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We took a 1 hour guided tour, the guide was very knowledgeable and keen to share information. Its easy to miss this place, as its hidden in the Gothic quarter. Fantastic to see the light effects and the glass ceiling is stunning. Certainly worth a visit.
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Date of experience: October 2020
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Flyawhey | Health & Travel Blog wrote a review Jan. 10
Lexington, Kentucky151 contributions11 helpful votes
I arrived right when it was opening at 8 am, so the staff was still cleaning and preparing for visitors for the day. While there isn't much information on display for visitors (lack of clarity and help from the workers), it was still a marvelous visit. It's very beautiful and the theater itself is jaw-dropping. From what I can remember, you can only access the top part of the theater, so that's the only view you're going to get.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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After visiting the hospital of Sao Pau, the visit to the Palace of Catalan music was a foregone conclusion. The style of Luis Domenech y Montaner does not leave anyone indifferent. UNESCO in 1997 equated it with Gaudi recognizing these two architectural masterpieces as world heritage. There are two ways to visit the Palace: take a ticket to a concert or go on a guided tour. The former is clearly preferable, because the emotional impact of Domenech-y-Montaner interiors with music will certainly be stronger. However, there were no tickets and I had to limit myself to a tour. 50-minute guided tours take place in groups of up to 50 people every 30 minutes. It costs 18 euros. 3 euros more than the Louvre with its 200 thousand square meters. m. Barcelona is not for poor tourists. Already the lobby with a bar in the middle is amazing. Then you are taken to the small hall for an introductory story about the Palace. Admiration builds up on the stairs. The tour culminates in a concert hall. Everything is impressive here, but especially the giant dome curved inwards, made of colored glass mosaic. The colors of the mosaic are chosen in such a way that the audience has the effect of being in the open air, because this is the only concert hall in Europe with natural light. In the center of the dome, the Golden mosaic represents the Sun, and the blue shades used around it represent the sky. Wide arcades soar above the rows of seats in the upper gallery, and intricate moldings frame the stage, 18 statues symbolizing the Greek muses, and Wagner's Valkyries are located here. The organ pipes on the wall symbolize masculinity. The hall can accommodate 2,200 people, but as I mentioned, it is not easy to get into their number.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
1 Helpful vote
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The Palace of music in Barcelona is a concert hall. His first goal is to host choral concert, symphonic music and recitals. The palace houses a big concert hall with beautiful sculptures on two floors. What I prefer there is the architecture. Mosaic colums are very beautiful and colorful and the magnificent stained glass skyligh is the real star of the building. Furthermore, the district is a very good place to visit too. I loved visiting this monument and my journey in Barcelona was wonderful and very fun!…
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Date of experience: July 2020
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The Palace of Music or Palau de la Musica was located below the more expensive Catalonia square so the singers and musicians could afford to live near the the palace where they worked. We found the entrance to, what seemed to me to be an unassuming red brick and glass Modernist exterior, tucked away from the main Via Laietana. As we approached we were greeted by the statue of St George, the patron saint of Catalonia and Barcelona but once we stepped inside I knew we had stumbled upon something very special. The music palace, called an architectural jewel, is the only concert hall listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, holding approximately 600 concerts each year. It was designed by architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, for the Orfeo Catala, a choral society founded in 1891 that became an important part of the Catalan cultural movement known as the Renaixenca. The project was financed primarily by the society. There was something ‘Gaudiesque’ in the design with so many elements of nature, natural light and airiness inside. Our guide told us that he was Gaudi’s teacher for awhile, which made sense to me. From the foyer to the stairs up to the beautiful Lluis Millet Hall where we began our tour, I began to notice roses carved in detail along railings, as ceiling elements, balustrades and even in the numerous tiles on the walls, floors, ceilings and in stained glass windows. I soon found out there are more than 2,000 roses throughout the palace, a tribute to the legend of St. George. On St. George Day, it is tradition for the Catalan people to exchange roses and books. Our guide added that Shakespeare, important to the Catalan people, died on that day. There is an impressive chandelier hanging from the ceiling in this hall but what impressed me more was the balcony with its colorful and ornately tiled columns. From the Lluis Millet Hall we heard strains of choral music coming from the concert hall, and as we entered the hall I was delighted to listen to a choir rehearsal practicing for an upcoming event! What a treat to listen to the sounds of the choir in this concert hall designed specifically for choral singers. Once inside we quietly took our seats to enjoy this little bonus. There are few straight lines in the palace, intentionally designed for music acoustics. “The Palace is surrounded primarily with glass and ceramics, generally not considered good for acoustics but curves help”, said our guide, however it is renowned world wide and accepted as having unsurpassed acoustics. The design, called a ‘box of light’ was intended for more light to come inside flooding the interior with color streaming in from the stained glass ‘sun’ on the ceiling as well as the beautiful glass windows surrounding the theater, creating a magical, even etherial space. This intention challenged the structural integrity of the building making the success of the final design even more impressive. The Rise of the ‘Catalonia ceiling’ over the 'eternal garden' is flanked by Pegasus horses, statues referring to glory and success. To the left of the stage is a large bust of Josep Anselm Clave, an important force in the world of Catalan choral music; on the right, a smaller bust of Beethoven represents classical music, with Vagner’s Ride of the Valkyries looming over his head. The larger sculpture of Clave is intended to demonstrate that Catalan music trumps any foreign creation. Eighteen female muses project from the wall behind the stage, each carrying an historic musical instrument representing the different styles from around the world. The collection of sculptures is brought together with a colorful blending of mosaic tiles by Eusebi Arnau and Louis Bru. Above the muses hangs an enormous, recently restored, organ from Germany with 3,700 powerful pipes. We were treated to a sampling of Handel that easily filled the enormous 2,146 seat concert hall wit sound. I found it interesting to learn that music is sent by wifi from the stage for recording. All in all I found it an overwhelming, mystical musical experience and look forward to our concert here tonight! Before leaving we stayed for a video of the history of the Palau. Worth watching! We came back at night to hear Barcelona Guitar Trio & Dance, an homage to Paco de Lucia. The three internationally renowned guitarists, the maestros Manuel González, Xavier Coll and Luis Robisco played a selection of the works of Isaac Albéniz, Federico García Lorca, Chick Corea and Manuel de Falla. Sitting on the stage with these guitarists was “one of the most exciting pairs of flamenco dancers in the country” (yes more flamenco!). This combination of artists delivered an unforgettable tribute to Paco de Lucía fusing both the exciting flamenco dance with these Spanish guitarists. These artists, playing in the renowned music hall, created a total environment that made us feel the passionate music of Barcelona and its Spanish heritage. Our seats were perfectly centered in the balcony to give us the best view of the Flamenco dancers as well as listening to the guitarists. Sitting in the upper reaches of the concert hall also gave me opportunity to better see the dazzlingly illuminated lights from the stained glass ceiling. I only wish they did not use mics because the acoustics in this hall were sufficient to clearly hear the natural staccato but the mics were turned on too loud distorting somewhat the sounds we wanted to hear, but it was an amazing evening that I highly recommend to anyone wanting to get fully absorbed in the culture of this remarkable heritage. To get a taste of these talented artists you can go to YouTube: Barcelona Guitar Trio - Entre dos Aguas (Homenaje a Paco de Lucía). Enjoy!…
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Date of experience: November 2019
2 Helpful votes
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