabaso

EUGENE ONEGIN

This new co-production with the Oslo Opera and the Teatro Real de Madrid perfectly addresses all the nuances of Tatiana Larin’s character: the transition from a novel-loving girl blossoming into a cosmopolitan and elegant young princess. Awaiting her, love at first sight: the enigmatic Onegin, who sings the title role, an aristocrat obsessed with appearances who could never be happy with a country girl like Tatiana and discovers the power of love too late.

In November 1836, the French Lieutenant Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d’Anthès was harassing the beautiful Natalia Nikolayevna Goncharova, Pushkin’s wife, and Pushkin challenged him to a duel. Pride that would cost him everything. Under a snowy sky on the evening of 8 February 1837, and at the height of his glory, Alexander Pushkin, the Russian Lord Byron, died in a pistol duel sparked by this amorous confrontation, immortalising a way of life that defines countless young people who are as much in love as they are depressed. Romanticism: a way of thinking and feeling shared by numerous artists for more than a century. Tchaikovsky, who was already 40 years old when Onegin premiered at the Moscow Conservatory, could never have imagined that only three years later it would be performed at the great Bolshoi.

Curiously, the same duel scene had been described six years earlier in the verses of his Eugene Onegin, a masterpiece of Russian opera, a true manual of romantic thought and an intimate work, which takes us to the depths of the human mind, to the fragility and irredeemable cracks in the souls of its protagonists. Closely linked to the original text, this production by Christof Loy eschews traditionalism in favour of minimalist scenography that helps to underline the inner worlds of the characters and bring us closer to the personal drama and obsessions of a Tatiana “bursting with life”.

“I am yours! My whole life has been a pledge of this inevitable encounter”

Eugene Onegin (Act I, Scene 2Tatiana)

SVETLANA AKSENOVA

Soprano. She studied singing at the RimskyKorsakov Conservatory in St Petersburg, where she attracted critical attention for her interpretation of P. I. Tchaikovsky's Iolanta. Her recent roles include Tsaritsa (The Tale of Tsar Saltan) at La Monnaie in Brussels. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2013/2014 season in The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya.

AUDUN IVERSEN

Baritone. In 2007 he won first prize at the Queen Sonja Competition in Oslo. Recent engagements include roles as Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) at the San Francisco Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin and the title role in Eugene Onegin in Copenhagen and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

ALEXEY NEKLYUDOV

Tenor. Throughout his career, he has sung roles such as Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi) at the Salzburg Festival, Lenski (Eugene Onegin) at the Bregenz and Moscow Festivals, Ferrando (Così fan tutte) at the Opernhaus Zürich and Nemorino (L'elisir d'amore) at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

ANDREA MASTRONI

Bass. His awards include the Mario Basiola Prize (2005), the Giuseppe Di Stefano Prize (Trapani) and the 37th Franco Abbiati Prize. His most recent engagements include his participation in Tom Morris' production of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, which was his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2018/2019 season with Agrippina

JORDI SAVALL

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809 – 1847)

“So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act V - Final Monologue - Puck).

When Felix Mendelssohn was a teenager, Shakespeare’s plays became very popular in Germany in the translations of a relative of the Mendelssohn family. In the summer of 1826, when he was seventeen, he and his sister Fanny spent many afternoons in the garden of their Berlin home reading Shakespeare aloud and sometimes acting out the various roles. They were especially captivated by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a fairy tale of enormous poetic beauty.

In July and August, the 17-year-old composer wrote a brilliant piece that is a perfect reflection of these qualities: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture. In its first version it was a duet for piano four hands. In December, he orchestrated it and, in February, the work premiered in a symphony concert.

A brilliant score in the hands of a titan like Jordi Savall, who continues to expand his repertoire; not in vain does he take on Mendelssohn, the composer who organised the first hearing of the St Matthew Passion in Leipzig in 1829, almost 80 years after Bach’s death.

PROGRAMME

Felix Mendelssohn

Symphony No 4 in A major, Op. 90 “Italian”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21, Op. 61

Soprano Flore van Meerssche

Mezzosoprano Diana Haller

La Capella Nacional de Catalunya

Lluís Vilamajó, vocal ensamble coach

Le Concert des Nations

Concertino Lina Tur Bonet

Conductor Jordi Savall

With the support of the Culture Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Co-financed by the European Union. With the generous support of Aline Foriel-Destezet. With the financial support of the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Occitanie.

OCTOBER 2023

Friday 6 19.30 h

Turn E From 10 to 145 €

Approximate running time: 2 h

ALICIA DE LARROCHA TRIBUTE CONCERT

With seven performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (from 1939 to 2009), Alicia de Larrocha was, without a doubt, our country’s grand dame of the keyboard in the world. Respected and admired on all five continents, she was a true legend. Having passed away in 2009, this pianist from Barcelona would have celebrated her 100th birthday in 2023.

A precocious pianist who began studying at the age of three and gave her first concert at the age of six, she has been the empress of Falla, Granados, Mompou and Albéniz, among others. A regular collaborator with legendary conductors such as Dutoit, Previn, Davis, Suelte, Mehta, Chailly, Abbado, Argenta and Jochum, De Larrocha fascinated with her absolute mastery of the piano.

Under the guidance of Josep Pons, with whom she worked, the Gran Teatre del Liceu wants to join all the musical and cultural institutions that are celebrating her art this year.

The work presents Beethoven's Emperor Concerto at the hands of Javier Perianes, heir to this international space of national piano

OCTOBER 2023

Sunday 15 17 h Turn T From 10 to 145 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 50 min

virtuosity. A prince of the keyboard, he will pay this well-deserved tribute to the great Alicia.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 completes the programme: a favourite score of the general public (always more attentive to the odd-numbered symphonies), it conveys a feeling of spontaneity. The Bonn composer himself referred to it as ‘one of my best works’, while Richard Wagner, due to its joyful rhythms, called it the apotheosis of dance

A perfect programme which, centred on two Beethovenian titans, will fill our minds with memories of a universal pianist who will live forever.

PROGRAMME

Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano concert No. 5, in E-Flat major, op. 73, “Emperor”

Symphony No. 7, in A major, op.92

Piano Javier Perianes

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conductor Josep Pons

FROM 28 OCT TO 08 NOV 2023—

ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

JOHN ADAMS

OPERA IN TWO ACTS

Libretto by John Adams based on Shakespeare’s homonymous work with Plutarch, Virgil and other classical texts passages

World premiere: 10/09/2022 at San Francisco Opera

Liceu premiere

Elkhanah Pulitzer

Stage director

Lucia Scheckner

Dramaturgy

Mimi Lien

Set design

Constance Hoffman

Costume design

David Finn

Lighting

Mark Grey

Sound

Bill Morrison

Video

San Francisco Opera Production

Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Pablo Assante, conductor

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

John Adams

Conductor

CLEOPATRA

Julia Bullock

ANTONY

Gerald Finley

CAESAR

Paul Appleby

ENOBARBUS

Alfred Walker

OCTAVIA

Elizabeth DeShong

EROS

Brenton Ryan

CHARMIAN

Adriana Bignani Lesca

AGRIPPA

Äneas Humm

MAECENAS

Toni Marsol

IRAS

Marta Infante

SCARUS

Milan Perišić

LEPIDUS

Guillem Batllori

ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

She was his queen. He was her undoing.

This two-act opera, commissioned for the centennial of the San Francisco Opera, is a co-commission and co-production with the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. With a libretto adapted by the composer himself from Shakespeare’s tragedy, composer John Adams, director Elkhanah Pulitzer and playwright Lucia Scheckner combine the mythic image of antiquity with the glamour of 1930s Hollywood.

Of all Shakespeare’s plays, Antony and Cleopatra is the only one that merges a love drama, a power drama and comedy in a single play. A highly ambitious creation about the archetypal love affair between the two protagonists, as well as geo-strategy in the midst of the decline of the Ancient Republic and rise of the Roman Empire (personified by the young Octavian (Augustus) Caesar). The resonance with today’s world of declining democratic values and shifting international loyalties is provocative and very timely.

Cleopatra (Julia Bullock) is the most psychologically textured character of all the Shakespearean female roles. Her extraordinary human qualities are expressed throughout the play: narcissism, intelligence, capacity for seduction and eroticism, ethical ambivalence, military bravery, indulgence and, ultimately, her true capacity to love. However, in her love game with Antony (Gerald Finley), she reveals

real human vulnerability that transcends her self-control. Immersed in a conflict: her love for Antony and the struggle to remain in power; when she realises her defeat, full of scars impossible to erase, she chooses suicide over the humiliation of being brought back to Rome as a trophy of Caesar’s (Paul Appelby) military triumph.

The action takes place in approximately 3130 BC and alternates between two locations: Alexandria and Rome, although the production employs a variety of devices to connect the audience to the contemporary world. Through this journey, we witness the transformation of two god-like figures, Cleopatra/ Isis and Antony/Hercules, into real lovers in all their fragility, intimacy and uncertainty. He was a Roman general; she was an Egyptian queen. Their passion would redefine the world order.

GERALD FINLEY

Bass-baritone. He began singing in Ottawa (Canada) and furthered his musical studies at the Royal College of Music in London, King's College Cambridge and the National Opera Studio. His recent engagements include the world premieres of Anthony & Cleopatra in San Francisco and his role as the Count of Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Opéra national de Paris. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

JULIA BULLOCK

Soprano. Born in St Louis, Missouri, she entered the young artists programme of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She furthered her training at the Eastman School of Music, completed a master's degree in vocal arts at Bard College and graduated from the Julliard School in New York. Recent engagements include John Adams' Doctor Atomic in Santa Fe and Purcell's The Indian Queen at the English National Opera in London, Teatro Real in Madrid and the Perm Opera, among others. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

PAUL APPELBY

Tenor. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Lindemann Young Artist Program at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he has sung roles as David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) and Grimoaldo (Rodelinda). Recent engagements include his debut at the Opéra de Lyon in the production of Candide He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2018/2019 season with Candide

JOHN ADAMS

Composer, orchestra conductor and creative thinker. His works stand out among contemporary classical compositions for their depth of expression and the profoundly humanistic nature of their themes. He has conducted the world's leading orchestras, programming his own works. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

ORLANDO PALADINO

JOSEPH HAYDN (1732 – 1809)

OPERA IN THREE ACTS

Libretto by Nunziato Porta based on Carlo Francesco

Badini’s libretto Le pazzie d’Orlando, inspired by Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso

World premiere: 6/12/1782 at the Palace Theatre of Eszterháza (Hungary)

Liceu premiere

OCTOBER 2023

Sunday 29 17 h

Turn T From 10 to 271 €

Approximate running time: 2h 30 min

ORLANDO

Alasdair Kent

ANGELICA

Emőke Baráth

MEDORO

Josh Lovell

ALCINA

Núria Rial

RODOMONTE/CARONTE

Renato Dolcini

LICONE/PASQUALE

Krystian Adam

EURILLA

Silvia Frigato

Il Giardino Armonico

Giovanni Antonini

Conductor

ORLANDO PALADINO

CONCERT VERSION

With more than a dozen operas, Haydn, one of the fundamental composers in the history of music, has been practically absent from the programming of opera houses. In this case, Giovanni Antonini, who is recording the complete works of Haydn, will immerse us in Orlando paladino, an opera in three acts, which was the composer’s most important operatic success.

Sometimes missteps lead to masterpieces. When Grand Duke Paul of Russia and his wife announce their arrival at the palace of Esterháza, Prince Esterházy commissions an opera from his official composer, Franz Joseph Haydn, to lavishly welcome their guests. But the princely couple decided on a different itinerary. This semi-parody is based on Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando furioso, which also shaped the eponymous score by Lully (Roland), Vivaldi (Orlando furioso) and Händel (Alcina). The plot of

dramma eroicomico centres on a noble couple –Angelica, Queen of Cathay, and her lover Medoro – who flee to a remote castle to escape Orlando, Paladin of France, who is madly in love with Angelica. Angelica asks the magician Alcina for help.

As might be expected, the music to unify the dramatic action of epic adventure and love games is inspired, clear, witty, robust and always inventive; its mixture of chivalrous, supernatural elements combined with the farce itself anticipates Mozart’s own Don Giovanni Haydn merges pathos and irony, sincere sentiment with parody, heroes with cowardice and madness with calm, thus confusing listeners, who can no longer distinguish the good guys from the bad. A miracle that makes Orlando paladino one of the finest operas of the 18th century.

EMŐKE BARÁTH

Soprano. She began her musical training studying piano and harp. She began singing at the age of 18 with József Hormai and Katalin

Szőke and later with Júlia Pászthy at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. Recent projects include two recordings with Philippe Jaroussky. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

JOSH LOVELL

Tenor. He was the winner of the 39th Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition and a member of the Wiener Staatsoper ensemble. His engagements for this season include his debut at the Teatre alla Scala in Milan as Ferdinand (The Tempest) by Thomas Adès. He has recently substituted for a colleague in Der Rosenkavalier at the Bayerische Staatsoper. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

NÚRIA RIAL

Soprano. With a career centred on concerts and records (she has released more than 30 albums and is an exclusive SONY artist), her interests also include contemporary music, jazz or flamenco fusion and opera. Trained in Basel with Kurt Widmar, she regularly performs at festivals in Salzburg, Lucerne and Leipzig. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

GIOVANNI ANTONINI

Conductor. Born in Milan, he studied at the Civica Scuola di Musica and at the Centre de Musique Ancienne in Geneva. He is a founding member of the baroque ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, which he has conducted since 1989. He has performed as a conductor and soloist on recorder and baroque flute with this ensemble. He is artistic director of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Poland and principal guest conductor of the Mozarteum Orchester and Kammerorchester Basel. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

LA COMMEDIA È (IN)FINITA

AT THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

La commedia è (in)finita is a show with which we will travel to Zurich, New York, Madrid, Naples, the Canary Islands, Barcelona, Vienna, Michigan… And during the journey we will discover, among other things, the intimacy of an opera house dressing room; we will take part in a casting; we will attend an opera performance; we will experience a snowstorm; and we will share a table in a restaurant.

Guided by Ramon Gener and accompanied by the melodies of composers such as Tosti, Rossini, Paisiello, Cimarosa, Donizetti, Martín i Soler and many other magnificent travelling companions, we will journey through the life and artistic adventures of Carlos Chausson, internationally renowned buffo bass, in an intense, peculiar, surprising and very moving farewell recital.

For the very first time, Carlos Chausson and Ramon Gener together on the stage. Two losers who have triumphed or two winners who have failed? Together in an apparently conventional recital, in which Carlos Chausson's best operatic roles are intermingled with hits from pop music and musicals, these two great friends bare their souls to the audien-

ce, telling everything they dreamed of being and how life led them down a different path. A fascinating journey full of surprises for the audience and emotions for the protagonists, under the guidance of stage director Joan Font.

Arias and musical excerpts by composers ranging from Rossini, Donizetti, Offenbach and Mozart to The Beatles and Frank Sinatra, to name just a few.

Bass Carlos Chausson

Popularizer, baritone, actor Ramon Gener

Piano Ignacio Aparisi

Joan Font

Stage director

Piti Español

Script

Jordi Bulbena

Set design

Alejandro Koviakov

Video

NOVEMBER 2023

Friday 3 19.30 h 28 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 30 min

VICTORIA DE LOS ÁNGELES CENTENARY GALA EVENING

The Barcelona soprano Victoria de los Ángeles would have turned 100 years old in 2023. A centenary that serves as a reminder of the enormous mark she left on the world of opera.

With a very early vocation and studies at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu, she won the Geneva Competition, and her international career soared very quickly in opera houses such as Paris Opera, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Bayreuth Festival...

She made her debut at the Liceu in 1945 as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, followed by great successes.

This gala, which includes some of the most renowned and outstanding figures from the operatic scene, revisits the core repertoire of the undisputed soprano with a stage design by Vincent Huguet, who will present, on stage, costumes worn by Victoria herself.

This gala curated by Marc Busquets, artistic director of LIFE Victoria Barcelona, is the perfect occasion to pay tribute to one of Barcelona's most universal citizens: <<Above you, only the flowers>>.

Maria Agresta

Louise Alder

Dame Sarah Connolly

Joyce DiDonato

Juliana Grigoryan

Sabina Puértolas

Fatma Said

Anne Schwanewilms

Nadine Sierra

Iréne Theorin

Marina Viotti

Piano Julius Drake

Vincent Huguet

Stage direction and concept Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conductor Lucas Macías

FROM 26 NOV TO 16 DEC 2023 —

TURANDOT

GIACOMO PUCCINI

(1858 – 1924)

DRAMMA LIRICO IN THREE ACTS

Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni

Last duo and final scene by Franco Alfano

World premiere: 25/4/1926 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan

Barcelona premiere: 30/12/1928 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Last Liceu performance: 25/10/2019

Total number of Liceu performances: 86

Núria Espert

Stage director

Bárbara Lluch

This version

Ezio Frigerio

Set design

Marco Berriel

Choreography

Franca Squarciapino

Costume design

Vinicio Cheli Lighting

Gran Teatre del Liceu, Asociación Bilbaína de Amigos de la Opera (ABAO)

Production

Cor Infantil de l'Orfeó Català

Glòria Coma, conductor

Coro del Gran Teatre del Liceu Pablo Assante, conductor

Orquesta Sinfónica del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Diego García Rodríguez (13, 14, 15 and 16 de Dec.)

Conductor

Alondra de la Parra (26, 28, 29, 30 Nov. and 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Dec.)

Conductor

Wednesday13

Thursday14

Friday15

Saturday16

Approximate running time: 2 h 40 min

(*) Function with audio description

PRINCESS TURANDOT

Elena Pankratova

(26, 29 Nov. and 2, 4, 9, 11, 14, 16 Dec.)

Ekaterina Semenchuk

(28, 30 Nov. and 3, 5, 10, 13, 15 Dec.)

THE EMPEROR ALTOUM

Siegfried Jerusalem

(26, 29 Nov. and 2, 4, 9, 11, 14, 16 Dec.)

Raúl Giménez

(28, 30 Nov. and 3, 5, 10, 13, 15 Dec.)

TIMUR

Marko Mimica

(26, 29 Nov. and 2, 4, 9, 11, 14, 16 Dec.)

Adam Palka

(28, 30 Nov. and 3, 5, 10, 13, 15 Dec. )

THE UNKNOWN PRINCE, CALAF

Michael Fabiano

(26, 29 Nov. and 2, 4, 9, 11, 14, 16 Dec.)

Martin Muehle

(28, 30 Nov. and 3, 5, 10, 13, 15 Dec. )

LIÙ

Nadine Sierra

(26, 29 Nov. and 2, 4, 9, 14, 16 Dec.)

Maria Agresta

(28, 30 Nov. and 5, 10, 13, 15 Dec.)

Marta Mathéu (3 and 11 Dec.)

PING

Manel Esteve

PANG

Moisés Marín

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION LICEU+ LIVE

DECEMBER 2023

Saturday2* 19.00 hLIVE20 €

TURANDOT

“Amor! O sole! Vita! Eternità! Luce del mondo è amore! Ride e canta nel sole l’infinita nostra felicità!”

Turandot (Act III, Finale)

an oath: she can only marry the man of royal blood who solves three riddles that she herself will dictate. Whoever fails will die. The rules and tyranny of a woman who is incapable of love, who refuses to become human, instead preferring to be an institution and who imposes a surveillance state in which men are sacrificed.

A monumental, evocative and orientalist scenography with an extremely harsh and oppressive setting, full of beauty and formal balance, heighten the epic poetry of the story.

Puccini was unable to finish the third act of the score. He died in 1924 in Brussels before he could finish the final duet and it was his assistant, Franco Alfano, who completed the score. The first performance of the piece at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1926 was a kind of requiem for Puccini. Arturo Toscanini conducted the work until the last notes Puccini wrote and then lowered the baton saying: “This is the end of the master’s work. After that, he died.”

Despite the cruelty of its plot, Turandot has earned a pre-eminent place in the canon of the universal repertoire and also in the hearts of audiences around the world. With a brilliant and unprecedented score, Puccini portrays the soulless, cold and implacable princess pitted against the man determined to win her at all costs.

The Liceu revives the production that re-opened the theatre after the catastrophic fire of 1994. Created by Núria Espert, the opera is set in the imperial city of Beijing, where Princess Turandot protects her virginity under

Alfano’s ending has become the norm in opera houses all over the world, but it is precisely in this dramaturgical vagueness where Espert puts his seal: an unravelling based on the sublimity and rituals of the Chinese court where Turandot, after recognising that love dominates and weakens her, prefers to kill herself rather than flee abroad. Too many irreparable cracks inside her heart next to a prince with a hero’s thirst who dreams exclaiming “Vincerò” (I will be victorious).

ELENA PANKRATOVA

Soprano. She trained as a pianist, choir conductor and music teacher. She made her name in Florence playing the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten. She has sung in theatres such as the Teatro Real in Madrid, The Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Mariinsky Theatre in Sant Petersburg and the Wiener Staatsoper. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2019/2020 season with Cavalleria rusticana

MICHAEL FABIANO

Tenor. In 2014, he received the Beverly Sills and Richard Tucker Awards, the first singer to receive both awards in the same year. Recent engagements include his participation in the San Francisco Opera's Opera Ball and Opera in the Park. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2021/2022 season in the 175th Anniversary Concert and has returned with Tosca (2022/23).

NADINE SIERRA

Soprano. In 2017, she won the Richard Tucker Competition and in 2018 the Beverly Sills Artist Award from The Metropolitan Opera of New York. Throughout her career, she has sung in theatres such as the Staatsoper Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim, The Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, among others. She will make her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2020/2021 season with Lucia di Lammermoor.

NÚRIA ESPERT

Stage director. Throughout her career, she has worked as an actress, director and cultural manager. She got her start in the world of stage direction in 1986, and since then, in the opera she has directed titles such as Madama Butterfly, Elektra, Rigoletto and Tosca. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 1989/1990 season with Elektra

MÉDÉE

Concert Version

MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER (1643 – 1704)

OPERA IN A PROLOGUE AND FIVE ACTS

Libretto by Thomas Corneille based on Euripides’ homonymous tragedy

World premiere: 04/12/1693 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris

Liceu premiere

NOVEMBER 2023

Monday 27 19.30 h Turn A From 10 to 286 €

Approximate running time: 3h 30 min

MÉDÉE Magdalena Kožená

JASON

Reinoud van Mechelen

CRÉON

Luca Tittoto

CRÉÜSE Carolyn Sampson

ORONTE Gyula Orendt

CLEONE

Angela Hicks

Freiburger Barockorchester

Sir Simon Rattle Conductor

Tragedie mise en musique in five acts and a prologue from a libretto by Thomas Corneille was the first opera based on this fascinating mythological character: Medea. Lully had the privilege of being the composer of court operas, and Charpentier was therefore devoted to pastoral compositions and religious music. At the age of 50 he was able to write his Medée The timid public reception in Paris made the composer shun other attempts in this genre, and so it remained his only opera: the composer’s crowning achievement and testament.

First performed at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris on 4 December 1693, it has a richness of music and dramatic force that is all-consuming. Its plot tells a tale of betrayal, myth, rage and sorcery in which Medea, abandoned by her husband Jason, will use her magic for a terrible revenge, poisoning her rival Créuse and killing her own children in order to destroy her husband Jason’s happiness. He will survive to prolong his suffering. An example of vicarious violence, faced with the impossibility of finding a new path. A pathology born of an infinity of cracks that are impossible to overcome.

The work needs a protagonist who is a character beyond measure. In this case, Magdalena Kožená will be entrusted with the role of Medée; accompanied by the sensitive and extraordinary Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Freiburger Barockorchester.

MÉDÉE CONCERT VERSION

Possessing a first-rate tragic talent, comfortable in French prosody, the Czech singer will offer a multi-faceted portrait of Médée: from the pain of Jason’s abandonment to humiliation, passing through madness and her murderous fury. Voice, gaze and gesture aligned in an intense performance in Charpentier’s first at the Liceu.

“Adieu, Jason, j’ay remply ma vengeance. Voyant Corinthe en feu, ses Palais embrasez, pleure à jamais les maux que ta flâme a causez”

—Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704), Médée (Act V, Scene 8)

SIR SIMON RATTLE

Conductor. Born in Liverpool, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Between 1980 and 1998, he was Principal Conductor and Artistic Assistant of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, where he was appointed Principal Conductor in 1990. In the 2023/24 season, he will serve as the Principal Conductor of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in Munich. He is also Principal Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and founding patron of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2021/2022 season with the recital Magdalena Kožená, Sir Simon Rattle & Friends

MAGDALENA KOŽENÁ

Mezzo-soprano. She studied voice and piano at the Brno Conservatory and with Eva Bláhová at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. She has worked with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Roger Norrington. In 2003, she made her debut at The Metropolitan Opera in New York as Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) and has since returned on countless occasions. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with a Vivaldi Concerto in the 2009/2010 season and has returned with the concert Amor entre el Cel i l'Infern (2017/18) and the recital Magdalena Kožená, Sir Simon Rattle & Friends (2021/22).

CAROLYN SAMPSON

Soprano. She works as a concert and opera singer on stages in the UK, Europe and the USA. Her operatic repertoire includes roles such as Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and the title role in Semele, both operas performed at the English National Opera in London. She has also sung the title role in the Lully opera Psyché at the Boston Early Music Festival She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2002/2003 season in The Fairy Queen.

REINOUD VAN MECHELEN

Tenor. He graduated in voice from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Dina Grossberger's class in 2012. In 2017, he was awarded the Caecilia prize as young musician of the year by the Belgian music press union. In 2007, he joined the European Baroque Academy (France) directed by Hervé Niquet. In 2011, he became a member of William Christie and Paul Agnew's Jardin des Voix and subsequently a soloist with Les Arts Florissants. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

EL CONTE DE NADAL DE CHARLES DICKENS

ALBERT GUINOVART

AChristmas Carol by Charles Dickens, published originally in English in 1843, narrates the story of a stingy and selfish man with apparently permanent scars (Mr Ebenezer Scrooge) and his surprising turnaround after a series of visits from ghosts over the course of Christmas Eve. Written at the height of the Victorian era with a melancholic feeling about the past, Christmas and the values of sticking together against coveting, it enjoyed widespread popularity.

With the idea of revealing the nuances of Dickens’ magisterial text, Albert Guinovart gives us an extremely beautiful and sensitive score, full of contrasts. Music at the service of the words spoken by all the characters in the story.

Accompanying the musical action, the sand drawings of Borja González (Ytuquepintas Company) imbue the show with even greater poetry. On a handcrafted light table, in total synchrony with the music and the text, he models the illustrations with sand to evoke the different scenes and the different characters in the story.

VEUS – Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió, together with the Gran Teatre del Liceu Orchestra, come together to showcase a Christmas classic: art, delicacy and precision!

Music and piano

Albert Guinovart

Text adapter and set coordinator

David Pintó

Soloists

Ana San Martín

Albert Mora

Sand art performer

Borja Gonzalez (Cia. Ytuquepintas)

VEUS – Cor infantil Amics de la Unió

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

With the participation of musicians from the Conservatori del Liceu

Conductor Josep Vila Jover

DECEMBER 2023

Saturday 16 11.30 h

From 10 to 29 €

Sunday 17 11.30 h From 10 to 29 €

Approximate running time: : 1 h 10 min

Guardeu-me les espines de roses ja finides al crepuscle: la nova flor que me’n faré es dessagna en dia sense llum; no haurà vist l’alba ni la verda calma dels boscos umbel·lats, però tindrà el besllum de joia germinada dins la mort.

Renúncia es dirà aquesta flor ja ungida en els umbracles: del tast del temps, la mà l’haurà arrencada amb un tallant de cel; i si voleu jardí de tanta alçada, mil vols passar d’un vol, a la vida doneu el vostre preu amb l’ànima callada.

SONDRA RADVANOVSKY RECITAL

The world of opera gives us incredible memories that we often carry with us for the rest of our lives. If they are shared with the rest of the audience, they become legendary and may even be passed on from generation to generation. Admittedly, this power is only within the reach of a few genres.

With Sondra Radvanovsky, one of the world's most celebrated and beloved sopranos, we stand in awe of her powerful and expressive voice, with extreme spirit and dedication. Dramatic and captivating, Radvanovsky is an unfailingly wonderful performer, with a wide range of roles, who continues to add new pieces each season.

«An ‘essential artist’ or ‘one of opera’s greatest singer-actresses’ according to the New York Times, for the Liceu she is the current queen of the stage. Aficionados of vocals will never forget her moving performances at the Rambla coliseum, with a sumptuous gallery that ranges from Aida to Tosca to Norma, Maddalena di Coigny and Luisa Miller.

Accompanied by Anthony Manoli on piano, she will come to the Gran Teatre del Liceu to serve up intense musical emotions with a bouquet of arias and lieder in which she will reveal the extremes of an unforgettable voice.

DECEMBER 2023

Monday 18 19.30 h Turn AFrom 10 to 187 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 20 min

Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky

Piano Anthony Manoli

PROGRAMME

Henry Purcell

“When I am laid” (Dido and Aeneas)

Georg Friedrich Händel

“Piangerò la sorte mia” (Giulio Cesare)

Henri Duparc

“Chanson triste”

“Extase”

“Au pays où se fait la guerre”

Franz Liszt

“Tre sonetti di Petrarca”

Richard Strauss

“Allerseelen”, op. 10, No. 8

“Befreit”, op. 39, No. 4

“Morgen!”, op. 27, No. 4

“Heimliche Aufforderung”, op. 27, No. 3

Giuseppe Verdi

“In solitaria stanza”

“Stornello”

Vincenzo Bellini

“La Ricordanza” (Composizioni da Camera)

Stefano Donaudy

“O del mio amato ben”

Jake Heggie

“If I Had Known

Umberto Giordano

“La mamma morta” (Andrea Chénier)

KAFKAFRAGMENTE GYÖRGY

KURTÁG IN THE FOYER AT THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

Of today's composers, none is more to the point than Hungarian György Kurtág. With his own highly original aesthetic, his Kafka-Fragmente, written between 6 July 1985 and 9 March 1987, stand out as one of the great lieder cycles. With a duration of 60 minutes, 40 miniatures are grouped into four sections that gravitate round a main motif: the search for a path in the labyrinth of existence.

Written from excerpts from a diary, letters and a posthumous text by the author of the process, the Kafka-Fragmente are presented as an intimate confession without a narrative thread. Kurtág has entrusted a soprano and a violin soloist with this fascinating kaleidoscope of emotional landscapes in which humour, sensuality, desire, tenderness... all come to the fore. A rare opportunity to bring Isabelle Faust and Anna Prohaska together on stage, both at the peak of their careers.

Author of a single opera, Fin de partie, premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (2018) and written from a play by Samuel Beckett, in his Kafka-Fragmente Kurtág pushes the performers to the limit of their interpretative and expressive possibilities. The soprano must bring nuance to all facets of her art, while the violinist must search for colours and textures ranging from stridency to sweetness. Each morceau becomes a cosmos of human emotions and inner states that oscillates between joy and hope, passing through the awareness of living with the certainty of death, humour, irony... an imaginary theatre of existential fragility on the essence of human beings.

DECEMBER 2023

Tuesday 19 19.30 h 35 €

Approximate running time: 1 h

FROM 03 TO 17 JAN 2024—

CARMEN

GEORGES BIZET

(1838 – 1875)

OPÉRA COMIQUE IN FOUR ACTS

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on Prosper Mérimée’s novel

World premiere: 3/3/1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris

Barcelona premiere: 2/8/1881 at the Teatre Líric Last Liceu performance: 2/5/2015

Total number of Liceu performances: 229

Calixto Bieito

Stage director

Alfons Flores

Set design

Albert Estany

This version

Mercè Paloma

Costume design

Alberto Rodríguez Vega

Lighting

Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro de la Fenice de Venecia, Teatro Massimo de Palermo, Teatro Regio de Turín

Production

Cor infantil - VEUS Amics de la Unió

Josep Vila i Jover, conductor

Coro del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pablo Assante, conductor

Orquesta Sinfónica del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Josep Pons

Conductor

ZUNIGA

Felipe Bou

MORALÈS

Toni Marsol

DON JOSÉ

Charles Castronovo

(4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17 January)

Leonardo Capalbo

(3, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16 January)

ESCAMILLO

Simón Orfila

(4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17 January)

Eric Greene

(3, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16 January)

DANCAÏRE

Jan Antem

REMENDADO

Antonio Lozano

LILLAS PASTIA

Abdel Aziz El Mountassir

FRASQUITA

Jasmine Habersham

MERCÉDÈS

Laura Vila

CARMEN

Clémentine Margaine

(4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17 January)

Varduhi Abrahamyan

(3, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16 January)

MICAËLA

Adriana González (4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17 January)

Jeanine de Bique (3, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16 January)

CARMEN

Despite the failure of its premiere on 3 March 1875 at the Opéra-Comique, Georges Bizet would die three months later, never suspecting that his score would become one of the most beloved in the world.

The literary model for the opera, a novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée, depicts Carmen as a morally depraved person who unscrupulously exploits men for her own ends. Georges Bizet and his librettists, on the other hand, transformed the main character into an immortal persona because of her untamed freedom, marked by fatality: a fascinating cigarette-maker whom men find attractive precisely because she refuses to accept traditional norms. Her dazzling, non-conformist personality is reflected in the habanera, “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (Love is a Rebellious Bird), a dance of Afro-American origin; powerful yet tender.

A production in which Bieito made his operatic debut at the distant 1999 Peralada Festival has become mythical. In this piece, freedom is non-negotiable and absolute and Carmen preserves her deeply Iberian edges and fiery temperament. This rebel is a wholly contemporary creature. Temptress and indulgent, she lives by an urgent desire to live fully.

It is a story full of misunderstandings: love is confused with desire, an affair with an exclusive relationship, affection with possession and violence with passion. But the highest price in this web of dysfunctional relationships is paid by Carmen, a woman who loves her independence. The heroine challenges Don José at the end of the opera; she lives intensely on a knife edge.

«Jamais Carmen ne cédera: libre elle est née, et libre elle mourra».

Carmen (Final Duet, Act III)

Clémentine Margaine plays the lead, while Charles Castronovo reveals the wounds and desperate cracks of the soldier Don José. The figure of Micaëla, sung by Adriana González, who did not exist in the literary version, is the counter-figure of Carmen. Who better than Josep Pons, the theatre’s senior conductor and a specialist in French music, to unravel the eroticism of its unforgettable melodies?

CLÉMENTINE MARGAINE

Mezzo-soprano. Trained at the Paris Conservatoire, she was a member of the Ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she sang the title role in works such as Carmen, one of her most emblematic roles, and Samson et Dalila. This allowed her to discover the role of Carmen, one of her most emblematic characters. Since then, she has sung in the most important opera houses in the world. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2017/2018 season with La favorite and returned with Aida (2019/20).

CHARLES CASTRONOVO

Tenor. Born in New York, he began his career as a resident singer at LA Opera in Los Angeles. He then joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera in New York and in 1999 made his New York opera debut as Beppe (Pagliacci) opposite Plácido Domingo. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2014/15 season with La traviata.

SIMÓN ORFILA

Bass. He began his musical studies at the Conservatorio de Menorca and later at the Escuela Reina Sofia in Madrid with Alfredo Kraus. His repertoire includes titles such as Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Norma, Anna Bolena, L’elisir d’amore, Maria Stuarda, Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Pasquale and La favorita. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 1998/99 season with Norma and has returned with I Capuleti e i Montecchi (2015/16), Don Giovanni (2016/17), L'italiana in Algeri (2018/19) and Macbeth (2022/23).

JEANINE DE BIQUE

Soprano. She has recently sung roles such as Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) and Alcina at the Opéra national de Paris, Anaïde (Moïse et Pharaon) at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Poppea (L'incoronazione di Poppea) at the Budapest Festival and Folie (Platée) at the Theater an der Wien. She has worked with master conductors like Gustavo Dudamel, Lorin Maazel and William Christie. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2020/21 season with the concert version of Platée

Les mans eren de vidre

Les mans eren de vidre: qui podia trencar-les?

Pel glaç d’ordides llàgrimes els dits van perdre els gestos i arrels que no esperaven llavor de la sequera en l’aigua erta amaren.

Nua creixença altiva de pluja inconfessada que de les mans venia.

—Susanna Rafart, La llum constant (2013)

LISE DAVIDSEN & FREDDIE DE TOMMASO RECITAL

This exciting duo, with soprano Lise Davidsen and tenor Freddie De Tommaso, will give us a thrilling recital featuring a series of important Arias in the first part, before firing up the romance in a second part with lighter music. After Wagner, Verdi and an array of Verist composers, we touch down on Neapolitan canzone, 19th century salon songs and highlights from the musical and operetta.

Beloved at the world's finest opera houses by one and all, they appear at the Liceu together to amplify the appeal of the work even more.

Davidsen, who has already shone as a voice as bright as silver in the sunlight, and who, moreover, was named best female singer of the year at the International Opera Awards, will sing alongside De Tommaso, promising to bring the house down with her luminous singing. Two voices with the sweetness of the future that will make the audience's eyes sparkle in the Teatre.

Soprano Lise Davidsen

Tenor Freddie De Tommaso

Piano James Baillieu

PROGRAMME

Richard Wagner

“Dich teure Halle” (Tannhäuser)

Giuseppe Verdi

“La mia letizia infondere” (I Lombardi)

“Teco io sto” (Un ballo in maschera)

“Morrò, ma prima in grazia” (Un ballo in maschera)

“Cielo pietoso rendila” (Simon Boccanegra)

“Ave Maria” (Otello)

Umberto Giordano

“Amor ti vieta” (Fedora)

Giacomo Puccini

“Vissì d’arte” (Tosca)

Francesco Cilèa

“Lamento di Federico” (L’arlesiana)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

“Uz polnoch’ blizitsya” (Pikovaia dama)

“Akh! Istomilas ya gorem” (Pikovaia dama)

Ernest Charles

“When I have sung my songs to you”

Landon Ronald

“O Lovely Night”

Francesco Paolo Tosti

“L’alba separa dalla luce l’ombra”

“Non t’amo più”

“Ideale”

Salvatore Cardillo

“Core N’grato”

Frederick Loewe

“I could have danced all night” (My Fair Lady)

Franz Lehár

“Lippen Schweigen” (Die lustige Witwe)

JANUARY 2024

Thursday 11 19.30 h Turn BFrom 10 to 187 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 40 min

LA CUINA DE ROSSINI

Rossini is one of the greatest composers of all times. His legendary facility to compose and his creative genius are unparalleled. Legend has it that even though he was a celebrity, when he heard Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, he stopped writing music.

With the aim of bringing the persona and work of Rossini to all audiences, the Gran Teatre del Liceu has created a show about two young friends, Ross and Isabella, who embark on a journey of friendship and discovery, delving into a fascinating world that will lead them to the operas of the musical genius from Pesaro.

Gioachino Rossini

Music

David Selvas / La Brutal

Stage director

Andreu Gallén

Arrangements and conduction

Sergi Pompermayer

Dramaturgy

Alejandro Andújar

Set design

Norbert Martínez

Director assistant

Maria Armengol

Costume design

Marc Salicrú

Lighting

Joan Rodon y Emilio Valenzuela (dLux.pro)

Video artist

Coaner Codina

Illustrations

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Production

Ensemble Conservatori Liceu

JANUARY 2024

Saturday 13 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Sunday 14* 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 15 min

* “Friendly performance” for those with attention deficit disorder and/ or autism, with the support of AENA.

Andreu Gallén

Conductor

TENOR VIÑAS CONTEST

61st EDITION OF THE CONTEST

Tenor Francisco Viñas had always wanted to set up a non-profit organization to assist young singers starting their careers and having the same difficulties he had once as well. His project was brought to fruition by Dr. Jacint Vilardell, who founded the Tenor Viñas International Singing Contest in 1963. Including the competition in it's normal activity, the Gran Teatre del Liceu has the cooperation of some of the world's leading opera houses. Over 15.000 singers have taken part in the sixty editions held to date, and many of them have been, or still are, outstanding figures in the international opera world.

Thinking of the upcoming 61st Contest, we are confident that the outcome will be as positive as ever.

Co-organiser theaters

Metropolitan Opera House, New York

National Centre for the Performing Arts of China, Beijing

Opéra national de Paris

Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London

Teatro alla Scala, Milano

Teatro Real, Madrid

Collaborating

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Los Angeles Opera

San Francisco Opera

Staatsoper Berlin

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conductor Ricardo Casero

JANUARY 2024

FINAL TEST

Friday 19 15 h From 10 to 15 €

FINAL CONCERT

Sunday 21 18 h From 10 to 29 €

FROM 07 TO 20 FEB 2024—

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA

GIUSEPPE VERDI

(1813 – 1901)

MELODRAMMA IN THREE ACTS

Libretto by Antonio Somma

World premiere: 17/2/1859 at the Teatro Apollo in Roma

Barcelona premiere: 31/1/1861 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Last Liceu performance: 29/10/2017

Total number of Liceu performances: 167

RICCARDO

Freddie De Tommaso (9, 11, 14, 17 and 20 Feb.)

Arturo Chacón-Cruz (7, 10, 12, 15 and 18 Feb..)

RENATO

Artur Ruciński (9, 11, 14, 17 and 20 Feb.)

Ernesto Petti (7, 10, 12, 15 and 18 Feb.)

AMELIA Anna Pirozzi (9, 11, 14, 17 and 20 Feb.)

Saioa Hernández (7, 10, 12, 15 and 18 Feb..)

ULRICA

Daniela Barcellona (9, 11, 14, 17 and 20 Feb.)

Okka von der Damerau (7, 10, 12, 15 and 18 Feb.)

OSCAR Sara Blanch (9, 11, 14, 17 and 20 Feb.)

Jodie Devos (7, 10, 12, 15 and 18 Feb.)

SILVANO David Oller

SAMUEL Valeriano Lanchas TOM Luis López Navarro

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA

“In the confusion of masks, the blow can only be fatal; it will be a funeral dance with pale beauties”

Un ballo in maschera (Act III, Scene 4Samuel and Tom)

By the time Verdi wrote Un ballo in maschera, he was already enjoying considerable success due to the popularity of the numerous works he had written, including: Nabucco (1842) Macbeth (1847), Rigoletto (1851), Il trovatore (1853) and La traviata (1853). In this position he only aspired to find new and daring musical themes based on a powerful story, in this case the assassination of the King of Sweden, Gustav III, in 1792, during a masked ball.

Envy and conspiracies, mixed with amorous passions, politics, jealousy, revenge and final forgiveness come together in Verdi’s masterpiece. In Naples, the opera aroused the wrath and prohibitions of censors: a king could not be murdered on stage, and there were difficulties in showing scenes of witchcraft, infidelity had to be met with remorse and the conspirators had to hate the duke for hereditary reasons... so the composer was forced to make major adaptations and to transfer the plot from Sweden to late 17th century Boston.

Graham Vick’s elegant production is well suited to Verdi’s thrilling drama. Recovering the version of the premiere in Rome itself, with the plot set in Sweden and without censorship, this Ballo breaks with traditional codes. A set design built from a semicircular screen that surrounds the background, with a premonitory tomb that presides over the stage are the

basis to explain the tragic destiny in which the sufferings of the main characters are shown. A suggestive space and impeccable acting work that captures the power of desire and underlines with expressive strength and coherence this postmortem production by Vick for the Teatro Regio in Parma; a universe of chiaroscuro in which monumental ensembles are combined with shots of enormous intimacy.

Freddie De Tommaso is Riccardo / Gustav III, a Swedish king in love with Amelia (Anna Pirozzi), wife of Renato, his best friend and advisor (Artur Ruciński). When the latter discovers the illicit love, he joins a conspiracy to murder the king and tragedy ensues. Daniella Barcellona (Ulrica/Arvidson) is the medium who prophesies the betrayal and tragic end.

With Un ballo in maschera, Verdi achieves unprecedented emotional and sensual heights in a staging that strengthens the mysterious atmosphere of this love for the same woman in which jealousy turns into such madness that Renato, with insurmountable wounds, ends up stabbing his friend.

ANNA PIROZZI

Soprano. Born in Naples, she began her musical studies at the Instituto Musicale della Valle d'Aosta and later graduated from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Turin. She made her professional debut in 2012 at the Teatro Regio di Torino, playing Amelia (Un ballo in maschera), and she has also sung Abigaille (Nabucco) at the Salzburg Festival. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2017/18 season with the concert version of Attila and returned with La Gioconda (2018/19). .

FREDDIE DE TOMMASO

Tenor. He made his name by winning first prize, the Plácido Domingo Tenor Prize and the Verdi Prize at the 2018 Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona. Since then, he has performed at the Royal Opera House in London, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam and Wiener Staatsoper. Recent roles include Ismaele (Nabucco) in Vienna. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

DANIELA BARCELLONA

Mezzo-soprano. Born in Trieste (Italy), she began her musical training with Alessandro Vitiello. After winning numerous international prizes, such as the Iris Adami Corradetti Prize in Pàdua and the Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia, she made her debut at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro with the opera Tancredi. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2005/06 season with Semiramide.

ARTUR RUCIŃSKI

Baritone. A graduate of the Warsaw Academy of Music, in 2002 he made his professional debut at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw playing Eugene Onegin. His repertoire includes roles such as King Roger and Don Giovanni, Count de Luna (Il trovatore), Miller (Luisa Miller), Prince Yeletsky (Pikovaya Dama), Marcello (La bohème), Dr Malatesta (Don Pasquale) and Lescaut (Manon). He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2009/10 season with Król Roger and returned with La bohème (2015/16) and Il trovatore (2016/17).

L’ORFEO

Concert version

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI

(1567 – 1643)

FAVOLA IN MUSICA IN A PROLOGUE AND FIVE ACTS

Libretto by Alessandro Striggio based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Virgil’s Georgics

World premiere: 24/02/1607 in the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua Barcelona premiere: 23/06/1955, in the Jardí dels Tarongers de la Casa Bartomeu

Last Liceu performance: 16/02/2002

Total number of Liceu performances: 15

ORFEO

Yannick Debus

EURÍDICE

Isabel Pfefferkorn

MUSIC

HOPE SHEPARD

Raffaele Pe

CARONTE SHEPARD

Nicolas Brooymans

PROSERPINA

Eva Zaïcik

PLUTÓN SHEPARD

Neal Davies

APOLO SHEPARD

Nikolay Borchev

A MESSENGER

Olivia Vermeulen

Zürcher Sing-Akademia

Florian Helgath, conductor

Freiburger Barockorchester

René Jacobs

Conductor

FEBRUARY 2024

Friday16 19.30 h Turn CFrom 10 to 271 €

Approximate running time: 2 h 25 min

L’ORFEO

CONCERT VERSION

The myth of Orpheus is one of the darkest and most symbolic of all Hellenic mythology. Of ancient origins, Orpheus is the “singer” par excellence, the musician and the poet. It was said that he knew how to sing and play such sensitive songs that wild beasts followed him, the plant kingdom bowed down before him and the fiercest of men became completely calm.

On the other hand, on the occasion of the wedding of Maria de Medici and Henry IV, King of France, in the Medici’s Florence of 1600, Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini had premiered their Euridice, considered the first opera (now sadly no longer in existence). In opposition to this event, Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and a fervent lover of the arts, wanted to counterattack with the commissioning and premiere of a new opera. An artistic movement, but also a political one. This is how Claudio Montever di’s Orfeo was born.

L’Orfeo, favola in musica premiered on 24 February 1607 in a small hall of the Palaz zo Ducale in Mantua: almost the first opera or, at any rate, the oldest surviving comple te opera. It was the beginning of a new era: L’Oracolo della musica put into practice the experimental language he had already used in his last madrigals, developing a new sound language that would represent the transition between the Renaissance and the Baroque. The literary text was in perfect communion with the music, becoming courtly entertain ment that incited enormous interest and un limited possibilities.

On the podium, René Jacobs, a unique expert of these repertoires, completes the portrait commissioned by the theatre to review three operatic Orfeos: those by Telemann, Gluck and Monteverdi. Jacobs, acclaimed as one of the public’s favourite conductors from this musical period, will lead us into the mysteries of this score, which retains all its modernity despite being more than 400 years old.

RAFFAELE PE

Contratenor. With his album Giulio Cesare. A Baroque Hero, he received the 2019 Abbiati Prize from Italian music critics for the best album. He regularly works with conductors and stage directors such as Jordi Savall, John Eliot Gardiner, William Christie, Giovanni Antonini, Graham Vick, Claus Guth, Pierluigi Pizzi and Damiano Michieletto. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

YANNICK DEBUS

Baritone. Born in Hamburg, he trained at the Lübeck Academy of Music where he earned a double degree in voice with Michael Gehrke and music theory and aural training with Oliver Korte and Holger Best. Recent engagements include his collaboration with René Jacobs in Händel's oratorio Israel in Egypt and his role as Apollo (Apollo e Dafne). This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

NEAL DAVIES

Baritone. He studied at King's College London and the Royal Academy of Music and won the Lieder Prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 1991. He has performed with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons, the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez, the Cleveland and Philharmonia Orchestras with Christoph von Dohnányi and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, among others. He is a regular guest at the Edinburgh Festival and BBC Proms. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

RENÉ JACOBS

Conductor. With more than 260 recordings to his credit, as well as a career as a singer, conductor and scholar, he has become one of the leading names in the field of Baroque and vocal music. He began his musical training as a member of the choir of the Cathedral of Sant Bavo in Ghent, his hometown. Shortly afterwards he began his career as a countertenor, which sparked his interest in Baroque music. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2021/22 season with the concert version of Orpheus

LA NIT DE SANT JOAN

The production La nit de Sant Joan (Soirées de Barcelone), the second ballet of composer Robert Gerhard (1896-1970), with scenography by Joan Junyer and storyline by Ventura Gassol, would not be performed in 1939 due to the vicissitudes of the Spanish Civil War. The work was created because of the madness for dance that erupted at the beginning of the 20th century, with the backdrop of the European image of an exotic Spain and the great success that Manuel de Falla had in this field. Inspired by the mythical night of the summer solstice – nit de Sant Joan – and the celebrations with fire from the Catalan Pyrenees, the music is modern, yet with a folk feeling, evoking melodies from our folklore, where the frenetic beats describe torch dances, the parade of magical figures and the erotic movements of couples who, in intimate union, end up marrying at dawn.

Antonio Ruz wanted – symbolically and creatively – to permeate the choreography with features that connect us to our traditions, such as the symbolism of fire, the sardana dance, castells and mythical bestiary.

Robert Gerhard

Music

Joan Junyer

Set design

Ventura Gassol

Storyline

Antonio Ruz

Director and choreographer

Miguel Baselga

Coordination and musical advisor

Gran Teatre del Liceu y Fundación Juan March

Production

Dancers Beatriz Cubero, Raúl Melcón, Joel Mesa, Alexa Moya, Maria Quero, Carlos Roncero, Anna Sagrera, Ariadna Saltó, Aaron Vázquez

Piano Valeria Blasco, Carlos Bujosa, Clara Santacana

FEBRUARY 2024

Saturday 17 11 h From 10 to 20 €

Sunday 18 11 h From 10 to 20 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

WINTERREISE

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)

A CREATION BY JOAN FONTCUBERTA

Joan Fontcuberta, photographer, essayist and critic, has been invited by the Liceu to take part in what is his first stage proposal. The artist, with very unequivocal and personal codes, will immerse himself in Schubert's Winter Journey to reflect on the passage of time, old age and the loss of memory. Evoking the past and memory, we will not know whether we are witnessing an illusion, a fabulation, or what really happened.

In the world full of wounds that Winterreise presents, Fontcuberta will place his work in dialogue with the music of Schubert. Considered the composer's spiritual testament, it is one of the most important lieder cycles in the history of music and a veritable Everest for its performers.

From considerations of loneliness, self-isolation and the deterioration of personal faculties, he will give voice to the wandering traveller and his traumas, longings, hopes and fears. An inner world devastated by misfortune, disgrace and fatality. A heart that beats only to escape from a community that oppresses it.Taking into account his iconographic universe and the amnesia of the ima-

ges themselves – which mutate beyond their authors’ wishes – he seeks parallelism with a chronicler who, as a result of old age, begins to change/forget his memories. The projection of a vaporous and effervescent family album of memories makes us understand memory loss as a state of timeless suspension that, in parallel, represents a sensation of eternity in which everything you once knew has gradually disappeared, to arrive at an unknown place. It is one of our possible destinies.

Hauntingly beautiful, Winterreise is an invitation to deep melancholy, whose episodes mark the desperate journey of a betrayed man. An immersion in Schubert's poetic universe, with Fontcuberta as a luxury guide, during which the audience is led into the abyss of this inner journey.

Winterreise, D 911

Concept, space design and images Joan

FEBRUARY 2024

Friday 23 19.30 h

From 10 to 35 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

FAUN / NOETIC BALLET DU GRAND THÉÂTRE

DE GENÈVE

FAUN

World premier: 16 June 2009 at the English National Ballet Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.

Liceu premiere

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Choreography

Adam Carré

Set and lighting design

Hussein Chalaya

Costume design

Claude Debussy

Nitin Sawhney

Music

NOETIC

World premiere: 8 March 2014 at the Göteborgsoperan in Göteborg

Liceu premiere

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Choreography

Antony Gormley

Set design

FEBRUARY 2024

Tuesday 27 19.30 h Dance From 10 to 182 €

Wednesday 28 19.30 h Turn D-H From 10 to 182 €

Thursday 29 19.30 h Turn B From 10 to 182 €

MARCH 2024

Friday 1 19.30 h Turn PB From 10 to 182 €

Approximate running time: 2 h

David Stokholm

Lighting

Les Hommes

Costume design

Adolphe Binder

Dramaturgy

Szymon Brzóska

Music

Since its creation in 1962, the Ballet du Gran Théâtre de Genève has never stopped exploring the full range of possibilities within contemporary dance. Over the last 18 years, the company has decisively pursued a path of choreographic creation, while upholding the founding principles of dance. One of the elements that characterises the company is the numerous rewritings of pieces from the repertoire by thrilling revolutionary choreographers.

FAUN / NOETIC

Since July 2022, after seven years at Ballet Vlaanderen, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has been the director of Ballet de Genève. A personage from the Belgian contemporary scene, the prestigious dancer and choreographer has crafted several important works with interesting interdisciplinary collaborations with visual artists, designers and musicians.

From the reference to Nijinsky’s mythical choreography by the Ballets Russes, after Mallarmé’s poem, in 2009 Sidi Larbi created his own Faun at the request of Sadler’s Wells. Here, the figures take on greater three-dimensionality and show mythological and savage aspects, extremely sexually charged. From Debussy’s music, but also with other interspersed excerpts by Nitin Sawhney, the childish and archaic play

are combined to leap from one style to another, from one culture to another, from one century to another.

In the second part of the programme, we can enjoy a proposal from 2014: Noetic, which explores the idea that a straight line is actually a curve and can be connected through the shape of the circle. With the collaboration of visual artist Antony Gormley, Sidi Larbi directs a collective work; a chain reaction of elegant and synchronised movements in the construction of aesthetically powerful images.

With 21 dancers trained in classical dance as a base, the Ballet is currently one of the leading dance companies on the international scene and this show is a must-see.

«Aimais-je un rêve ? Mon doute, amas de nuit ancienne, s’achève En maint rameau subtil, qui, demeuré les vrais. Bois même, prouve, hélas! que bien seul je m’offrais pour triomphe la faute idéale de roses».

—Stephane Mallarmé, L’après-midi d’un faune (Eclogue)

Retrat en blanc

Com si les ales aportessin el camí, vers rere vers s’ha fet el llit de l’aigua. Era llavors que ens vam rendir sota magnòlies intenses a una apressada boira que oferia l’arrel més íntima dels tactes. Ella passava recordant les hores i als seus regolfs llençàvem vidres. De tots els hiverns, aquell que va allargar el festeig de les darreres gemmes, fou el més trist.

FROM 16 TO 26 MAR 2024—

THE MESSIAH (Der Messias)

(1685 – 1759)

(1756 – 1791)

ORATORIO IN THREE PARTS WITH ARRANGEMENTS BY WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Libretto by Charles Jennens

World premiere: 13/04/1742 at the Great Music Hall in Dublin

MARCH 2024

Robert Wilson

Stage director, set and lighting design

Nicola Panzer Co-stage director

Carlos J. Soto

Costume design

Stephanie Engeln

Set design assistant

John Torres

Lighting assistant

Tomasz Jeziorski

Video

Manu Halligan

Make-up and wigs

Konrad Kuhn

Dramaturgy

Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg, Salzburger Festpiele, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées de París y Grand

Théâtre de Genève

Production

Coro del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pablo Assante, conductor Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Josep Pons Conductor

SOPRANO

Julia Lezhneva

ALTO

Kate Lindsey

TENOR

Richard Croft

BASS

Krešimir Stražanac

DANCER

Alexis Fousekis

OLD MAN

Max Harris

THE MESSIAH

With Messiah we have a perfect example avant la lettre of stories of faith, healing and resurrection (titles such as Parsifal and Paulus will follow). This capolavoro by the “caro Sassone”, a contemporary of Bach and Vivaldi, has already earned him posterity. As Stefan Zweig explains, Händel was commissioned to write an oratorio on the resurrection to be delivered in just 24 days. A few months later, on 13 April 1742, Messiah would premier in Dublin. Händel died 17 years later, but not before he had heard his favourite score for the last time.

The stage version, presented here by cult stage director Robert Wilson, arose from Salzburg’s Mozartwoche where it was performed in January 2020 and it is based on the German version of 1789, arranged by another genius: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born three years before the maestro’s death, the young Mozart created this arrangement at the request of an important Freemason patron: Gottfried van Swieten who, enamoured of Händel’s oratorios, would also later work on the librettos of

Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray

Joseph Haydn’s two oratorios from texts by John Milton: The Creation and The Seasons

As Robert Wilson explains, some view Händel’s Messiah from a Christian perspective, which is also why he raised objections when this sacred oratorio was presented on a theatre stage. “For me Messiah is not so much a religious work, but rather a kind of spiritual journey.” Fascinated by the structure of the composition and an architecture that grants him great creative freedom, Wilson occupies this grandiose, perhaps abstract, almost mathematical music that speaks of hope. The irreparable pressure our society exerts on its protagonist (Jesus) who, avoiding comfort, wants to transform a society and is cruelly tortured, punished and killed.

A genius, at the heights of Palladio or Rembrandt, is born every 200 years. Thus, Mozart adapts the libretto to German, reorchestrates part of the original score and adds small illuminations; as if Van Gogh had repainted La Gioconda. Josep Pons and a bouquet of leading soloists offer us an exciting, precise and thrilling recital.

“Beauty cannot be questioned: it has divine right of sovereignty”

—Oscar

)

JULIA LEZHNEVA

Soprano. Born in Sakhalin, she studied at the Gretchaninov School of Music in Moscow and at the Guildhall School in London. She later trained with Dennis O'Neill, Elena Obraztsova, Richard Bonynge, Kiri Te Kanawa and Alberto Zedda. She has sung onstage at La Monnaie in Brussels, De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam, Opéra National de Paris, Theater an der Wien, Royal Opera House in London and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2016/17 season with Don Giovanni

RICHARD CROFT

Tenor. Throughout his career, he has performed in theatres such as The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Opéra National de Paris and Staatsoper Berlin, as well as at the Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence festivals, among others. His repertoire ranges from Händel and Mozart to the music of contemporary composers. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

KATE LINDSEY

Mezzo-soprano. Born in Richmond (Virginia), she studied at Indiana University and graduated from the Lindemann Young Artist Program at The Metropolitan Opera in New York. She is the recipient of the 2017 George London Award and the 2007 Lincoln Center Martin E. Segal Award. She has sung at the Royal Opera House in London, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2017/18 season with the concert version of Ariodante.

ROBERT WILSON

Stage director. Since the late 1960s, Robert Wilson's productions have decisively shaped the face of theatre and opera. Through his use of light, his inquiries into the structure of simple movement and the classical rigour of his stage and furniture design, Wilson has continually articulated the strength and originality of his vision. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 1992/93 season with Einstein on the Beach and returned with Pelléas et Mélisande (2011/12).

11 AND 13 APR 2024—

ORGIA HÈCTOR PARRA

OPERA FOR THREE VOICES AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

the homonymous work by Pier

APRIL 2024

Thursday 11 19.30 h Turn D-H From 10 to 145 €

Saturday 13 19 h Turn C From 10 to 145 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 30 min

Calixto Bieito

Stage director and librettist

Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao, Gran Teatre del Liceu and Festival

Castell of Peralada

Production

SOPRANO

Aušrinė Stundytė

BARITONE

Jonathan McGovern

SOPRANO

Jone Martínez

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pierre Bleuse

Conductor

Presented at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in collaboration with

ORGIA

Orgia is a co-commission and a new co-production between Teatro Arriaga of Bilbao, the Festival Castell de Peralada and the Gran Teatre del Liceu that integrates many fascinating ingredients: on the one hand, the presentation of the latest lyrical score by Hèctor Parra, one of the Catalan composers with the greatest international renown. At his side, Calixto Bieito puts all his genius into dissecting the main characters in this tragic, self-destructive story in which we witness the sexual battle of a married couple.

The drama of Pier Paolo Pasolini (whose 100th anniversary since his birth we celebrated in 2022), will be a fabulous opportunity to descend into the unique depths of the human soul. After two previous operatic collaborations between Calixto Bieito and Héctor Parra: Wilde (2015) and Les bienveillantes (2019), they worked on the original text of Orgia

To denounce personal drama, the male lead of Orgia hangs himself after dressing as a woman. In fact, in the last moments of his life, he becomes aware of his homosexuality, and his suicide thus becomes an accusatory act. It is an opportunity to condemn a society that is intolerant, hypocritical, cruel and contemptuous of all those who live outside the established norms.

Through his verses, Pasolini penetrates reality, illuminating how fascism annihilates all traces of humanity in modern society through consumer culture. In Orgia, love and sex are at the service of sadistic destruction. Inside her bedroom, a closed space in which anguish and remorse cast monstrous shadows on the uncertain transition between the world of reason and the world of dreams, the young mother co-protagonist wants to break up with her husband, but just before committing suicide she commits the terrible act of Medea, killing her two children. A tragedy with actor/singers who are tailor-made for this new creative endeavour of the tandem Parra - Bieito.

AUŠRINĖ STUNDYTĖ

Soprano. Her repertoire includes Hèctor Parra's Orgia in Bilbao; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in Geneva, Vienna, Paris, Lyon and Antwerp; as well as Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Penderecki's The Devils of Loudun in Munich, Elektra and Bluebeard's Castle at the Salzburg Festival. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

CALIXTO BIEITO

Stage director and librettist. He studied literature and history in Barcelona, stage direction at the Institut del Teatre and acting at the Escola d’Art Dramàtic in Tarragona. He was the director of the Teatre Romea in Barcelona for 10 years and created the Barcelona Internacional Teatre (BIT). Since 2017, he has directed the Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2000/01 season with Un ballo in maschera.

PIERRE BLEUSE

Conductor. He studied conducting with Jorma Panula in Finland and Laurent Gay at the Haute École de Genève. Originally trained as a violinist, he was a concert musician and associate conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Tolouse. He has been the prinicipal conductor of the Odense Symfoniorkester (Denmark) since 2021 and starting in the 2023/24 season he will be the prinicpal conductor of the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

Concert version

BÉLA BARTÓK (1881 – 1945)

OPERA IN ONE ACT

Libretto by Béla Balázs based on Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard.

World premiere: 24/5/1918 at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest

Barcelona premiere: 21/12/1954 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Last Liceu performance: 20/04/2008

Total number of Liceu performances: 19

APRIL 2024

Friday12 19.30 h Turn GFrom 10 to 271 €

Approximate running time: 1 h

DUKE BLUEBEARD

Gábor Bretz

JUDITH

Victoria Karkacheva

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Josep Pons

Conductor

BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

CONCERT VERSION

Bartók, in his 1911 score, signs the work of art, which is, in short, an authentic study of loneliness, of lack of communication and hope when faced with reality. Reflecting the Hungarian composer's own introspection, he wrote to his mother in 1905: ‘I am a lonely man! I may have a few friends in Budapest, yet there are times when I suddenly become aware of the fact that I am absolutely alone. And I have a foreknowledge that this spiritual loneliness will be my fate. I look about me in search of the ideal companion, and yet I am fully aware that it is a vain quest. Even if I should ever succeed in finding someone, I am sure that I would soon be disappointed.’

Bluebeard, a foreshadowing of Jack the Ripper, is the grim, bloodthirsty, wife-killing ogre, and Judith, who has left home to follow this enigmatic character, will be the woman who asks uncomfortable questions. As in Lohengrin's Elsa, she is asked to trust and be blindly obedient so as not to lose her love forever.

As Judith makes her way through the dark castle, seven doors appear to which the duke holds the keys. Each one will reveal information about the personality and past of a Bluebeard who is unable to overcome old scars. A fascinating journey with incredible music that makes this score a colossal work.

Today a masterpiece, it was submitted to the jury of a composition competition for the best new lyric work of the Hungarian Fine Arts Commission, which returned the score with only one word written on the cover: ‘Ineffective’.

GÁBOR BRETZ

Bass-baritone. A graduate of the Franz Liszt Music Academy of Budapest, he has sung at the State Opera of Hungary in work like Mefistofele and Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Leporello and the leading role in Don Giovanni, Banquo (Macbeth), Colline (La bohème) and Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia). This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

JOSEP PONS

Conductor. Considered as one of the most prominent conductors of his generation, Pons conducts the world's leading orchestras with whom he has established an ongoing relationship. He has recorded some 50 titles for Harmonia Mundi France and Deutsche Grammophon and has won the highest awards, including the Grammy and Cannes Classical Awards, among others. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in 1993 and has been its musical director since 2012.

FROM 25 TO 28

APR 2024

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

BALLET DORTMUND ALEXANDER EKMAN

BALLET IN TWO ACTS

Based on William Shakespeare’s A midsummer’s night dream

World premiere: 17 d’abril del 2015 at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm

Liceu premiere

APRIL 2024

Thursday 25 19.30 h Dance From 10 to 182 €

Friday 26 19.30 h Turn E From 10 to 182 €

Saturday 27 17 h Turn F From 10 to 182 €

Saturday 27 21.30 h Turn C From 10 to 182 €

Sunday 28 17 h Turn T From 10 to 182 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 40 min

(*) Function with audio description

Xin Peng Wang

Artistic director

Alexander Ekman

Choreography and set design

Mikael Karlsson

Music

Mikael Karlsson

Anna von Hausswolff

Lyrics

Bregje van Balen

Costume design

Linus Fellbom

Lighting

Hannah Tolf

Voice

Dortmunder Philarmoniker

Soloists

LOEWE FUNDACIÓN

Patron of the Dance Circle

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Following his success with the sensational Swan Lake performed by the Norwegian National Ballet, the prodigious choreographer Alexander Ekman created his A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A powerful contemporary piece that explores the energy and mysteries conjured by the summer solstice in Scandinavian tradition. A far cry from Shakespeare, Ekman shows us a phantasmagorical invention based on Northern mythology and traditions.

On the day when the sun reigns for the longest hours, everyone gathers to celebrate a much-loved folk festival. A Swedish tradition says that if you put seven flowers under your pillow that night, you will dream of your future spouse. Everyone drinks and dances on a night full of love and eroticism. The border between the world of mortals and the realm of the supernatural disappears as the bottles are emptied. Suddenly the world changes and we are no longer sure if everything is actually a dream... the midsummer night’s dream.

A festivity that coincides with the summer solstice in a land where white nights are very mysterious. In contrast to the unrelenting winter, the long summer days heighten sensuality and urge us to heed the call of nature, before the inevitable icy shadows arrive, bringing silence with them as well. A magical gateway between a short night and a day that stretches into infinity for this proposal by the Ballett Dortmund.

Powerful, bold and infused with an authentic archaic atmosphere, this show has everything to be a truly hypnotic piece. From the moment the curtain rises, the dancers dance rhythmically on a field of golden corn, creating a truly intense scene. Set to the music of Mikael Karlsson, Ekman, unpredictable and colossal, builds illusions from the imagination and offers a bombardment of fantastic images. Bold, compelling and visually stunning.

“When they next wake, all this derision shall seem a dream and fruitless vision. And back to Athens shall the lovers wend, with league whose date till death shall never end”

—William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act III, Scene 2 - Oberon)

Tomba, que amb fred aculls crepuscles i esperances, en mi has entrat, veraç estrep. Ara soc portes, hora esbatanada, finestres esberlades, una cambra on sempre pica un mal ocell ferit.

Per què corren els gossos cap aquí, entre encenalls, l’aurora rosegant?

—Susanna Rafart, D'una sola branca (2021)

LYRICAL GALA OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

‘And without a heart, how can it be that I live?’

L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi

Aquartet of stars from the lyrical heavens to revisit some of the most vibrant moments in operatic literature: Ermonela Jaho, Lisette Oropesa, Javier Camarena and Carlos Álvarez.

It is an irresistible invitation to be indulged by these extraordinary voices touched by divinity. With their charisma, it will surely be an exciting two-hour journey in the company of Violetta Valéry, Adriana Lecouvreur, Il Duca di Mantova, Cio-Cio San, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto… A gallery of unforgettable, albeit demanding, characters and scenes that illustrate the extent of the tessitura, the quality of their voices, the intention to contribute to bringing the characters to life, and the apparent simplicity in its enormous difficulty.

After the impressive Suor Angelica from last season's celebrated Il trittico, Ermonela Jaho returns to the stage to thrill us, while Lisette Oropesa returns as the true queen of the most important lyric temples on the planet. Moreover, Javier Camarena, the greatest light lyric tenor of the last decade, and Carlos

Álvarez, one of the three best Verdian baritones in the world, will meld their voices together in this breathtaking moment. With the stars adored by our audiences, this lyric gala is the opportunity to hold in our memories the instant of a note, an aria, a gesture... that will become eternal.

Soprano Ermonela Jaho

Soprano Lisette Oropesa

Tenor Javier Camarena

Baritone Carlos Álvarez

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conductor Sesto Quatrini

MAY 2024

Thursday 2 19.30 h From 10 to 299 €

Approximate running time: 2 h

MAHLER'S UNIVERS (III)

SYMPHONY NO. 5

GUSTAV MAHLER (1860-1911)

Written between 1901 and 1904, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5 occupies a central place in the history of music. Since the composer's death, it has progressively gained popularity and has become a crucial score, a bridge between musical Romanticism and 20th century Modernism.

A work that sums up the achievements of its predecessors and announces new paths that others will follow.

No. 5 is again the second symphony without voices (purely instrumental after Symphony No. 1, ‘Titan’). While composing it, Mahler met Alma Schindler and proposed to her in the autumn of 1901. As always with Mahler, all biographical facts are intrinsically related to the development of his work.

Five movements ranging from the opening funeral march to demonic music, through the more sombre and dramatic passages,

the evocations of the elements of nature, the folklore of Austrian peasant dances, the elegance of the Viennese waltz, the intensity of the celebrated Adagietto (famously played by Leonard Bernstein at Robert Kennedy's funeral in 1968).

Instead of a love letter, Mahler gave Alma this Adagietto: a sonorous poem without words. Josep Pons, a renowned Mahler advocate, will be the one to unveil the mysteries of this colossal score.

FROM 18 MAY TO 01 JUN 2024—

LA CENERENTOLA

GIOACHINO ROSSINI

(1792 – 1868)

MELODRAMMA GIOCOSO IN TWO ACTS

Libretto by Jacopo Ferretti based on Charles Perrault’s Cendrillon and libretti by Charles-Guillaume Étienne (for a Nicolas Isouard’s opera) and Francesco Fiorini (for a Stefano Pavesi’s opera)

World premiere: 25/1/1817 at the Teatro Valle in Rome

Barcelona premiere: 18/4/1818 at the Teatre de la Santa Creu

Last Liceu performance: 20/1/2008

Total number of Liceu performances: 42

Emma Dante

Stage director

Manuela Lo Sicco Choreography

Carmine Maringola

Set design

Vanessa Sannino Costume design

Cristian Zucaro

Lighting

Teatro dell’Opera di Roma

Production

Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pablo Assante, conductor

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Giacomo Sagripanti Conductor

DON RAMIRO

Javier Camarena (18, 21, 24 and 29 May and 1 June)

Sunnyboy Dladla (19, 22, 28 and 31 May)

DANDINI

Florian Sempey (18, 24 May and 1 June)

Carles Pachón (19, 21, 22, 28, 29, 31 May)

DON MAGNIFICO

Carlos Chausson (18, 21, 24 and 29 May and 1 June)

Paolo Bordogna (19, 22, 28 and 31 May)

CLORINDA

Isabella Gaudí

TISBE

Marina Pinchuk

ANGELINA

Gaëlle Arquez (18, 21, 24 and 29 May and 1 June)

Carol Garcia (19, 22, 28 and 31 de May)

ALIDORO Erwin Schrott (18, 21, 24, 29 and May and 1 de June)

Roberto Tagliavini (19, 22, 28 and 31 de May)

LA CENERENTOLA

La cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo, is the outcome of a commission given to Rossini by the Teatro Valle in Rome. Papal censorship banned the planned work as immoral and the hasty solution was to set Charles Perrault’s world-famous fable, Cinderella, to music.

Rossini and Ferret replaced its traditional attributes and eliminated the magical and fabulous aspects of the original version by Perrault and Grimm: the cruel stepmother becomes a tyrannical stepfather, the grotesque Don Magnifico, unable to overcome the wounds from his past; the role of the de facto fairy is played by Alidoro, the prince’s tutor Don Ramiro, who, in disguise, detects the goodness of Angelina, the Cinderella humiliated by the ungraceful stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe; the prince has swapped his clothes for those of his squire Dandini; Angelina immediately falls in love; Don Magnifico and his daughters are ridiculed by Dandini and the prince; the happy ending includes everyone’s absolution.

Written for the Roman Carnival in 1871, in only 24 days, the young Rossini, with 19 operas behind him (including Il barbiere di Siviglia), wrote a score full of energy with its famous “crescendos” that shake up the dramatic tension.

The most innovative aspects of La Cenerentola and the success it soon achieved – it premiered in Barcelona in 1818, a year after its premiere –emerge from the violent contrast between the main character’s personality, the sentimentality

of the plot and the characters populating it from Rosini’s buffo world. From Angelina’s melancholy opening song: “Una volta c’era un re”, we hear a serious opera heroine with extraordinary vocal virtuosity.

A veritable storm of great music, full of humour served up by the best Rossini singers of the moment with production by Emma Dante, that is delicate, full of subtle nuances, but which also has a sombre and burlesque melancholy. A dramma giocoso replete with lessons for modern-day society.

«Questo è un nodo avviluppato, Questo è un gruppo rintrecciato. Chi sviluppa più inviluppa, Chi più sgruppa, più ragguppa». La cenerentola (Act II)

JAVIER CAMARENA

Tenor. His voice has been applauded for his interpretation of many composers, including Bellini, Bizet, Donizetti, Haydn, Mozart, Rossini and Verdi. In 2014, he caught the attention of the entire opera world when he sang the aria of Ramiro (La cenerentola) at The Metropolitan Opera in New York for two consecutive nights. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2012/13 season with L'elisir d'amore

GAËLLE ARQUEZ

Mezzo-soprano. After graduating from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, she made her debut in 2013 at the Opéra Bastille in Paris playing Zerlina (Don Giovanni) in Michael Haneke's production, under the musical direction of Philippe Jordan. Since then, she has been invited to sing in major opera houses around the world. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

CARLOS CHAUSSON

Bass-baritone. He studied at the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid with Lola Rodríguez Aragón. He began his career in San Diego singing Masetto (Don Giovanni), and since then he has sung with the main companies in the United States and later in the main opera houses around the world. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Tosca in the 1984/85 season.

Stage director. Born in Palermo, she is an actress, stage director, film director and playwright. Trained at the Accademia Nazionale di arte Drammatica Silvio d'Amico in Rome, in 1999 she founded her own company, Sud Costa Occidentale, with which she focuses on avant-garde theatre and social protest theatre, with which she performs her own texts. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

26 AND 27 MAY 2024—

FIDELIO

Concert version

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

(1770 – 1827)

.

World premiere:

Barcelona premiere:

Last Liceu performance: 02/06/2009

Total number of Liceu performances: 47

Alberto Arvelo

Stage director and concept

Joaquín Solano Co-stage director

Solange Mendoza

Costume design

James F. Ingalls

Lighting

Colin Analco

Natasha Ofili Choreography

Chorus of Manos Blancas

María Inmaculada Velásquez

Echeverría, conductor

Chamber Chorus of the Palau de la Música

Xavier Puig, conductor

Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pablo Assante, conductor

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel Conductor

DON FERNANDO

Patrick Blackwell

DON PIZARRO

Shenyang

FLORESTAN

Andrew Staples

LEONORE

Tamara Wilson

ROCCO

James Rutherford

MARZELLINE

Gabriella Reyes

JACQUINO

David Portillo

MAY 2024

Sunday 26 17 h Turn T From 10 to 299 €

Monday 27 19.30 h Turn A From 10 to 299 €

Approximate running time: 2 h 15 min

FIDELIO CONCERT

VERSION

The French drama Léonore ou L’amour conjugal on which Fidelio is based belonged to a genre very popular in the years of the French Revolution, the pièce à sauvetage, in which heroes, representing the forces of good, emerge victorious from a situation of grave danger after a series of vicissitudes, in an optimistic vision of the positive values of injustice and reason.

The action takes place in 17th century Seville, in a terrible military prison, ruled by the cruel Don Pizarro, who secretly holds his worst enemy prisoner, Florestan, who has dared to proclaim truths that betray him. Leonora, a magnificent embodiment of the brave woman in love, suspects that her husband, the missing Florestan, is unjustly imprisoned. She disguises herself as a man, named Fidelio, and gains the trust of the jailer Rocco – a good character with great personal dignity – in a desperate attempt to save her husband.

The first scenes follow the tone and structure of singspiel – Rocco’s daughter Marzelline falls in love with Fidelio believing she is a boy – but soon the opera becomes a splendid oratorio celebrating the strength of love and purity that defeats suffering and injustice.

Gustavo Dudamel, charismatic and energetic, conducts his American orchestra: the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This innovative semi-staged production was created for both deaf and hearing audiences. Explained through the composer’s own music and the expressive gestural poetry of sign language, the performances explore the sublime communication that lies at the heart of all artistic expression. This performance is stage directed by Alberto Arvelo, in collaboration with the Deaf West Theatre (Los Angeles) and the Chorus of Manos Blancas de El Sistema (Venezuela).

Premiered in 1805 at the Theater an der Wien, in the middle of the French military occupation of the city with a deaf Beethoven, the music brims over with the composer’s huge energy and passion in a score replete with idealism and sublimation.

TAMARA WILSON

Soprano. Her repertoire includes leading roles by composers such as Verdi, Mozart, Strauss and Wagner. Throughout her career she has received awards such as the Richard Tucker Award, as well as a nomination for the Olivier Awards. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2014/15 season with Norma and returned with Il trovatore (2016/17).

ANDREW STAPLES

Tenor. His repertoire includes Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, La cenerentola and La bohème, which he has sung in London, at the Jordan Music Festival, Musique Cordiale in Provence and the Menton Festival. He has also sung a semi-staged version of Die Zauberflöte at the Lucerne Festival. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

ALBERTO ARVELO

Stage director. In 1986, he released his first two feature films, La canción de la montaña and Candelas en la niebla. With twelve films under his belt, throughout his career he has developed a cinematographic language recognised for the deep human charge of his characters and the visual power of his films. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL

Conductor. Currently music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Opéra national in Paris and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, his tireless advocacy for arts education has brought classical music to new audiences around the world. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2020/21 season with Il trovatore and has returned with Otello (2020/21), Die Zauberflöte (2021/22) and Mahler's 9th Symphony (2022/23).

LA TORRE DELS SOMNIS

After the presentation of La Torre de Nadal (The Christmas Tower) in Plaça Catalunya, La Torre dels Somnis (The Tower of Dreams) is coming to the Liceu, bringing Puccini’s music to the Liceu with a wholly different perspective.

This new production is a proposal midway between opera and circus, in which we (re) visit the arias and infinite melodies written by Puccini. The show bears the stamp of stage director Lluís Danés and the musical direction of Sergi Cuenca, who also wrote the musical revision based on Puccini's work.

The plot tells us how the inhabitants of The Tower of Dreams must defend and protect their dreams and utopias in order to save their status quo.

The circus part will feature traditional circus acts: balancing feats, tightrope walkers, flying trapeze, hair hanging and dance.

Lluís Danés

Dramaturgy, direction and set design

Sergi Cuenca

Arrangements and conduction

Eduard Sola

Dramaturgy

Ingrid Esperanza

Circus director

Ariadna Peya

Movement director

Carles Berga

Set design

Albert Faura

Lighting

Mercè Paloma

Costume design

Alguer Miquel

Texts

Alfred Tapscott

Sound design and programmer

Gran Teatre del Liceu i Ajuntament de Barcelona

Production

Ensemble Conservatori del Liceu

JUNE 2024

Saturday 1 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Saturday 22 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Sunday 23 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Saturday 29 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

MONTEVERDI’S MADRIGALS V CLAUDIO

MONTEVERDI (1567 – 1643)

IN THE FOYER AT THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

Monteverdi's Madrigals, an essential catalogue in the history of music, represent the culmination of a genre, but – as they evolve –they also embody the birth of a whole new genre: opera.

Grouped into nine books and published between 1587 and 1651, we continue this splendid journey through this corpus, understood as an exercise in proto-opera and a theatre of emotions.

With this fourth book, published in Venice in 1603 and dedicated to Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso II d’Este, the composer wanted to move to the Ferrara's court, one of the most refined in Europe. The third book written in Mantua, in despite to its great success, didn’t allow him a bigger recognition. The Duke’s death frustrated his plans.

Based on texts by Gian Battista Guarini, Ottavio Rinuccini and Giovanni Boccaccio, Monteverdi created an ambitious and innovative collection in which the declamatory style, which was to develop over time.

Idiomatically, they present a much more daring and innovative language of the genre, which is full of daring harmonic games. Monteverdi endowed the music with a taste for naturalistic detail and sensitive reality.

Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor, harpsichordist and a true authority on the composer, will be the guide along the paths of this fascinating and luxuriant universe full of precious miniatures. Words, music, declamation and the concitato style are the first attempts to represent human passions through text and harmony.

Claudio Monteverdi

Il quarto libro de Madrigali a cinque voci (1603)

Concerto italiano

Conductor and harpsichord

Rinaldo Alessandrini

JUNE 2024

Monday 10 19.30 h 35 €

Approximate running time: 1 h

FROM 16 TO 29 JUN 2024—

ADRIANA LECOUVREUR

FRANCESCO CILÈA

(1866 – 1950)

OPERA IN FOUR ACTS

Libretto by Arturo Colautti based on Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé’s Adrienne Lecouvreur

World premiere: 6/11/1902 at the Teatro Lirico in Milan

Barcelona premiere: 7/5/1903 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Last Liceu performance: 3/6/2012

Total number of Liceu performances: 41

David McVicar

Stage director

Justin Way

This version

Charles Edwards

Set design

Andrew George Choreography

Brigitte Reiffenstuel

Costume design

Adam Silverman

Lighting

Gran Teatre del Liceu, Royal Opera House in London, Opéra de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera

Production

Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Pablo Assante, conductor

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Patrick Summers

Conductor

(*) Function with audio description

MAURIZIO

Jonas Kaufmann

(16, 19 and 22 June)

Freddie De Tommaso

(17, 20, 26 and 29 June)

PRINCE DE BOUILLON

Felipe Bou

THE ABBÉ DE CHAZEUIL

Carlo Bosi

MICHONNET

Ambrogio Maestri

(16, 19, 22, 26 and 29 June)

Luis Cansino (17 and 20 June)

QUINAULT

Carlos Daza

POISSON

Marc Sala

A BUTLER Beñat Egiarte

ADRIANA LECOUVREUR

Sonya Yoncheva (16, 19, 22 and 26 June)

Eleonora Buratto (17, 20, and 29 June)

PRINCESS DE BOUILLON

Anita Rachvelishvili (16, 19, 22 and 26 June)

Daniela Barcellona (17, 20, and 29 June)

MADEMOISELLE JOUVENOT

Irene Palazón

MADEMOISELLE DANGEVILLE

Anaïs Masllorens

ADRIANA LECOUVREUR

In the 18th century, the French language had no greater ambassador than actress Adrienne Lecouvreur: sovereign of Voltaire’s tragedies, of Racine and Corneille’s verses and of the sung declamation of the Comédie-Française. Her life was short, as she died suddenly at the age of 38. Her love affair with Marshal Maurice de Saxe aroused the jealousy of the Duchess de Bouillon. An accident shrouded in mystery ensued, in which legend has it that a poisoned bouquet, offered by her rival, was the cause of her death. Jealousy, caused by fissures that are impossible to heal, is the powerful vehicle that unleashed this tragedy. The church’s refusal to give her a Christian burial shocked society of the time.

In the heart of the 19th century, thanks to the theatrical work of Eugène Scribe and Gabriel Legouvé, the myth was adapted into an opera by Francesco Cilèa. Heir to the Italian Romantic tradition, the Calabrian composer offered musical verismo one of its most exciting me-

lodramas, along the lines of the compositions of Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Giordano. Combining historical truth and tragic realism, Adriana Lecouvreur has never failed to expose on stage the noblest theatrical illusions along with real-life feelings. First performed in Milan in 1902, it is a favourite of audiences due to its melodic inventiveness and the elegance of the orchestral writing.

Sonya Yoncheva and Jonas Kaufmann embody the couple in love, while de Bouillon is played by Anita Rachvelishvili and Michonet by Ambrogio Maestri. A quartet to do justice to a series of evenings that promise to be golden pages in the memory of this theatre and its audiences.

“The prestige which covers an actress renders her the most dangerous woman one can imagine”

—Louis-Sébastien Mercier, Du Théâtre, ou Nouvel essai sur l’art dramatique (1773)

JONAS KAUFMANN

Tenor. Born in Munich, he studied singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. He began his career at the opera house in Saarbrücken and soon after became a member of the Zurich Opera. Since his debut at the New York Opera in 2006, he has been singing at major theatres all over the world. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2004/05 season with the Missa Solemnis op. 123 and returned with a recital (2013/14) and Andrea Chénier (2017/18).

AMBROGIO MAESTRI

Baritone. Throughout his career, he has sung in some of the most important theatres in the world, such as The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Opéra national de Paris, Royal Opera House in London, Wiener Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper Berlin, among others. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Aida in the 2007/08 season, and has returned with Falstaff (2010/11), L'elisir d'amore (2012/13), Tosca (2013/14), Nabucco (2015/16) and Il trittico (2022/23).

SONYA YONCHEVA

Soprano. She studied piano and voice in Plovdiv (Bulgaria), her hometown. She furthered her studies in Geneva. She is a student of William Christie's Le Jardin des Voix. Throughout her career, she has starred in new productions of titles such as Tosca and Otello. She made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2021/22 season with Norma.

ANITA RACHVELISHVILI

Mezzo-soprano. She began studying piano at the Mukhran Machavariani School and eventually focused her studies on voice at the Vano-Sarajishvili Conservatory with Manana Egadze. In 2007, she joined the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and there she caught the attention of Daniel Barenboim, who invited her to perform Carmen on the opening night of the opera season in Milan in 2009, which gave her international visibility. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

THE VALKYRIE CONCERT

RICHARD WAGNER (1813 – 1883)

‘Bride and sister be to thy brother, then flourish the Wälsungs for aye!’

Richard Wagner, Die Walküre (Act 1)

There are concerts that, before they happen, promise to be historic nights at the opera house. To be able to listen to Act 1 of Wagner's Die Walküre is always a great success, but if, in addition, it is with the voices of Lise Davidsen, Clay Hilley and Gábor Bretz, then we are talking about a veritable event. All three represent the future of the lyric, and especially the Germanic, repertoire.

Lise Davidsen, the greatest Sieglinde or Elisabeth of our time, is the hope of a specific and demanding vocal world. While the world awaits her debut as Brünnhilde or Isolde, we will relish her creation of this character. At her side, Bretz will be the jealous guardian of the household and of Sieglinde herself. Clay Hilley, as Siegmund for the evening, is today's leading exponent of heldentenor and a valued treasure in demand for all the major tetralogies of upcoming years.

In this case, a first part with arias by Strauss and Wagner will create the right atmosphere for listening to the concert version of this

1)

unattainable temple of sound. Last season, we had the opportunity to experience the scenes of Elektra intensely under the direction of Josep Pons. He, conducting the musicians of the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, will take us to another level.

With the flight of the sibling-lovers under the protection of Notung, we have an unforgettable evening assured.

SIEGLINDE

Lise Davidsen

SIEGMUND

Clay Hilley

HUNDING

Gábor Bretz

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conductor Josep Pons

JUNE 2024

Thursday 27 19.30 h Turn E From 10 to 187 €

Approximate running time: 2 h

SACRE

(THE RITE OF SPRING)

SASHA WALTZ & GUESTS

Based on Russian Paganism with the original choreography by Vatslav Nijinski

World premiere: 28/05/1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris

Barcelona premiere: 22/03/1928 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Concert Version)

Last Liceu performance: 10/09/2008

Total number of Liceu performances: 18

Sasha Waltz

Direction and choreography

Igor Stravinsky

Le Sacre du Printemps

Music

Bernd Skodzig

Costume design

Pia Maier Schriever

Sasha Waltz Set design

Thilo Reuther

Lighting

Antonio Ruz

Rehearsal choreography

Sasha Waltz & Guests

Choreography

JULY 2024

Saturday 6 19 h DanceDe 10 a 203 €

Sunday 7 17 h Turn TDe 10 a 203 €

Monday 8 19.30 h Turn ADe 10 a 203 €

Tuesday 9 19.30 h Turn PDe 10 a 203 €

Wednesday10 19.30 h Turn D-HDe 10 a 203 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 30 min

Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg and Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Bruxelles

Co-production

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conductor Josep Pons

More than a hundred years after the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs Elysees in Paris by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, it is now considered one of the masterpieces in the history of music.

The Mariinsky Theatre of St Petersburg invited Sasha Waltz to perform this extraordinary score, so symbolic in the history of dance. An archaic composition, full of tension and characterised by an accentuated rhythm and multiplicity of textures and obstinate musical motifs. Its dissonances have made the work one of the most famous pieces of music of the modern avant-garde and most representative of the 20th century.

LOEWE FUNDACIÓN

Patron of the Dance Circle

SACRE

(THE RITE OF SPRING)

Sasha Waltz, who had previously done research on rituals and group dynamics with works such as Medea (2007) and Continu (2010), immerses herself in Sacre with this reflection: “For a long time, I have been interested in archaic myths that conjure the power and great order of nature. In today’s highly technologised world, the forces of nature have been reduced to appearing almost exclusively in the form of catastrophe. Rituals, on the other hand, show the cyclical structure of nature and address humanity’s relationship to its origins. Belief and connection to a higher order are strengthened; the individual sacrifices himself for the good of the community. The choreography of Stravinsky’s Sacre gives me the opportunity to devote an entire piece to this material.”

The proposal for Sacre is fierce, carnal, vigorous, chaotic and utterly magnetic: an explosion of twenty-eight dancers of all ages generates enormous turbulence on stage. They celebrate

the arrival of spring, when a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and must dance to the death. Alarmism, anxiety, fear... a drama that keeps the audience attentive to the nakedness of the victim, who dances in agony until her strength gives out. A macabre dance that cannot heal the imperturbable vital cracks in the community’s decision.

Sacre is presented at the Gran Teatre del Liceu as a session in three parts. After the anguish and anxiety recreated in Sacre, we encounter the serenity of Claude Debussy’s L’après-midi d’un faune and the calm, loving peace of Scène d’amour from Hector Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette. Three well contrasted creations that reveal multiple facets of human nature, through humanity’s rebelling lights and shadows.

“Composers combine notes, that’s all” Igor Stravinsky

La veu

Salpen els mots cap a crepuscles àrtics, i el temps és una boira que els retarda. Digueu-me on soc, planures atziagues d’onades frèvoles i vidres breus, on és el canvi de la veu llaurada que en terra es lignifica sense arrels? Amunt, amunt cap al no-res m’inflamo perquè en la flor extingida sigui encens.

FROM 12 TO 14 JUL 2024—

ÒH!PERA

MICRO-OPERA PROJECT

Òh!pera is a project promoted by the Gran Teatre del Liceu in which three small-format operas are designed to be performed on a single evening. A series of young creative teams, chosen in conjunction with four Barcelona design schools, will have worked for over a year to design these high-energy operas lasting around 30 minutes.

Taking a journey through the heart of the theatre, audiences will come into contact with the stories of a series of voices trapped in golden seams of their traumas, unconfessable secrets or impossible dreams. Expectations that will be shared with an audience that will follow this route with the intensity of proximity.

Composers with links to Barcelona will write from the scripts-librettos of important playwrights; young stage directors who will work with theatre, design and applied art schools to create their productions; Spanish singers; small chamber ensembles from the Liceu Conservatory... A first opportunity at the Liceu and a real challenge for creators of the future.

The Liceu embarks on a collaboration with the Barcelona City Council Department of Tourism and Creative Industries, Design Hub Barcelona and the city's design schools to encourage learning by doing. Àlex Ollé will mentor the project.

Ferran Cruixent

Montserrat Lladó

Guillem Palomar

Composers

Laura Ferrero

Pau Miró

Martí Sales

Librettists

JULY 2024

Friday 12 19.30 h 35 €

Saturday 13 17 h 35 €

Saturday 13 20.30 h 35 €

Sunday 14 17 h 35 €

GUILLEM PALOMAR

Composer. Born in Barcelona, he began his composition studies with Enric Palomar (Badalona, 1964) and since then has received advice from composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, George Benjamin and Peter Eötvös. His music has been performed internationally by musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Peter Eötvös, Michael Volle and Duncan Ward, among others. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

ÒH!PERA

MICRO-OPERA PROJECT

FERRAN CRUIXENT

Composer. He studied piano, violin and solfège at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona, where he earned higher degrees in piano and music theory in 1999. Subsequently, he completed advanced studies in composition with Dieter Acker and composition for film and television with Enjott Schneider at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. During the 2022-23 season, he is the composer-in-residence at the Palau de la Música Catalana. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

MONTSERRAT LLADÓ

Composer. She earned a degree in Composition from the ESMUC with professors Christophe Havel, Mauricio Sotelo and José Río-Pareja. She has also received advice from Pierluigi Billone, Beat Furrer, Charlotte Bray and Martin Matalon. She currently teaches at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona and at the Taller de Músics. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

THE SWAN LAKE

BALLET DEL TEATRO DELL’OPERA DI ROMA

BALLET IN ONE PROLOGUE AND FOUR ACTS

Readapted choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov (1895) from the Julius Resinger’s original(1877)

World premiere: Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow 04/03/1877

Barcelona premiere: Gran Teatre del Liceu 11/05/1925

Last Liceu performance: 30/05/2021

Total number of Liceu performances: 76

Over the course of decades, Swan Lake, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, has become the quintessential dance art form. No other ballet has gained as much popularity or compares to this one in terms of the number of stage adaptations and choreographic versions. It has undoubtedly achieved a dominant position and is part of the collective imagination.

First performed in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, it is recognised as synonymous with Gothic-romantic fantasy, not only for its extraordinary music, but also for a plot with

JULY 2024

Friday19 19.30 h DanceFrom 10 to 182 €

Saturday20 19.00 h Turn CFrom 10 to 182 €

Sunday21 18 h —From 10 to 182 €

Monday22 19.30 h Turn PCFrom 10 to 182 €

Tuesday23 19.30 h Turn BFrom 10 to 182 €

Approximate running time: 2 h 30 min

Benjamin Pech Choreography

Aldo Buti

Set and costume design

Vinicio Cheli

Lighting

Teatro dell’Opera di Roma

Production

Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Koen Kessels Conductor

THE SWAN LAKE

hints of deception, love and sacrifice in a surreal and magical setting. With a tragic and emotionally charged ending: the Rome Opera House performs, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, this timeless love story based on the original work by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.

The perfidious Rothbart, a half-human, half-animal wizard, obsessed with Prince Siegfried, will use one of his beautiful enchanted swans as bait for the young man's doom. Love flowers between Siegfried and Odette, who, under the sorcerer's spell, is transformed into a swan. The transformation of a human being into an animal is the representation of a prophetic object of love and seductive illusion. With the threat of imminent death, love will conquer evil.

A classic of all classics and with an aesthetic ideal that continues to enchant audiences hungry for beauty in the digital age.

No hi trobareu senyal, però passeu: endins del marbre esperarà la rosa, i hi florirà d’amor perquè ho noteu sense aixecar la llosa.

—Susanna Rafart, La llum constant (2013)

How far does your support go?

Liceu+, an innovative audiovisual platform, which includes a digital subscription to bring music and opera to everyone anywhere.

digital platform

16.000 innovative

subscribers to the new digital platform Liceu+ launched in November 2021.

experiences

inclusive accessible

+18.500

people from the Apropa Cultura programme have enjoyed the Liceu’s programming since October 2015.

We are committed to accessibility because we believe in music as an instrument to improve people’s lives. The LiceuApropa aims to guarantee access for people in vulnerable situations and offer them accessible and inclusive experiences.

905

Raval residents take part in the first production of a newly created community opera: The Lost Cat.

370

visually impaired people enjoy all the operas staged through the audiodescription service.

children with functional diversity enjoy children’s programming thanks to kid-friendly performances, such as adapted performances.

72

350 neighbourhood associations and organisations have collaborated with the opera with the aim of bringing the sounds and character of the Raval to the stage of the Liceu.

THANKS TO YOU, YEAR AFTER YEAR YOU MAKE THE LICEU’S PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES POSSIBLE!

LiceuAprèn

learning

feel education

GIVE SUPPORT

With the conviction that through music, opera and art we can connect with people, with their capacity to listen, to feel, to understand, to reflect and to be moved, LiceuAprèn has become a global educational programme committed to people and learning.

2.480

children have attended 50 school performances by El Petit Liceu.

32.250 pupils have taken part in the Liceu project at their schools.

770

young people involved in the 3 participatory opera performances.

4.612

people have attended the 102 conferences throughout the land.

LiceUnder35

Under 35

future promoting

Thank you very much for your support!

With the aim of promoting culture and attracting younger audiences, the Liceu is developing the Under35 programme. The programme is a commitment to the future with an innovative and open approach.

21.000

12.700

14.000

young people have attended the Under35 sessions since the start of the programme.

young people have enjoyed the venues at the Under35 special price.

subscribers to the Under35 Community.

SERIES ‘CONSTELLATIONS’

This season we start a new series of chamber orchestra concerts with the aim of showcasing to audiences the musicians in the orchestra as soloists to show their virtuoso facet and connect their faces and their art.

We call it Constellations, a pattern of stars in the musical firmament that connecting us with the Liceu’s entrance doors.

For this first instalment, we are introducing the names and faces of four virtuosos of instruments that are infrequently seen as soloists in the concert world, namely the viola and the double bass. We will also enjoy again the quality of the excellent Liceu Brass ensemble.

CONCERT I

SOLOISTS OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

In this programme, we are presenting the two viola soloists from our orchestra: Alejandro Garrido and Albert Coronado.

Under the musical direction of Dani Espasa, we will travel through the virtuosity of the viola, from the last of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, number 6, written for two solo violas and chamber orchestra, to the modern reference of these concertos, the Kammermusik of his modern compatriot Paul Hindemith, this time number 5 for solo viola.

In the middle is the classical concerto by Austrian composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister, who wrote so brilliantly for this instrument.

Albert Coronado

Alejandro Garrido

Viola Soloists

Dani Espasa

Conductor

PROGRAMME

Franz Anton Hoffmeister

Concerto for viola and chamber orchestra in B-flat major

Paul Hindemith

Concerto for viola, op. 36, No. 4 (Kammermusik No. 5)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Brandenburg Concert No. 6, BWV 1051, B-flat major

NOVEMBER 2023

Sunday 12 18 h 25 €

Approximate running time: 1 h

CONCERT II

LICEU BRASS ENSEMBLE

The Liceu Brass Ensemble sprang from the brass section of the Orquestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu, with the unconditional support of its conductor, maestro Josep Pons, and with the aim of performing rigorous, outstanding work.

In the preparation for this concert, the members of the Liceu Brass Ensemble conducted exhaustive technical work and delved into a virtuoso, demanding and yet highly gratifying programme.

This time, it will be led and conducted by the prestigious trumpet soloist Matthias Höfs, a member of the German Brass Ensemble.

It is an eloquent programme full of subtleties in which wind instruments will shine more than ever!

Matthias Höfs

Conductor

PROGRAMME

Tomaso Albinoni

Adagio in G-minor

Johann Sebastian Bach

Ratswahlkantate BWV 29, ‘Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir’

BWV 146, ‘Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal’

Duetto ‘Wie will ich mich freuen’

Baltolomeo De Selma

Canzone Seconda

Grigoraș Dinicu

Hora Staccato

Ennio Morricone

‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ (The Mission)

Stanley Myers

Cavatina (The Deer Hunter) (originally for guitar)

Gioachino Rossini

Il barbiere di Siviglia, overture

Franz Schubert

‘Arpeggione' Sonate D.821

Enrique Crespo

Step along the Mississippi - Mississippi

Mud - Old Man River - Sweet Georgia Brown

Giuseppe Tartini

Concerto Re Mayor

FEBRUARY 2024

Sunday 25 18 h 25 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 20 min

CONCERT III

SOLOISTS OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

In the third programme of the series launched this season, audiences will have the pleasure of listening to the double bass soloists from our orchestra, two of the best virtuosos of this instrument: Joaquín Arrabal and João Seara.

In a programme conducted by Francesc Prat, a beloved musician at the Liceu who is coming back to the theatre where he served as assistant conductor in his teenage years, we will savour three works that showcase the expressive potential of an instrument which seldom plays solos.

The famous Vanhal concerto and ‘Arpeggione’ sonata by Schubert, the peak of early Romantic Viennese music, together with the concerto for two double basses by the Italian composer Bottesini, will be the perfect programme to become familiar with the immense possibilities of this beautiful instrument in the best possible way.

Joaquín Arrabal

João Seara

Double bass soloists

Francesc Prat Conductor

PROGRAMME

Johann Baptist Wanhal

Double Bass Concerto in D-major

Franz Schubert

‘Arpeggione’ Sonate D.821

Joseph Haydn

Symphony No. 19 D-major Hob I: 19

Giovanni Bottesini

Passione amorosa for two double basses (and orchestra)

APRIL 2024

Wednesday 24 19.30 h 25 €

Approximate running time: 1 h

EXHIBITIONS AND TALKS

LOLO & SOSAKU

FROM 27 SEP TO 15 OCT 2023

Mirror Room

With this site-specific installation, Lolo & Sosaku examine the timelessness of sound, how certain objects can vibrate even when they are inactive. At the same time, the work blends concert and video art, making it possible to decipher what has happened in that same space with those same pieces. The audience is part of the creative process and participates in it in a private event.

CATALÀ-ROCA

FROM 28 OCT TO 18 DEC 2023

Balcony-Foyer

Francesc Català-Roca and the Liceu. With this small exhibition, the Gran Teatre del Liceu joins the events paying homage to the centennial of the birth of this great universal photographer. The photographs selected show La Rambla in the 1950s, places that were reference points in his personal and professional life. And at the heart of La Rambla is the Liceu.

EXHIBITIONS

IVAN FORCADELL

Exhibition: Aunt Carmen's garden

FROM 7 TO 20 FEB 2024—

Mirror Room

Agriculture as the basis of life and the artist’s own history. This exhibition reflects on the fragility and precariousness of the communities that work in the countryside and help to transform a seed into trees and fruit. A manifesto on ecology, but also a portrait of the Mediterranean.

ROBERT WILSON

Exhibition: Ivory: Black Panther

FROM 16 TO 26 MAR 2024—

Mirror Room

‘I always thought of them as a window in a room, or a fire in a fireplace. It is always there, always changing. It does not demand your constant attention. The still life is a real life.’

Robert Wilson

The video portraits act as a complete synthesis of all the media in Wilson’s artistic creation. The canvas (here a high-definition (HD) screen) allows the environmental and spatial aspects of a setting to be blended with a new sensibility of Wilson’s direction.

Exhibition: Raft. A silent device

FROM 16 TO 29 JUN 2024

Mirror Room

‘Exile is when you live in one land and dream in another’

Abbas Milani, Tales of Two Cities: A Persian Memoir

Exhibition: Drawings around The Messiah

MAR 2024

Galeria Senda

The exhibition presents Robert Wilson’s preparatory drawings for The Messiah project presented at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Visual poetry as an expression of its creator’s refinement.

There are objects that transcend their own utility and become metaphors for what we as a society are not doing right. A (non-recreational) boat as a vehicle to flee terrible situations in their countries of origin, has now become a unique risk and commitment to starting a new life. A lottery that will be won by a select few, by the mafias, the huge risks... death waits around every corner.

A silent artefact that with its presence and history is disturbing and stirs consciences.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Victoria de los Ángeles’ costumes

FROM 9 NOV 2023 TO 21 JAN 2024

Palau Güell

In conjunction with the Performing Arts Museum (MAE)

Violetta, Manon, Elisabeth, Mimì, Cio-Cio

San... A journey through the characters played by Victoria de los Ángeles through her costumes, at a time when sopranos wore their own customised costumes. Some of these dresses will be on display at the Victoria de los Ángeles Centennial Gala at the Liceu.

Victoria & Alicia 100

JAN-APR 2024

Palau Robert

In 1940, Victoria de los Ángeles won a Radio Barcelona competition singing ‘Sì, mi chiamano Mimì’. The prize was the chance to sing La bohème at the Teatre Victòria and to make a recording with a pianist, none other than a very young Alicia de Larrocha. A lifetime of friendship between these two artists and pioneers in their field, both born in Barcelona in 1923.

TALKS

JOHN ADAMS

Composer and orchestra conductor

To be confirmed

At the Foyer

JOAN FONTCUBERTA

Photographer, essayist and critic

To be confirmed

At the Foyer

ROBERT WILSON

Stage director, dramaturge and visual artist

To be confirmed

At the Foyer

Price: 3 € (free for Liceu subscribers)

EL PETIT LICEU

With the support of:

La petita flauta màgica

07 AND 08 OCT 2023— 23 AND 24 MAR 2024

IN THE SALA GRAN

Music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Stage director

Joan Font (Comediants)

Production

Gran Teatre del Liceu

OCTOBRE 2023

Saturday 7 11 h 15 €

Sunday 8 11 h 15 €

MARCH 2024

Saturday 23 11 h 15 €

Sunday 24* 11 h 15 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

Miralls

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 6 AND UP

* Show that is suitable for people with attention deficit and/or autism with the support of AENA

FROM 18 TO 25 NOV 2023—

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 3 AND UP

IN THE FOYER OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

Original idea and musical direction

Miquel Gené

Stage director

Quim Serra - Factoria Mascaró

Production

Gran Teatre del Liceu

NOVEMBER 2023

Saturday 18 11 h 15 €

Sunday 19* 11 h 15 €

Saturday 25 11 h 15 €

Approximate running time: 45 min

El conte de Nadal de Charles Dickens

IN THE SALA GRAN

Music and piano

Albert Guinovart

Director

Josep Vila Jover

Text adaptation and stage coordination

David Pintó

Sand art

Borja González (Cia. Ytuquepintas)

DECEMBER 2023

Saturday 16 11.30 h From 10 to 29 €

Sunday 17 11.30 h From 10 to 29 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

Trencanous-jazz

IN THE FOYER OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

FROM 27 TO 30 DEC 2023— 6 AND 7 APR 2024

DECEMBER 2023

Wednesday 27 11 h 15 €

Thursday 28 11 h 15 €

Friday 29 11 h 15 €

Saturday 30 11 h 15 €

APRIL 2024

Saturday 6 11 h 15 €

Sunday 7 11 h 15 €

Approximate running time: 55 min

Music

Piotr Ilich Chaikovsky

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES

16 AND 17 DEC 2023—

Stage direction and dramaturgy

Joan M. Segura

Musical coordination

Víctor Estapé

Set design and puppets

Zipit Company

Production

Gran Teatre del Liceu

La cuina de Rossini

IN THE SALA GRAN

Music

Gioachino Rossini

Stage director

David Selvas / La Brutal

13 AND 14 JAN 2024—

Arrangements and musical direction

Andreu Gallén

Liceu Conservatory Ensemble

Production

Gran Teatre del Liceu

JANUARY 2024

Saturday 13 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Sunday 14* 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 15 min

* Show that is suitable for people with attention deficit and/or autism with the support of AENA

La nit de Sant Joan

IN THE SALA GRAN

17 AND 18 FEB 2024—

Music

Robert Gerhard

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 6 AND UP

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 10 AND UP

Direction and choreography

Antonio Ruz

Musical coordination and consulting

Miguel Baselga

LOEWE FUNDACIÓN

LOEWE FUNDACIÓN

Patron of the Dance Circle

Benefactor del Círculo de la Danza

FEBRUARY 2024

Saturday 17 11 h From 10 to 20 €

Sunday 18 11 h From 10 to 20 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

IT Dansa

9 MAR 2024—

AT THE TEATRE-AUDITORI IN SANT CUGAT

Artistic direction

Catherine Allard

IT Dansa, the Youth Dance company of the Institut del Teatre

LOEWE FUNDACIÓN

Patron of the Dance Circle

MARCH 2024

Saturday 9 18 h 15 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 15 min

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 3 AND UP

La barcarola

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 10 AND UP

11 AND 12 MAY 2024—

IN THE FOYER OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

Dramaturgy, stage direction and video scene

Juan Pablo Mendiola

Visual artist

Patossa (Patrícia Barrachina)

Musical preparation:

Francesc Valldecabres

Production

Gran Teatre del Liceu

MAY 2024

Saturday 11 11 h 15 €

Sunday 12 11 h 15 €

Approximate running time: 45 min

La Torre dels Somnis

IN THE SALA GRAN

01 JUN AND 22 - 29 JUN 2024—

Music

G. Puccini

Dramaturgy, direction and scenography

Lluís Danés

Arrangements and musical direction

Sergi Cuenca

Liceu Conservatory Ensemble

Production

Gran Teatre del Liceu and Ajuntament de Barcelona

JUNE 2024

Saturday 1 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Saturday 22 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Sunday 23 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Saturday 29 11 h From 10 to 30 €

Approximate running time: 1 h 10 min

If you are a group of children or young people, or if you are part of an association of families in any context, we can offer you a proposal for creative workshops related to one of the shows in the programme.

— Free activity with the purchase of 30 tickets for a show — Limited capacity

We would like to present the main new features to make season tickets an easy, flexible option adapted to each individual’s personal life, for those for whom art is part of their daily life, while also being an experience that goes beyond the confines of the theatre. That is why we continue to focus on: :

100% flexibility.

new timetables that will please most season ticket holders

Including Liceu+ LIVE, the digital season ticket, in the season ticket.

SEASON 2023—2024

SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

THE SAME SEASON TICKETS AS ALWAYS, 100% FLEXIBLE

We are aware of your commitment to the Liceu and the opera, but we are also aware that day-to-day life requires maximum flexibility to be able to fit everything in. After the experiment in this first season, your season tickets will continue to be 100% flexible.

Showing our appreciation of your commitment means understanding that your plans can change. That's why you’ll still be able to make unlimited changes in shows in your season ticket, and as a new feature, unlimited changes in performances will be, too, so you can enjoy the different casts of the same show. Whatever group you are assigned to, you will be able to make as many changes in shows as you want.

LICEU+ LIVE: INCLUDED IN THE SEASON TICKET THIS SEASON

After the launch of the Liceu's first digital season, Liceu+ LIVE will be included in all season tickets starting in the 23/24 season. In this way, you will enjoy two season tickets in one and have a 360-degree experience: in-person at the theatre on the days you attend the live opera performance and from the comfort of your own home, either live or the subsequent special edited version, so you can relive the emotions you experienced at the theatre with special features: watching the scene from different camera positions (prompter, conductor, backstage or stage manager), following the score on the screen, checking the artistic and musical commentary or discovering the other cast. Welcome to the Liceu's second digital season!

NEW PERFORMANCE START TIMES

After the two seasons since the pandemic, when special schedules were used, we have taken the opportunity to make a more in-depth analysis of which performance start times season ticket holders prefer the most. After reviewing the opinions of everyone who participated, we have determined the following performance start times:

— MONDAY TO FRIDAY PERFORMANCES: 7:30 PM NEW TIMES

— SUNDAY EVENING PERFORMANCES:

5 PM OR 6 PM, DEPENDING ON THE SEASON TICKET GROUP

— SATURDAY PERFORMANCES: 6 PM OR 7 PM DEPENDING ON THE SEASON TICKET GROUP

SEASON TICKET DISCOUNTS

There are different levels of discounts depending on the type of season ticket. For this season:

— 12 AND 9 PERFORMANCES: 20%

— SEASON TICKETS FOR 6 PERFORMAN CES: 18%

— SEASON TICKETS FOR 3 AND 4 PERFORMANCES: 15%

— DANCE SEASON TICKET: 30%

— SEASON TICKETS À LA CARTE: 10%

Among other advantages, all season ticket holders get a 20% discount on additional seats.

‘91% of Liceu+ LIVE season ticket holders would recommend it to other opera fans’

THE THEATRE'S COMMITMENT TO THE LICEU'S SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

THE LICEU+LIVE DIGITAL SEASON

NEW

All season ticket holders in the 2023/24 season will also have access to the Liceu's digital season.

Season ticket holders who purchased a Liceu+LIVE season ticket last season will be able to continue to enjoy it free of charge.

100% FLEXIBILITY

— Change the show or the day of the performance. Just like last season, you will be able to change the shows in your season ticket without any restrictions. Free Seat. Put your seat on sale until 24 hours before the performance at any price you wish (although that price cannot exceed the general price of the zone and performance).

Payment in four instalments without a surcharge (1/7/23, 1/9/23, 1/11/23 and 1/1/24).

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS ON PERFORMANCES, ACTIVITIES, SERVICES AND OTHER FACILITIES

Season ticket discounts of 20%, 18%, 15% and 10% (depending on the number of performances).

20% discount on the purchase of additional seats.

Discounts on the catering service during intermissions.

Discounts at several car parks near the Liceu (on sale at the Liceu box office and in the auditorium).

— Discounts at other cultural facilities. During the season, we will inform you of all the discounts available for season ticket holders.

PREFERENTIAL ATTENTION TO SEASON

TICKET HOLDERS

Priority in the purchase of tickets before the general public.

— Personalised advice by telephone and at the box office for online changes in performance.

Attendance at the launch of the new season.

Attendance at dress rehearsals of some of the season's operas.

SEASON 2023—2024

Gran Teatre del Liceu season ticket holder card, also available digitally in the Personal Area.

Delivery to your home address of the season programme designed by the season's visual artist as part of the Liceu of the Arts.

Preferential free access to all the lectures and encounters with artists organised by the theatre as part of the Liceu de les Arts.

Personalised contact with the Season Ticket Holder Services Department by telephone on 93 485 99 13 and by e-mail at info@liceubarcelona.cat (Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm), in person at the box office and in the auditorium during performances.

— Priority in the purchase of products from the online shop

Possibility of access to a drink after each premiere with the singers and the theatre's artistic team in the Saló dels Miralls. Capacity is limited.

Detailed information on how to access the different activities can be found on liceu.cat and in the informative e-mails that are regularly sent to all season ticket holders.

EXCLUSIVE LCLUB MEMBERS

Card proving seniority.

Priority access to all activities, gatherings and rehearsals.

Liceu between Generations: We offer LCLUB members the chance to pass on their longstanding love of opera to new generations at a single price of €35.

20%

* The D-H group results from the merger of the former D and H groups.

F, G and P

LICEU DANCE SEASON TICKETS

In its mission of supporting all performance disciplines, the Liceu is reaffirming its commitment to dance by scheduling three shows in the theatre's Great Hall. In response to one of the longstanding requests of the ballet-loving public, the Liceu is presenting the third dance season with the Liceu Dance season ticket:

Regular seats

LICEU DANCE AND À LA CARTE SEASON TICKETS

It includes the 3 shows in the Great Hall with a 30% discount.

It allows you to enjoy the same seat for the entire season.

It is automatically renewed every year. It comes with all the advantages of being a Liceu season ticket holder.

These season tickets will be available starting 8 May 2023.

À LA CARTE SEASON TICKET

10% OFF

Choose your favourite shows with a 10% discount.

Customise your season ticket with a 10% discount, with 3 or more shows.

These season tickets allow you to choose from all the shows of the season. You can choose a different zone and seat for each performance, with a minimum of 3 shows per season ticket.

Choose your favourite shows with a 10% discount

À la carte season tickets are not automatically renewed but must be bought again each year. On sale starting 12 June 2023.

We want Liceu members to experience opera as they have never seen it before and, to that end, we offer you the Liceu+LIVE digital season as part of your opera experience. You will be able to watch the best operas of the 23/24 season from the comfort of your home, whenever and however you want, and you will discover new details with every viewing thanks to its unique and exclusive features.

The digital subscription is included automatically without any price increase, with no need to do anything. Log on to www.liceuplus.com with your member username and password from 8 May and discover Liceu+LIVE.

Eugene Onegin

The digital season of the Liceu La cenerentola 01/06/2024

Liceu+LIVE includes six of the season’s operas and two viewing modes:

SPECIAL EDITED VERSION

· From the stage of the Liceu, with 4K image and Dolby 5.1 sound

· Gala with master of ceremonies

· Interviews with the singers

· Live chat with the rest of the viewers

· Multi-language subtitles

· Available one month after live shows

· Selection of multi-camera points of view: musical director, backstage, orchestra, stage...

· On-screen score tracking

· Artistic and musical commentaries

Activate your digital subscription from 8 May to enjoy the edited versions of the 22/23 season: Il trovatore, Il trittico, Tosca, Macbeth and Manon (the latter available at the end of May).

1 JULY

Payment due (single payment / first instalment payment)

SEASON TICKET HOLDER CALENDAR

FROM 8 TO 24 MAY

Changes in groups and/or seat of the season ticket

Changes from à la carte to Permanent Seat Cancellations

STARTING 8 MAY AND THROUGHOUT THE SEASON

New Permanent Seat season tickets are now on sale (including the Liceu Dance season ticket)

STARTING 12 JUNE AND THROUGHOUT THE SEASON

À la carte season tickets on sale

— Preferential ticket purchase for season ticket holders

STARTING 19 JUNE

All season tickets are on sale

STARTING 4 SEPTEMBER

— Changes of performance and show within the season ticket*

— Liceu between Generations tickets are on sale

* Seat changes can be made through the Personal Area of the theatre's website (liceu.cat) or by telephone. Performance, show and seat changes can be made in the Personal Area. Personalised advice will be available by telephone and at the theatre box office.

* The price of the seats will increase when a zone surpasses 70% occupancy.

The Liceu guarantees the authenticity of a ticket if it comes from an official point of sale. Tickets can be purchased at liceu.cat, at the Liceu box office and at the following authorised sales

de

The general conditions for purchasing tickets through the liceu.cat website are specified in the ticket purchase process.

Si eres menor de 35 años, ¡únete a nuestra comunidad y disfruta de la ópera a los mejores precios!

¡HAZTE DE LA COMUNIDAD!

Ya somos 14.000

Si eres de de la comunidad pero ya has cumplido los 36 años, don’t panic!, ¡todavía puedes tener muchas ventajas!

Precios especiales para seguir disfrutando de la ópera ¡Síguenos en las redes para estar al corriente de todas las novedades!

PRIORIDAD EN LA COMPRA DE ENTRADAS

Acceso prioritario a la compra de entradas para las sesiones LiceUnder 35 1 hora antes de la venta general.

ACCESO A TARIFAS EXCLUSIVAS. ENTRADAS A 30 EUROS

Compra de entradas para todas las óperas y ballets a partir de 72 horas antes del espectáculo. Podrás escoger entre todas las entradas disponibles en cualquier zona del teatro (aforo limitado).    Compra exclusiva en liceu.cat y solo para miembros registrados en la Comunidad LiceUnder 35.

ACTIVIDADES ÚNICAS Y  DESCUENTOS ESPECIALES

Asiste a actividades únicas para jóvenes, participa en sorteos exclusivos y aprovecha los descuentos especiales.

COMUNIDAD LICEUNDER 35

SESIONES LICEUNDER 35 ÓPERA, DJ Y FOOD-STANDS

EUGENE ONEGIN

9 OCT 2023—

CARMEN

3 ENE 2024— UN BALLO IN MASCHERA + BAILE DE MÁSCARAS

7 FEB 2024—

16 MAY

Te lo ponemos fácil para que vengas a la ópera y disfrutes del espectáculo y todas las propuestas que te ofrecemos

FAMILIES THE PETIT LICEU

Families can enjoy discounts of up to 40% when buying tickets for the whole family for different shows:

— 20% for the purchase of 4 or more tickets for the same show at El Petit Liceu.

— 20% for the purchase of 3 or more El Petit Liceu shows (Petit Liceu Pack).

— 40% for the purchase of 4 or more tickets for 3 or more performances of El Petit Liceu (Petit Liceu Pack).

LICEU BETWEEN GENERATIONS

Passing the passion for opera onto new generations. Special price of €35. More information on page 173.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS OPERA GIFT BOX

For Christmas, give the Liceu as a gift. The Liceu offers a gift box with several operas and dance performances to choose from with special conditions. On sale on the website and at the box office starting in December.

OME TO THE LICEU AT A UNIQUE PRICE (2X€180)

2 tickets for 2 different shows at an unbeatable price. This is the Liceu's proposal to start the new year and the second part of the season.

Promotion limited to 1,000 seats for specific performances and for a limited time.

GIFT VOUCHER

Give the gift of the Liceu with a voucher redeemable for seats starting at €20 (valid for up to 2 years).

Give the gift of the thrill of being one of the most emblematic theatres in our country.

SPECIAL DAYS

‘World Opera Day’, ‘International Dance Day’ and other special dates (La Mercè festival, etc.) are the ideal time to connect with new audiences through discounts limited for 24 or 48 hours and in specific zones, in our effort to continue conveying our passion for opera, one of our main missions we have as a benchmark institution.

Groups,

SPECIAL CONDITIONS AND SALES CHANNELS GROUPS THE LICEU IN THE REGION

Groups and associations have the chance to learn about opera and come to the Liceu under special conditions through public, participative and free lectures on the season's works held all over Catalonia. More information and conditions: territori@liceubarcelona.cat.

TRAVEL AGENCIES AND GROUPS

The Liceu has a policy with special conditions for travel agencies and groups for both ticket purchases and preferential ticket reservations. More information and conditions: info@liceubarcelona.cat.

LICEUNDER 35 COMMUNITY

A world full of advantages for under-35s (p. 184).

LICEU APROPA

The Liceu, accessible and inclusive for people in situations of vulnerability (page 188).

Complete information at liceu.cat

LICEU SALES CHANNELS

Tickets can be purchased through:

— liceu.cat

— Phone numbers: 902 787 397* / 934 859 913 (from Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm).

Ticket office: La Rambla, 51-59. 08002, Barcelona, at the following times:

— From Monday to Friday 10 am to 7 pm.

— Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm (on performance days, open until the start of the performance).

— Closed on Sundays and public holidays (on performance days, open 2 hours before the start of the performance, except El Petit Liceu, which opens 1 hour before).

CUSTOMER SERVICE

— Phone numbers: 902 787 397* / 934 859 913 (from Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm).

Email: info@liceubarcelona.cat

*special rate

Before you come to the opera, get ready for the show

All the content at your fingertips so that you can enjoy the show to the max.

LICEU+ (liceuplus.com)

Free audiovisual content with prior registration

THE LICEU PODCAST WHENEVER AND WHEREVER YOU WANT. IN 15 MINUTES

VIDEOS HISTORICAL AND MUSICAL MOMENTS, ABOUT PRODUCTION AND VOICES

LICEU.CAT

Free digital content

THE VOICE OF THE LICEU EVERYTHING TO CONTEXTUALISE THE OPERA

HANDBILL DOWNLOAD

If you are a subscriber or have purchased a seat, two days before the show we will send you a reminder email and direct access to all this content.

LICEU APROPA

Because we are committed to accessibility, because we believe that music is an instrument for improving people's lives, and because we want to guarantee the inclusion of everyone, the Liceu implements programmes, services and benefits for people in vulnerable situations based on equity and excellence. Feel part of the Liceu. Live the Liceu.

The LiceuApropa social programme is made possible thanks to the support of:

PROGRAMME

Opera accessible for all

The Liceu comes to your organisation to explain opera as you've never heard it before: an adapted talk about opera featuring musicians from the orchestra in person. Finish the experience by enjoying a rehearsal at the Liceu. Free activity with limited places for social organisations. Register at liceuapropa@liceubarcelona.cat and we will contact you as soon as possible. With the support of LOTERÍAS.

Music workshops for children with ASD and their families

Introduce your child with ASD to singing and opera with adapted workshops. Enjoy a cultural activity consisting of a workshop

followed by a friendly performance of a show at El Petit Liceu. Limited places. Workshops around Miralls, La cuina de Rossini and La petita flauta màgica. For more information: liceuapropa@liceubarcelona.cat. With the support of AENA

Liceu friendly performances

Can you imagine a show that avoids the darkness of the auditorium, with rest areas and pictogram signage? If you are a person with attention deficit and/or autism and you want to enjoy a Petit Liceu show, come to the friendly performances of the Petit Liceu shows Miralls (19 November at 11 am), La cuina de Rossini (14 January at 11 am) and La Petita Flauta màgica (24 March at 11 am). For more information: liceuapropa@liceubarcelona.cat.

With the support of AENA.

Come inside the Liceu

Do you want to discover how the Liceu Choir and Orchestra rehearse and the spaces where they rehearse? Do you want to top it off with a guided tour of the opera house? Sign up for Come Inside the Liceu. Activity for social organisations. Price: €3 per person. Maximum 12 people per group. Book a place for your group at liceuapropa@liceubarcelona. cat and experience the unknown Liceu. Requests will be attended according to availability.

or amphitheatre for €3. Follow the booking calendar on the apropacultura.cat website. If you have any questions, please contact us at liceuapropa@liceubarcelona.cat with the name of the activity.

Touch Liceu

If you are visually impaired and want to get full information about the show with an audio description, Touch Liceu! In a totally unique way, access the Tailoring and Characterisation services and, with the help of the people in charge of these services, touch costumes and wigs, experience many different fabrics, shapes and textures. Limited places for up to 12 people. Price: €3. Sign up through apropacultura.cat.

Come to the Liceu with ApropaCultura

We want to make access for groups with disabilities or in vulnerable situations a reality. How? By making more than 3000 tickets available to social organisations that form part of the ApropaCultura programme for the entire Liceu programme on the main floor

Rhythms in company

LiceuApropa is part of the ‘Rhythms in Company’ project, a support programme that offers musical workshops to people with severe mental disorders who are hospitalised or receiving outpatient treatment. For more information: https://www.apropacultura.cat/ca/ritmes-companyia

Opera Prima

The LiceuApropa continues to work in the participatory and co-created line Ópera Prima, with newly created operas. Premiere of new regional operas: 2025-2026 season. With the support of GRIFOLS and CUATRECASAS.

Benefits Services

— Catalan surtitles above the proscenium arch in all operas.

— Catalan, Spanish and English surtitles on the screens in the main hall

— Fixed shot stage screens in seats with partial or no visibility.

The first row of the upper floors does not have screens.

— The number of reserved seats has been increased, with special discounts for wheelchair users .

— Platform lift in the historic foyer .

— Lifts at the Carrer Sant Pau entrance.

— Adapted services for the main floor, amphitheatre, second floor and foyer.

— Audio description service for one performance of each staged opera (see dates at the bottom of each title).

— Orientation map in Braille and relief in the historic foyer.

— Braille guides about the opera house’s public areas.

Hearing loop in the hall, lockers, cloakroom in the Rambla and foyer for people with cochlear implants and/or hearing aids.

— Plot summaries of all the operas staged, adapted to international easyto-read criteria, both in Catalan and Spanish (for people with intellectual disabilities, reading difficulties, aphasia and others). Available at https://www. liceubarcelona.cat.

— Adapted, anticipatory guides with pictograms for access to the opera house and all the Petit Liceu shows (for people with attention deficit and/or autistic spectrum disorder). Available on the Liceu website.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Discounts

— Wheelchair users: 80% discount for the user and 50% for one companion.

— People not in wheelchairs*:

Under 18 years old: 30% discount, applicable to 3 companions from the same family.

Over 18 years of age: 30% discount, applicable to 1 companion.

* Identification with accreditation card from the Generalitat de Catalunya and ID card. Exclusive purchase at the ticket office.

UNEMPLOYED

30% discount on the day of the performance, 3 hours before the start of the show, at the box office, with proof of unemployment (Sundays and public holidays, from 2 hours before).

SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES

LARGE FAMILIES AND FOSTER FAMILIES

30% discount on Petit Liceu shows at the time of purchase at the box office.

More information about LiceuApropa at: liceuapropa@liceubarcelona.cat

SEASON 2023—2024

OPERAS

CONCERTS AND RECITALS

DANCE

‘CONSTELLATIONS’ SERIES

EL PETIT LICEU

TALKS

EXHIBITIONS

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

FAUN/NOETIC

A

Abrahamyan, Varduhi 79

Adam, Krystian 57

Adams, John 22, 24, 35, 52, 53, 54, 55, 163

Agresta, Maria 24, 63, 65

Aksenova, Svetlana 45, 47

Alder, Louise 63

Alessandrini, Rinaldo 135

Álvarez, Carlos 121

Andújar, Alejandro 85

Antem, Jan 79

Aparisi, Ignacio 61

Appelby, Paul 54, 55

Arquez, Gaëlle 125, 127

Arvelo, Alberto 129, 130, 131

Assante, Pablo 25, 26, 28, 45, 53, 65, 79, 89, 105, 125, 129, 137, 206

Atxalandabaso, Mikeldi 45

B

Baechle, Janina 45

Baillieu, James 83

Barath, Emoke 57, 59

Barcellona, Daniela 89, 90, 91

Batllori, Guillem 53

Berga, Carles 133

Berriel, Marco 65

Bieito, Calixto 22, 24, 30, 79, 109, 110, 111

Bignani Lesca, Adriana 53

Blackwell, Patrick 129

Blanch, Sara 89

Bleuse, Pierre 109, 111

Borchev, Nikolay 93

Bordogna, Paolo 125

Bosi, Carlo 137

Bou, Felipe 79, 137

Bretz, Gábor 113, 115, 141

Brooymans, Nicolas 93

Bros, Josep 45

Bujosa, Carlos 97

Bulbena, Jordi 61

Bullock, Julia 53, 54, 55

Buratto, Eleonora 137

Buti, Aldo 151

C

Camarena, Javier 24, 121, 125, 127

Cansino, Luis 137

Capalbo, Leonardo 79

Carré, Adam 101 Casero, Ricardo 87

Castronovo, Charles 79, 80, 81 Chacón-Cruz, Arturo 89

Chausson, Carlos 61, 125, 127 Cherkaoui, Sidi Larbi 30, 101 Coma, Glòria 65 Connolly, Sarah 63 Croft, Richard 105, 107 Cruixent, Ferran 147, 148 Cuenca, Sergi 133, 169

D

Damerau, Okka von der 89 Danés, Lluís 22, 133, 169

Dante, Emma 24, 30, 125, 126

Davidsen, Lise 24, 83, 141 Davies, Neal 93, 95

Daza, Carlos 137 de Bique, Jeanine 79, 81 Debus, Yannick 93, 95 Desandre, Léa 63 DeShong, Elisabeth 53 Deutsch, Helmut 99 Devos, Jodie 89

DiDonato, Joyce 63 Dladla, Sunnyboy 125

Dolcini, Renato 57

Drake, Julius 63

Dudamel, Gustavo 24, 25, 71, 81, 129, 130, 131

E

Edwards, Charles 137

Egiarte, Beñat 137

Ekman, Alexander 30, 117, 118

El Mountassir, Abdel Aziz 79 Espasa, Dani 157

Espert, Núria 22, 24, 30, 66

Estany, Albert 79

Esteve, Manel 65

F

Fabiano, Michael 24, 65, 67

Faus, Cristina 45

Faust, Isabelle 77

Finley, Gerald 53, 54, 55 Flores, Alfons 79

Fontcuberta, Joan 2, 24, 33, 39, 99, 163

Font, Joan 61, 165 Fousekis, Alexis 105

Frigato, Silvia 57

Frigerio, Ezio 65

Frizza, Riccardo 89

G

Gallén, Andreu 167

Garcia, Carol 125

García Rodríguez, Diego 65

Gassol, Ventura 97

Gaudí, Isabella 125

Gener, Ramon 61

George, Andrew 137

Giménez, Raúl 65

González, Adriana 79, 80

González, Borja 73, 166

Gormley, Antony 101, 102

Green, Eric 79

Grygorian, Juliana 63

Guinovart, Albert 73, 166

H

Habersham, Jasmine 79

Haller, Diana 49

Harris, Max 105

Hausswolff, Anna von 117

Heise, Andreas 45

Helgath, Florian 93

Hernández, Saioa 89

Hicks, Angela 69

Hilley, Clay 141

Höfs, Matthias 158

Hudson, Richard 89

Huguet, Vincent 63

Humm, Äneas 53

I

Infante, Marta 53

Iversen, Audun 45, 47

Jacobs, René 24, 93, 94, 95

Jaho, Ermonela 121

Jerusalem, Siegfried 65

Junyer, Joan 97

Karkacheva, Victoria 45

Karlsson, Mikael 117, 118

Kaufmann, Jonas 24, 137, 138, 139

Kožená, Magdalena 69, 70, 71

Lagares, David 65

Lanchas, Valeriano 89

Lezhneva, Julia 24, 105, 107

Lien, Mimi 53

Lindsey, Kate 105, 107

Lladó, Montserrat 147, 148

Lliteres, Antoni 65

Lluch, Bárbara 65

López Navarro, Luis 89

Lo Sicco, Manuela 125

Lovell, Josh 57, 59

Loy, Christof 24, 30, 45, 46

Lozano, Antonio 79

Maestri, Ambrogio 137, 138, 139

Maier Schriever, Pia 143

Manoli, Anthony 75

Margaine, Clémentine 79, 80, 81

Maringola, Carmine 125

Marín, Moisés 65

Marsol, Toni 53, 79

Martínez, Jone 109

Masllorens, Anaïs 137

Mastroni, Andrea 45, 47

Mathéu, Marta 65

McGovern, Jonathan 109

McVicar, David 24, 30, 137

Mechelen, Reinoud Van 71

Meerssche, Flore van 49

Mimica,Marko 65

Mkhitaryan, Kristina 45

Mora, Albert 73, 206

Muelhe, Martin 65

Neklyudov, Alexey 45

Nikiteanu, Liliana 45

Olivé, Josep-Ramon 45

Ollé, Àlex 30, 147

Oller, David 89

Orendt, Gyula 69

Orfila, Simón 79, 81

Oropesa, Lisette 121

Palka, Adam 45, 65

Palomar, Guillem 147, 148

Pankratova, Elena 65, 67

Panzer, Nicola 105

Parra, Alondra de la 24, 65

Parra, Hèctor 22, 110

Pech, Benjamin 151

Pe, Raffaele 93, 95

Perianes, Javier 51

Perišic, Milan 53

Petti, Ernesto 89

Pinchuck, Marina 125

Pintó, David 73, 166

Pintó, Mireia 45

Pirozzi, Anna 89, 90, 91

Pompermayer, Sergi 85

Pons, Josep 24, 25, 26, 28, 45, 51, 79, 80, 83, 105, 106, 113, 115, 123, 141, 143, 158, 206

Portillo, David 129

Prat, Francesc 159

Prohaska, Anna 77

Pulitzer, Elkhanah 30, 53, 54

Shenyang 129

Sierra, Nadine 24, 63, 65

Solano, Joaquín 129

Spallarossa, Virginia 89

Spirei, Jacopo 89

Staples, Andrew 129, 131

Strazanac, Kresimir 105

Stundytė, Aušrinė 24, 109, 110, 111

Summers, Patrick 137

TTagliavini, Roberto 125

Theorin, Iréne 63

Tittoto, Luca 69

Tommaso, Freddie De 24, 83, 89

Tur, Lina 49

VVelásquez Echeverría, María Inmaculada 129

Vermeulen, Olivia 93

Vick, Graham 24, 30, 89, 90, 95

Vila Jover, Josep 73, 166

Vila, Laura 79

Vilamajó, Lluís 49

QQuatrini, Sesto 121

RRachvelishvili, Anita 137, 138, 139

Radvanovsky, Sondra 24, 75

Rattle, Simon 24, 69, 70, 71

Reyes, Gabriella 129

Rial, Núria 57, 59

Ruciński, Artur 89, 90, 91

Rutherford, James 129

Ruz, Antonio 97, 143, 167

Ryan, Brenton 53

SSagripanti, Giacomo 125

Said, Fatma 63

Sala, Marc 137

Samoliov, Iurii 45

Sampson, Carolyn 69

San Martín, Ana 73

Santacana, Clara 97

Savall, Jordi 24, 49, 95, 194

Schrott, Erwin 125

Schwanewilms, Anne 63

Selvas, David (La Brutal) 85, 167

Viotti, Marina 63

Volle, Michael 99, 148

WWalker, Alfred 53

Waltz, Sasha 30, 143, 144

Wang, Xin Peng 117

Way, Justin 137

Wilson, Robert 24, 37, 105, 106, 107, 162, 163

Wilson, Tamara 129, 131

YYoncheva, Sonya 24, 137, 138, 139

ZZaïcik, Eva 93

Zilio, Elena 45

Pachón, Carles 125

Palazón, Irene 137

Semenchuk, Ekaterina 65, 137

Sempey, Florian 125

GENERAL MANAGER

Valentí Oviedo

Executive Secretary

Ariadna Pedrola

Chief legal officers

Elionor Villén

Gemma Porta

Lola Pozo Flor

ARTISTIC DIRECTION AND PRODUCTION

Víctor García de Gomar

Leticia Martín Ruiz

Planning

Yolanda Blaya

Contract administration and extras

Albert Castells

Meritxell Penas

Executive production

Sílvia Garcia

Muntsa Inglada

Míriam Martín Ferrer

Joan Rimbau

Special event production

Deborah Tarridas

Surtitles

Anabel Alenda

Gloria Nogué

MUSICAL DIRECTION

Josep Pons

Conxita Garcia

Antoni Pallès

Josep M. Armengol

Agnès Pérez

Núria Piquer

Music archives

Elena Rosales

Irene Valle

Répétiteurs

Rodrigo de Vera

Vanessa García

David-Huy Nguyen-Phung

Jaume Tribó

Véronique Werklé

Musical Stage

Management

Lluís Alsius

Luca Ceruti

Micky Galindo

Orchestra

Kai Gleusteen

Oscar Alabau

Olga Aleshinski

Nieves Aliaño

César Altur

Andrea Amador

Joaquín Arrabal

Sandra Luisa Batista

Joan Andreu Bella

Lluís Bellver

Francesc Benítez

Jordi Berbegal

Josep M. Bernabeu

Claire Bobij

Kostadin Bogdanoski

Josep Bracero

Bettina Brandkamp

Esther Braun

Merce Brotons

Pablo Cadenas

Javier Cantos

Josep Antón Casado

Andrea Ceruti

J. Carles Chordà

Carles Chordà

Francesc Colomina

Albert Coronado

Charles Courant

Savio de la Corte

Birgit Euler

Juan Pedro Fuentes

Alejandro Garrido

Juan González Moreno

Ródica Mónica Harda

Piotr Jeczmyk

Lourdes Kleykens

Magdalena

Kostrzewszka

Aleksandar Krapovski

Émilie Langlais

Paula Lavarías

Francesc Lozano

Jing Liu

Kalina Macuta

Sergii Maiboroda

Darío Mariño

Manuel Martínez

Juanjo Mercadal

Aleksandra Miletic

Albert Mora

David Morales

Liviu Morna

Mihai Morna

Salomé Osca

Emili Pascual

Ma Dolors Paya

Enric Pellicer

Raúl Pérez

Cristoforo Pestalozzi

Ionut Podgoreanu

Alexandre Polonski

Sergi Puente

Annick Puig

Ewa Pyrek

Joan Renart

Staff

list

OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

Ma José Rielo

Artur Sala

Guillermo Salcedo

Fulgencio Sandoval

Cristian Sandu

Javier Serrano

Oleg Shport

João Paulo Soares

Oksana Solovieva

Barbara Stegemann

Raul Suárez

Renata Tanellari

Guillaume Terrail

Franck Tollini

Yana Tsanova

Marie Vanier

Bernardo Verde

Jorge Vilalta

Matthias Weinmann

Chorus

Pablo Assante

Alejandra M. Aguilar

Pau Bordas

Margarita Buendía

José L. Casanova

Alexandra Codina

Carlos Cremades

Miguel Ángel Curras

Mercedes Darder

Dimitar Darlev

Gabriel Antonio Diap

Mariel Fontes

María Genís

Elisabeth Gillming

Ignasi Gomar

Oihane González de Vinaspre

Olatz Gorrotxategi

Lucas Groppo

Gema Hernández

M. Carmen Jiménez

Sung Min Kang

Yordanka Leon

Graham Lister

Glòria López

Raquel Lucena

Mónica Luezas

Elizabeth Maldonado

Aina Martín

Xavier Martínez

José Antonio Medina

Ivo Mischev

Raquel Momblant

Daniel Muñoz

M. Àngels Padró

Plamen G. Papazikov

Eun Kyung Park

Natalia Perelló

Marta Polo

Joan Prados

Miquel Rosales

Yulia Safonova

Sara Sarroca

Olga Szabo

Cristina Tena

Llorenç Valero

Nauzet Valerón Brito

Ingrid Venter

Helena Zaborowska

Guisela Zannerini

Alexandra Rosa Zabala

LiceuAprèn

Jordina Oriols

Julia Getino

Carles Gibert

Gemma Pujol

Josep Maria Sabench

LiceuApropa

Irene Calvís

COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICATIONS DEPT.

Nora Farrés

Press

Joana Lladó

Digital

Christian Machío

Publications

Sònia Cañas

Archives

Marc Gaspà

Guillem Garcia

Audiovisual

production

Clara Bernardo

Santi Gila

Berta Simó

Design

Lluís Palomar

ECONOMY AND FINANCE DEPT

Ana Serrano

Cristina Esteve

Núria Ribes

Financial control

M. Jesús Fèlix

Gemma Rodríguez

Accounting

Jesús Arias

M. José García

Treasury and insurance

M. Carme Aguilar

Jordi Cabrero

Roser Pausas

Purchasing

M. Isabel Aguilar

Javier Amorós

Eva Grijalba

Anna Zurdo

MARKETING AND COMMERCIAL DEPT.

Mireia Martínez

Montse Cardona

Jesús García

Teresa Lleal

Judith Ruiz

Subscriptions and tickets

Marisa Calvo

Clara Cebrián

Aroa Lebron

Marian Márquez

Sonia Puig-Gròs

Marta Ribas

Gemma Sánchez

PATRONAGE, SPONSORSHIP AND SPECIAL EVENTS DEPT

Helena Roca

Paula Gómez

Laia Ibarz

Sandra Modrego

Sandra Oliva

Mireia Ventura

Special events

Isabel Ramón

Marcos Romero

Paulina Soucheiron

HUMAN RESOURCES AND GENERAL SERVICES DEPT

Jordi Tarragó

Personnel office

Jordi Aymar

Mercè Siles

Training and occupational safety and health

Rosa Barreda

Reception

Cristina Ferraz

Christian López

Medical services

Mireia Gay

Security

Ferran Torres

Computer services

Raquel Boza

Pilar Foixench

Raúl López

Sara Martín

Xavier Massotti

Nicolás Pérez

Installation and maintenance

Susana Expósito

Helena Ferré

Sunday García

Isaac Martín

INSTITUTIONAL

RELATIONS DEPT.

Estefania Sort

Public Relations

Pol Avinyó

Yolanda Bonilla

Laura Prat

Sala

Mariona Alsius

Bruna Bassó

Maria Bericat

María Busquet

Aina Callau

Albert Callizo

Marian Casals

Rosa Castillo

Alba Contreras

Julia Cortina

Eloi Duran

Clara Enrich

Oriol Fontanals

Ariadna Gil

Lola Gras

Irene Lladó

Martí Lladó

Ana López

Cristina Madrid

Roger Montaño

Marta Niell

Xavier Pérez

Marta Pasarín

Marc Roucaud

Anna Rueda

Berta Sagrera

Sara Serrano

Marc Sevilla

Maria Solà

Maria Solé

Maria Torredeflot

Nikki Van der Meer

Martina Vera

Francisco Zambrano

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

Xavier Sagrera

Technical office

Marc Comas

Guillermo Fabra

Paula Miranda

Natalia Paradela

Eduard Torrents

Stage service coordination

María de Frutos

Miguel Ángel García

Txema Orriols

Staff administration

Cristina Viñas

Judit Villalmanzo

Logistics and transport

José Jorge González

Eloi Batalla

Blai Munuera

Lluís Suárez

Machinery

Albert Anguera

Ricard Anguera

Joan A. Antich

Natalia Barot

Albert Brignardelli

Raúl Cabello

Ricard Delgado

Sebastià Escutia

Emili Fontanals

Ramon Llinas

Eduard López

Gonzalo Leonardo López

Francesc X. López

Begoña Marcos

Aduino J. Martínez

Roger Martínez

Eduard Melich

Bautista V. Molina

Albert Peña

Esteban Quífer

Esther Obrador

Carlos Rojo

Jordi Segarra

Marc Tomàs

Lighting technology

Susana Abella

Juan Boné

Sergi Escoda

Oriol Franquesa

Jordi Gallues

J. Pere Gil

Anna Junquera

Toni Larios

Joaquim Macià

Antoni Magrina

Vicente Miguel

Enric Miquel

Alfonso Ochoa

Carles A. Pascua

Robert Pinies

José C. Pita

Ferran Pratdesaba

Artur Sampere

Josué Sampere

Audiovisual technology

Jordi Amate

Antoni Arrufat

Guillem Guimerà

Amadeo Pabó

Josep Sala

Antoni Ujeda

Angel Vílchez

Properties shop

Javier Andrés

Stefano Armani

José Luis Encinas

Emma García

Miguel Guillén

Antoni Lebrón

Ana Pérez

Lluís Rabassa

Jaume Roig

Josep Roses

Mariano Sánchez

Vicente Santos

Stage management

Llorenç Ametller

Immaculada Faura

Xesca Llabrés

Jordi Soler

Costumes

Rui Alves

Alejandro Curcó

Rafael Espada

David Farré

Claudia Fascio

Cristina Fortuny

Carme González

Esther Linuesa

Jaime Martínez

Dolors Rodríguez

Gloria Royo

Javier Sanz

Montserrat Vergara

Ana Sabina Vergara

Alba Viader

Patrícia Viguer

Eva Vílchez

Character design

Susana Ben Hassan

Monica Núñez

Liliana Pereña

Miriam Pintado

Núria Valero

Seating PLAN

ZONE A

Central dress circle boxes

ZONE 1

Orchestra stalls, Dress circle

ZONE 2

Orchestra stalls, Orchestra boxes, Orchestra proscenium boxes, Dress circle, Dress circle boxes, Dress circle proscenium boxes, 2nd tier centre, 3rd tier centre

ZONE 3

Orchestra stalls, Orchestra boxes, Dress circle, Dress circle boxes, 2nd tier centre and sides, 3rd tier centre

ZONE 4

Orchestra boxes, Orchestra proscenium boxes, Dress circle proscenium boxes, 2nd tier centre and sides, 2nd tier proscenium boxes, 3rd tier centre and sides, 4th tier centre

ZONE 5

Orchestra boxes, 2nd tier sides, 3rd tier sides, 4th tier centre, 5th tier centre

ZONE 6

2nd tier sides, 2nd tier proscenium boxes, 3rd tier sides, 3rd tier proscenium boxes, 4th tier centre and sides, 5th tier centre

ZONE 7

3rd tier sides, 4th tier sides, 5th tier centre and sides

ZONE 8

3rd tier proscenium boxes, 4th tier sides, 4th tier proscenium boxes, 5th tier sidess

GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

La Rambla, 51-59

08002 Barcelona

Telephone: 934 859 900 info@liceubarcelona.cat liceubarcelona.cat

BOX OFFICE

Telephone: 902 787 397* / 934 859 913 (Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm) *special price info@liceubarcelona.cat

FOYER

Sant Pau, 7 08002 Barcelona

TEATRE-AUDITORI DE SANT CUGAT

Plaça de Victòria dels Àngels, 1 08172 Sant Cugat del Vallès

METRO

Line 3 (Liceu)

Operates: Monday to Thursday, Sunday and holidays until midnight. Friday night until 2 am. Saturday all-night service

AUTOBUSES

Lines V13 and 59

PHONE FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION

902 787 397

PARKING

– Plaça de Catalunya

– La Rambla, 88-94 (Rambla de Sant Josep)

– La Rambla (opposite pl. J. Xirau)

– Av. Catedral – C. Hospital

“BICING” BICYCLE RENTAL STATIONS:

– 55 and 57 · La Rambla

– 379 · Pl. Sant Miquel

– 415 · La Rambla del Raval, 13

Published by: Departament de Comunicació and Edicions del Liceu

Design and layout: Byron Books, S.L. (Huygens Editorial)

Contents: Víctor García de Gomar y Albert Galceran

Correction: textosBCN

Galley proof correction: Carlos Fernández Zofío

Drawings on cover and inside pages: © Joan Fontcuberta, VEGAP, Barcelona, 2023

Series of drawings: Kim Amate, 164-169

Printed by: Agpograf

D.L: B 6897-2023

© of this edition: Fundación Gran Teatre del Liceu

© of the texts and photographs: the respective authors

The Gran Teatre del Liceu has obtained the following certifications:

EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme)

ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System)

ISO 50001 (Energy Management System)

Emblem of Guarantee of Environmental Quality

Photo credits: Dario Acosta, 81, 139; David Agassi, 139; Paco Amate, 131; Amati Bacciardi, 91; Petra Baratova, 115; Gregory Batardon, 102; Erik Berg, The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, 46, 47, 193; Antoni Bofill, 66, 67, 70, 80, 81, 114, 138, 139, 165, 166, 167, 168, 188, 189, 190, 194, 196, 197, 202; Marco Borggreve, 71, 81; Pablo Bustos, 148; Pia Coldi, 81; Gerard Collett, 95; J. Cornejo, 127; Merri Cyr, 67; Ben Dauchez, 127; Arantza Domínguez, 81; Tonje Eliasson, 47; László Emmer, 115; Simon Fowler, 107; Nicola Garzetti, 47; Rosetta Greek, 107; Craig Gibson, 91; Gerardo Gómez, 130; Julian Hargreaves, 139; Oliver Helbig, 71; Hoffotografen Berlin, 95; Igor Studio, 26, 27, 28, 29, 115; Lucie Jansch, 106, 107; Yasuko Kageyama, 126, 127, 201; Pete Lacker, 107; Marshall Light Studio, 55; Philippe Matsas, 95; Claire McAdams, 131; Kemal Mehmet, 59; Allison Michael Orenstein, 55; Riccardo Musacchio, 55; Sergio Parra, 67; Simon Pauly, 59; Marine Pierrot Detry, 111; Zsófia Raffay, 59; Daniil Rabovsky, 47; Javier del Real, 139; Lukasz Rajchert, 58; Roberto Ricci, 90, 91; Quim Roser, 148; David Ruano, 94, 111, 165, 167, 169; Victor Santiago, 91; Christine Schneider, 111; Andrzej Swietlik, 91; Jonathan Tichler, 55; Bern Uhlig, 144; Pavel Vaan, 47; Senne Van der Ven, 71; Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera, 54, 55, 195; Julia Wesely, 71; Vitaly Zapryagaev, 67