2,500 enjoy Montserrat Millennium celebrations concert with Liceu Orchestra

More than 2,500 people enjoyed the concert to celebrate the Millennium anniversary of Montserrat, held in the Basilica of Santa Maria, with a performance from the Orchestra and Choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, accompanied by the Orfeó Català.

Around 400 people were part of the audience inside the temple, around 1,300 people gathered outside, and another 1,500 followed the concert live on the Montserrat YouTube channel.

Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, known as 'Resurrection', was performed under the baton of Josep Pons, an expert 'Mahlerist' and former Montserrat schoolboy.

The concert culminated with the triumphant hymn of 'Klopstock', a symbol of hope and spiritual transcendence in Mahler's music.

Mahler's 'Resurrection' is a musical journey from death to life, with choir, soloists, and orchestra on an unprecedented dramatic scale.

Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony lasts 80 minutes and is divided into five movements, with an orchestration of unusual dimensions and a palette of colours that builds a deeply moving narrative.

Josep Pons was also one of the few conductors invited by Universal Edition, the publisher of Gustav Mahler's music, to review the new editions.

Podcast 

Montserrat is a natural wonder, a rocky mountain range that rises from the plains of central Catalonia. It's a holy place, home to La Moreneta, the Virgin of Montserrat, and a Benedictine Abbey with a history stretching back one thousand years. Press play below to listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.