Camino Barcelona Blog

Hi there!

How are you? Enjoying your time in Barcelona? I guess yes!
Cassandra who is a great dancer decided to write a blog about “El palau de la musica catalana” where amazing dance and musical shows take place.

Cass, it’s up to you!

The Art of Performance

As a dancer, I always enjoy visiting the different theatres and performance spaces in different cities.

Coming from New York, (one of the dance capitals of the United States and home to the best Broadway shows), I have either been a
part of or have attended many performances in my lifetime. From this experience, I can confidently say that there is some truth behind the fact that the theatre itself has the ability to enhance or in some cases, diminish the performance quality of a show. For example, Radio City Music Hall in New York holds much historical significance for the city and its beautifully designed theatre can leave an audience member awestruck upon entering.
Though many of New York’s theatres are impressive, they’re impressive in a much different manner from those of Barcelona.

I had the opportunity to attend a concert at “El palau de la musica catalana” and left the show in a daze, so overwhelmed by its beauty. I was left incontent and felt I needed to return to further explore the magnificence that is the “Palau”. There are tours offered almost every hour on a daily basis at the “Palau”, which are a great way to see the interior of the building and learn about its history. One of the most amazing things about the “Palau” is that its construction only lasted for three years. It has a beautiful glass skylight, flowers adorning almost every wall, and upon entering you can make out the statues of some of the most famous composers of all time.
The “Palau” today holds about 300 concerts per year, and these concerts range in all musical and dance styles. It was constructed by Domenech i Montaner according to the “modernista” style, which heavily emphasized nature hence, the appearance of many flowers and colors, usage of curved lines rather than straight stagnant lines, and the appearance of natural light, (specifically regarding the skylight in the main concert hall). Domenech i Montaner also was responsible for the construction of Hospital de Sant Pau. Both places have been named UNESCO world heritage sites.

The Palau is a significant structure for the people of Barcelona and Spain in general, as it also is responsible for much of the city’s history. For example, during the Franco era the choir was forbidden to sing in Catalan. The “Palau” has now served as the host venue for some of the world’s most talented performers and is a space for people of all different beliefs and cultures to gather and enjoy the art of performance. Between “El palau de la musica catalana” and “Hospital de Sant Pau”, Montaner has left his mark on the city of Barcelona for centuries to come. And you thought all of Barcelona’s greatest artwork was done by Gaudi! …

If you are a student in our school or you are becoming one soon, don’t forget to take a look at our interesting activities of every week in which you’ll be able to find a lot of activities concerning “the modernist” movement. Check the activities of this week here

Enjoy music and dance with barcelonian style, que te diviertas!

-Cassandra

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Actividades. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.