Barcelona information
The city of all musics
Music is a major part of the cultural activity
of ht city. In recent years there has been a significant increase
in the range of classical music on offer thanks to the opening
of new facilities such as the Auditori (home to the Orquesta Simfònica
de Barcelona, and the Conservatori, and future site of the Museu
de la Música, the Liceu (which since reopening has diversified
its programme to include concerts and recitals), the Sala Winterthur,
the Auditori of the Caixa de Catalunya in the Pedrera, or the
Auditori of the Centre Cultural of the Fundació La Caixa, among
others. Alongside these, the city has other concert venues with
an even longer history, such as the el Palau de la Música, with
a new extension currently in construction.
There have recently been a number of new initiatives in the realm of contemporary and experimental music, such as the Festival of Contemporary Musics (performing work by composers of the present century), the Sónar Festival of Advanced Musics (with a focus on the relations between music and new technologies), BAM (a major showcase for the independent music scene), and Gràcia Territori Sonor (a project in the Gràcia district centred on experimental music). All of these initiatives, conceived as a stimulus to the latest forms of musical creativity, complement the city's more 'mainstream' music activities.
Another area of increasing interest is up-and-coming music, which the city actively promotes through the Urban Musics programme Músiques urbanes + a prop.
In the private sector, Barcelona has a host of venues staging
live music, among which are clubs specializing in jazz and other
related initiatives. The city is also an important point on the
tour circuits of international pop and rock stars, and the city
was set to host the MTV Europe Awards in November 2002.
All of the richness of this musical diversity is symbolized each
year in the Festa de la Música, which takes music out onto the
streets of the city in a whole range of different settings, with
the involvement of an ever-increasing number of professional and
amateur musicians, visitors to the city, and the people of Barcelona
themselves.