DK Travel : Barcelona : Palau de la Música Catalana

Palau de la Música Catalana

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Barcelona’s Modernista movement reached its aesthetic culmination in this magnificent concert hall (1905–1908), designed by renowned architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The lavish façade, ringed by mosaic pillars and brick arches, just hints at what awaits within. Domènech’s “garden of music” (as he called it) unfolds beyond the front doors, with each surface of the ornate foyer, from pillars to banisters, emblazoned with a flower motif. The concert hall – designed so that its height is the same as its breadth – is a celebration of natural light and forms, climaxing in a stained-glass, golden orb skylight that showers the hall with sunlight.
For more on Modernista architecture see Modernista Buildings . For more sights in the Barri Gòtic & La Ribera see Barri Gòtic & La Ribera .

Top 10 Features

1. Stained-Glass Ceiling

Topping the concert hall is a breathtaking, stained-glass inverted dome ceiling, surrounded by 40 angels. By day, light streams through the fiery red and orange stained glass, illuminating the hall.
2. Stage

The main, semicircular stage swarms with activity – even when no-one’s performing. Eighteen mosaic and terracotta muses spring from the backdrop, playing everything from the harp to the castanets.
3. Stained-Glass Windows

Blurring the boundaries between the outdoors and the interior, Domènech encircled the concert hall with vast stained-glass windows to let in sunlight and reveal the changing times of day.
4. Busts

4. Busts

A bust of Catalan composer Josep Anselm Clavé (1824–74) celebrates the Palau’s commitment to Catalan music. Facing him across the concert hall, a stern-faced, unruly-haired Beethoven represents the hall’s classical and international repertoire.
5. Horse Sculptures

Charging forth from the ceiling are winged horses (designed by architect Eusebi Arnau), infusing the concert hall with movement and verve. Also depicted is a representation of Wagner’s chariot ride of the Valkyries, led by galloping horses that leap toward the stage.
6. Chamber Music Room

Designed as a rehearsal space, the semicircular, accoustically-sound Chamber Music Room is a smaller version of the massive concert hall one floor above. In its centre is an inlaid foundation stone commemorating the construction of the Palau.
7. Lluís Millet Hall

7. Lluís Millet Hall

Named after Catalan composer Lluís Millet, this immaculately preserved lounge boasts gorgeous stained-glass windows. On the main balcony outside are rows of stunning mosaic pillars.
8. Foyer & Bar

8. Foyer & Bar

Modernista architects worked with ceramic, stone, wood, marble and glass, all of which Domènech used liberally, most notably in the opulent foyer and bar.
9. Façade

9. Façade

The towering façade reveals Modernista delights on every level. An elaborate mosaic represents the Orfeó Català choral society, founded in 1891.
10. Concert & Dance Series

Over 300 concerts and dance shows are staged each year, and seeing a show here is an experience not to be missed. For traditional Catalan dance and choral singing, look out for the Cobla, Cor, i Dansa series (usually begins February).

Practical Information

For a pre-concert , settle in at the Modernista stained-glass bar just beyond the foyer. Enjoy bargain early concerts, which usually happen twice monthly around 6 or 7pm on Saturday ( Sep–Jun) and Sunday (Feb–May). Buy tickets for the shows and guided tours from the ticket office round the corner at C/Sant Francesc de Paula 2: (90 244 28 82), open 10am–9pm daily. Sant Pere Mes Alt 90 244 28 82 www.palaumusica.org Metro: Urquinaona guided tours every half hour: Sep–Jun 10am–3:30pm; Jul–Aug 10am–6pm (book a week in advance) Adm: €8 Limited DA