Barcelona’s Classical Uprising

The Liceu Opera Barcelona, the Palau de la Música Catalana and L’Auditori have come together in a unique initiative, Barcelona Obertura,  to make Barcelona the best destination for classical music lovers from all over the world. Each season, Barcelona Obertura selects the best concerts and musical productions from the three venues and groups them together in special packages, offering the visitor an exquisite musical experience. 

Any time is great to visit Barcelona, but if there’s a choice, March should be the pick. During spring, Barcelona hosts the Obertura Spring Festival, a magnificent coming together of three iconic venues in Barcelona. Together they will promote the city and their combined classical musical prowess at the Spring Music Festival. Concurrently, they will each hold a series of opera and classical music showcases, the first time in Europe that three venues have banded together.

Under the moniker of “Come for the music, stay for the rest.”, the Spring Festival will have a fantastic program of music and opera which will lure visitors to Barcelona and allow them to experience the city in a new and exciting way.  

From March 8 - 31, 2023, the Barcelona Obertura Spring Festival brings together concerts programmed by three venues, Liceu Opera Barcelona, the Palau de la Música Catalana and L'Auditori - the first time that three cultural institutions of a European city join forces to promote their musical offer to the world.

Offering visitors a unique chance to not only spend time in these iconic, historic venues, the enriching program of Barcelona’s Obertura will host the world’s most talented directors, orchestras, singers and soloists.

Known as the three great temples of Barcelona’s classical music, the Liceu Opera Barcelona, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the L'Auditori Barcelona hold their own unique magic - before the music even starts, visitors will be charmed by architecture, history and atmosphere, with every performance expecting a large international audience. For example Palau de la Música Catalana is the only concert hall in the world declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. One of the largest opera houses in Europe, Liceu Opera Barcelona has quivered with music since 1847. A more modern space, L' Auditori is an architectural gem with cutting-edge acoustics, designed by world-renowned architect Raphael Moneo in 1999.

Among a roster of phenomenal performers, opera singers and conductors, the program promises a mix of the traditional and the innovative. Not to be missed is Verdi’s Macbeth, standing out because Barcelona-born artist Jaume Plensa has created the scenography, an exhibition related to his work is also on show on the Liceu’s well-loved Mirror Room.

In homage of American-Greek soprano Maria Callas, also known as La Divina Assoluta, The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas is a modern interpretation combining opera, live art, performance art and video creation, also showcasing some of her iconic arias as well as storytelling the myths and tragedies of seven characters.

Alexina B is a unique opera about an intersex person born in France in 1838. In a society where accepting differences was a complex matter and heterosexuality was the norm, Alexina re-defined her gender, however, the tale ended in tragedy.

Not to be missed: the magnificent Collegium Vocale Gent, which will perform Johann Sebastian Bach's Johannes Passion conducted by Philippe Herreweghe at the Palau de la Música Catalana, just the day after the concert by Vox Luminis and Freigurger Barockorchester performing St. Matthew's Passion. 

Latvian Radio Choir, recognised as one of the best choirs in the world, will perform a double concert at L'Auditori, with the first concert featuring Rachmaninov's Vespers and the world premiere of Llum by the composer Ramon Humet in the second.

If you love classical music, iconic buildings and relish the chance to explore Barcelona, this spring is the time to immerse yourself in the Barcelona Obertura Spring Festival.