El Palau de la Música Catalana

C/ de Sant Francesc de Paula 2
Barcelona
Catalunya
Spain
93 295 72 00

Type: Architectural Interest
Addmission Fee: Entry 7 Euro
Hours: Mon.-Sun. 10:00 am -3:30 pm

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The acute attention to detail of Lluís Domènech I Montaner’s Modernist music hall is dizzying. A leading modernist architect, Domènech’s masterpiece does for music through architectural symbolism what Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia does for religion. Unfortunately it is hard to get a satisfying look at the heralded hall as it is crowded by tall residences on a narrow Ribera street. To lessen the claustrophobia and make way for recent extensions, including a new underground, 600-capacity auditorium designed by Carlos Díaz and Òscar Tusquets, the Iglesia de Sant Francesc de Paula next door was recently demolished. That such a historical site in its own right would be destroyed to accommodate the opera hall is testament to the hall’s place among the greatest of Barcelona’s monuments. The exterior consists of two façades bearing a bright array of mosaics joined at the corner by Miquel Blay’s lively sculpture, La Cancó Popular, a tribute to popular Catalan song. A central colonnade is marked by floral embellishment and supports the busts of three famous composers – from left to right, Palestrina, Bach and Beethoven. Inside, a fantastic mural by Massot adorns the vestibule; winged horses careen toward the ceiling; support arches depict popular musical genres; a colorful row of muses play traditional instruments over the apse-shaped stage with its elegant pipe organ; and an inverted cupola of stained glass lightens the already festive mood of the auditorium. Even the bathrooms of the Lluís Millet Hall, named for the founder of the 100-year-old resident choir Orfeó Català, make tending to business an elegant affair. Performances are held throughout the year, normally two to three times per week; tickets can cost well over 200 Euro, depending on the performance. A guided tour is a much more affordable way to experience the space.