Barcelona Opera House launches streaming service

Gran Teatre del Liceu to premiere platform with an Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris concert directed by Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel directing “Il Trovatore” at Liceu de Barcelona on October 1, 2021 (by Liceu)
Gustavo Dudamel directing “Il Trovatore” at Liceu de Barcelona on October 1, 2021 (by Liceu) / Gerard Escaich Folch

Gerard Escaich Folch | Barcelona

November 16, 2021 04:46 PM

The Barcelona Opera House, Gran Teatre del Liceu, will launch a streaming service, Liceu+, on Sunday 21, November, which will premiere with the first international concert of Gustavo Dudamel directing Paris' Orchestre de l'Opéra National. The program will include pieces of Mozart, and two French composers: Maurice Ravel and Hector Berlioz.

Liceu + will be a free service for registered users that will allow them to enjoy the opera house's audiovisual content, such as exclusive interviews, featured stories, shows, and historic events to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the cultural landmark on the Catalan capital's Las Ramblas boulevard.

The project, according to Liceu, aims to "offer open content to make opera more accessible."

Content, which can be accessed on the Liceu+ website, Android and iOS mobile apps, and using Smart TVs, will be published in Catalan, Spanish, and English, with subtitles available in all three languages. Liceu+ will also have podcasts in Catalan and Spanish.

This comes after a 20-year history of live streaming operas to several cinemas across the globe. Back in 2001, Liceu staged La Traviata as the first of several concerts that followed on the big screen, like Macbeth (2016) or Romeo and Juliet (2018).

The Opera House in Barcelona has been home to international artists like Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Montserrat Caballé, the Catalan soprano most associated with the Liceu.