Palau de la Música Catalana
Concert hall · Sant Pere ·
Architectural masterpiece concert hall with stunning mosaics
Architectural masterpiece concert hall with stunning mosaics
"It might be the Palace of Catalan Music, but you come as much for your eyes as your ears. Outside, hefty stone pillars draped in floral mosaics hint that something special lies within—that, and the small matter of a UNESCO World Heritage classification. Still, the auditorium will surprise you: a kaleidoscope of roses, chandeliers, and stained glass, it’s like 50 brides threw their wedding bouquets and they all exploded in the sky. For once, we don’t have Barcelona poster boy Gaudí to thank. This is the work of Modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, a building some say is even prettier than the mosaic master’s La Sagrada Família. Built to house the Orfeó Català symphonic choir, today’s musical acts span from choral to pianists, jazz, flamenco, and operas such as La Traviata and Carmen. Ticket prices vary with notoriety, from around €18 ($22) to a bank-note-hitting €175 ($215) for a headline act. A key decision is whether to visit in daylight, for a tour, when the building is at its most spectacular, or at night, for a concert, when the music is." - Gemma Askham
"This art nouveau gem designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner has been Barcelona ’s preeminent music hall since its founding in 1908. Colorful ceramics, ornate sculptures, and busts of illustrious composers—Wagner, Beethoven, Bach—decorate the redbrick exterior, but that only hints at what you’ll find inside. Among the flamboyant details: walls and columns clad from floor to ceiling in floral-themed mosaic tiles, magnificent stained-glass windows, and, centered above the 2,000-seat main auditorium, an enormous, multicolored skylight that resembles an inverted dome. Seeing a classical concert here is a treat—the acoustics are superb—but you can also sign up for a 55-minute guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site; the cost is 18 euros (about $20)."
"An ornate concert hall whose evocative acoustics and intimate grandeur can move listeners to tears, offering emotionally charged performances that reconnect audiences with music and memory." - Mira T. Lee
"▲▲ Best Modernista interior in Barcelona." - Rick Steves' Europe
