PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA

Description

Essentials about the Palau de la Música Catalana in brief

The Palau de la Música Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music) is the most famous concert hall in Barcelona and certainly one of the most beautiful concert halls in Europe. The building was designed by star architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner at the beginning of the 20th century in the style of Catalan Art Nouveau (Modernisme) and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

The architecture of the Palau de la Música Catalana

The Palau de la Música Catalana was originally intended as the seat of the Catalan folk choir Orfeó Català – a function it still fulfills today. For this reason, the acoustics of the concert hall were exclusively designed to provide an optimal sound for choral music. Since classical instrumental and even pop and rock concerts now also take place in the Palau, the acoustics of the hall had to be subsequently tweaked.

Domènech’s design is characterized by great skill and originality. The architect skillfully incorporated elements of the Baroque, Gothic and Moorish architectural styles into the facade design. The facade is magnificently decorated with mosaic decorated columns in different floral patterns. Busts of great composers and sculptures dedicated to the Catalan folk song decorate the exterior.

The concert hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana

However, the highlight of the Palau de la Música Catalana is the imposing concert hall. The hall and stage form a very harmonious unit. The stage is dominated by the large organ in the upper area. Domènech used many building materials that are rather unusual for a concert hall, such as ceramics and glass. This gives the Music Palace a very bright appearance and a very unique atmosphere. The light shines through stained glass windows and a downward curved, glass and colorful dome. The Palau de la Música Catalana can be visited on a guided tour of about one hour.