The seasons of Early Music, Chamber Music, Sampler Series, Amplificats, Escenes, Barcelona Symphony Band, the Servei Educatiu and the Museu de la Música in association with the OBC come together for several concerts resulting in unique offerings of exceedingly high artistic quality following the model used by major European establishments.

Four top-class batons for the Early Music season: King, Herreweghe, McCreesh and Savall
Jordi Savall will open the 17/18 season with Monteverdi’s Vespers in a concert to mark the culmination of the composer’s 450th anniversary celebrations. Maestro Savall will stage other major projects such as the St Mark Passion by Bach which, along with the Vespers, can only be heard at L’Auditori and the Philharmonie de Paris. The last major concert shall feature Le Concert des Nations performing Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks to close the season during the festival of Greek Theatre in Barcelona.

The Early Music season is the setting for the debut of mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux, supported by Les Musiciens du Louvre, with a programme based around the rivalry between the Opera of the Nobility and the Royal Academy of Music, London institutions led by Porpora and Handel respectively, two rival contemporaries from the world of opera. Another debut performance this season is that of Paul McCreesh, with the Gabrieli Consort & Players, who will be performing King Arthur by Purcell. This work will mark the end of the cycle dedicated to the English composer Purcell whose greatest works have been performed over the past few years at L’Auditori.

These include Dido & Aeneas by Robert King conducting his King’s Consort, who return to L’Auditori this season. On this occasion they will offer a musical reconstruction of the Coronation of King George II in 1727 at Westminster Abbey. A project which includes a highly successful recording, an adaptation of which has been specially designed for Hall 1 at L’Auditori.

Philippe Herreweghe returns to the symphonic hall at L’Auditori with the Collegium Vocale Gent, where they performed the St John Passion two years ago. On this occasion they will also offer a programme dedicated to Bach, to include two cantatas and the Missa brevis.



Gustavo Dudamel and the Vienna Philharmonic to stage a spectacular concert
Following the success of the emblematic New Year’s Eve concert, Gustavo Dudamel will be back with the Vienna Philharmonic staging one of L’Auditori’s biggest events of the 17/18 season. Dudamel became the youngest conductor ever to lead this traditional musical event, which is televised in over 90 different countries. L’Auditori is proud to present this prestigious conductor and one of the finest orchestras in the world in an extraordinary concert on 14 January 2018, featuring Adagio from Symphony No. 10 by Mahler and the Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz. In little over a month the number of tickets sold has exceeded 1,600.
A trio of aces on the piano and the celebration of 20 years of the Casals Quartet, in the Chamber Music season
The Chamber Music season at L’Auditori kicks off with a project which will leave its mark on the city’s musical history: The celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Casals Quartet with a performance of the complete string quartets by Beethoven. The project will be developed in association with the Wigmore Hall, London; Vienna Konzerthaus; Berlin Philharmonic; Stockholm Concert Hall; and the Spanish National Centre for the Diffusion of Music. Six exceptional concerts will also provide the opportunity to hear a new work, inspired by Beethoven’s string quartets, commissioned by each of the collaborators of this adventure.

The Chamber Music season will bring together three of today’s top pianists. Daniil Trifonov returns to perform a recital based on the homage paid to Chopin by Mompou and Rachmaninoff. The second major piano event of the season features Yuja Wang in a unique evening which includes the L’Auditori debut of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, cultural ambassador of the European Union. The trio of aces will be concluded with Lang Lang’s recital featuring a repertoire of some of the best Spanish composers: Albéniz, Granados and Falla whom he greatly admires.

The season is punctuated by visits from some of the most renowned artists on the concert circuit such as clarinettist Martin Fröst, who will be visiting L’Auditori for the first time as part of a project that started out with chamber music but extends to the OBC, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, cellist Andrei Ionita and oboist Lucas Macías.

One of the new additions this season is the cycle dedicated to Lied, staged in association with the Associació Franz Schubert, of the Schubertíada de Vilabertran, and the Spanish National Centre for the Diffusion of Music. It is a cycle of four annual Lied concerts which, over three seasons, will revisit the best of Schubert’s Lieder. The concerts will feature top young international talents, who have won major awards, such as Ilker Arcayurek, the tenor opening the cycle.

The Emergents Festival continues to grow and now includes Early Music and new music
The Emergents Barcelona Music Festival, which brings the best of new national and international talent to L’Auditori, takes things one step further in the 17/18 season by extending its programme to two weeks, from 3 to 11 April. Over 30 young artists will perform in L’Auditori’s concert halls in the second edition of this festival which brings together the country’s main music institutions: OBC, Barcelona Symphony Band, JONC, Young Musicians of Catalonia, ESMUC, Conservatori del Liceu, Taller de Músics, Maria Canals International Music Competition Barcelona, International Ancient Music Centre Foundation (CIMA) and ECHO.
One of the new features of this second edition is the addition of early music, with the creation of the Jove Capella Reial de Catalunya (Royal Youth Capella of Catalonia), led by conductor Jordi Savall, performing a concert dedicated to the first great Catalan Baroque composer, Joan Cererols. Also on the bill for the music festival is new music by the ESMUC Ensemble, who will perform a double concert, the first part with music by Xenakis and the second part led by free jazz pianist Agustí Fernandez. Both offerings include chamber music, symphonic music and jazz and mark the debuts of six soloists performing for the first time with the OBC and the Barcelona Symphony Band.

The Servei Educatiu debuts three concerts and a project which brings composers to the classroom
The 2017/2018 season sees the L’Auditori Servei Educatiu debut three concerts and a new project. Following the success of the Somnis de Músic concerts, it collaborates once again with JONC to launch Zoom; music-filled days under the guidance of choreographer Cesc Gelabert. Gelabert will work with the JONC youngsters over the academic year to prepare for this concert which will feature music by Britten, Stravinsky, Toldrà, Beethoven and Rameau and include an impressive stage presentation. Scenes from Childhood is another of this season’s new additions. An event for boys and girls aged 1 and over for which composer and musician Santi Careta revisits piano works which composers from different eras and styles such as Schumann, Mompou and Debussy wrote especially for children.
The interactive events from the Servei Educatiu also feature something new. This season sees the launch of “Come and sing the Rumba” with Los Sarandongos, a concert workshop offering families the chance to rehearse with members of the group and perform together in a concert, with support from a choir director.
One of the most ambitious projects for the forthcoming season is the Composers in the Classroom project, which is developed alongside the Sampler Series, in association with the Institute for Education Sciences of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). The project takes contemporary music into schools. Pupils, taking inspiration from selected works, create their own pieces which will be performed at L’Auditori following a visit to their classroom by the composers.
Cantània, the Servei Educatiu’s star project which is enjoyed by 50,000 boys and girls every season, will be led by composer Lluís Vidal and playwright Sergi Belbel. The cantata is entitled Partícules and tells the story of the creation of the universe. 34 concerts will be performed at L’Auditori and the project will tour Catalonia, Spain and even further afield. In 2018 Cantània will take place in Madrid and Portugal (Guimaraes).

The Barcelona Symphony Band ventures deep into the original concert band repertoire
The standard concert band repertoire will be a key part of the 17/18 season. Johan de Meij once again works with the Band as composer and director, presenting a programme that pays homage to Fellini. Another highlight is the presence of composer Ferrer Ferran and the interpretation of the gigantic David Maslanka Symphony. José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana will conduct the concert bringing both the Symphony Band and the ESMUC band to the stage.
This season the Barcelona Symphony Band will be accompanied by well-known pianists including Josep Colom, Marc Heredia and Pierre Réach, soloists such as Luís González, trumpet, OBC clarinettist Josep Fuster and the soprano Elena Copons, to name but a few. Home-grown music is well represented with a debut performance of Trincameró by Joan Lluís Moraleda, a spectacular showcase piece for three tenors and concert band, and the debut of a work by young composer Marc Migó. In March, the concert band will be joined by 250 voices to perform John Rutter’s spectacular Magnificat as part of the Catalonia Youth Choirs Gathering. The Barcelona Symphony Band will open and close the season paying homage to two major American composers: Gershwin and Bernstein. Film music lovers can enjoy a selection of film soundtracks by John Williams, including Star Wars, in one of the most epic concerts this year. A season led by the baton of the Band’s principal conductor Salvador Brotons.

Sampler Series established as Barcelona’s biggest regular season of new sound creation
The 17/18 Sampler Series programme kicks off with a joint project with ESCENES. The project is a collaboration between dancer and choreographer Albert Quesada and composer Octavi Rumbau. It’s time is the name of the jointly created project piece and is the result of over two years of collaborative work. The piece features three dancers, a string trio, percussion and electronics performed by Funkiton and Miquel Bernat, and explores the perception of time through the fusion of music and dance. In addition, the season’s guest composer will be Octavi Rumau.

International collaboration this season will be focused on Vienna with the L’Auditori debut of one of the leading contemporary music ensembles in the world: the Klangforum Wien. The Austrian chamber orchestra, conducted by Emilio Pomárico, presents one of the most notable works from the new millennium: In Vain by Austrian composer G.F. Haas, premiered and recorded by the Klangforum itself. The focus on Vienna will be concluded with the debut of the ensemble PHACE. The Sampler Series will be presenting many more projects throughout the year, such as the Spanish premiere of Supercodex (live set and video), by Japanese artist Rioji Ikeda, the visit of Peter Evans performing in a trio, the monograph concert dedicated to composer and sound artist Alvin Lucier, the Hèctor Parra piece which will bring together the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the OBC, and the collaboration with the Sonar Festival as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.

Amplificats and Escenes commit to creating and working on in-house projects
L’Auditori builds on its Jazz Sessions with a solid programme comprising more than twenty concerts over the year. The 17/18 season includes offerings that range from free jazz to more traditional jazz, and even some flamenco fusion. As part of the Jazz Sessions, L’Auditori are focusing on new music and working on ‘Revisitings’ which offer a fresh look at classic repertoires or timeless recordings from the history of music seen from a jazz perspective. This year the ‘Revisitings’ will feature Toni Vaquer, Ramon Prats, Jordi Matas from the band Seward, and Marco Mezquida. Next season L’Auditori will collaborate with some of the city’s key festivals.

Escenes, the part of the programme which facilitates dialogue between live music and performing arts, will next season focus on projects with artists including performer and choreographer Sònia Gómez, the Catalan band Astrio, traditional music artists Pau Puig and Pere Gumbau, dancer and choreographer Lali Ayguadé, Jordi Matas of Seward, composer Octavi Rumbau and dancer Albert Quesada, to name a few. The Amplificats and Escenes programme will be available in full from September.