Peralada Festival announces summer program of 14 concerts
Catalan and international classical musicians to perform at north Catalan music festival from July 19-August 11
The Peralada International Music Festival returns to northern Catalonia this summer between July 19 and August 11.
The festival will last for thirteen nights, with a total of 14 shows to delight audiences, featuring big names in opera, classical music, and dance.
Polish tenor Piotr Bezala will open the festival alongside pianist Sarah Tysman. Also performing are Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, Italian Anna Pirozzi, Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, and Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, who will close the festival.
Catalan artists will also take the stage. Soprano Sara Blanch will be accompanied by Italian baritone Pablo Bordogna and the Chamber Choir of the Palau de la Música Catalana. This choir will present the concert 'Renaissance Reloaded'.
In preparation for the concert, young composers revisited the Renaissance polyphony and counterpoint of Claudio Monteverdi’s 'Intorno a due vermiglie e vaghe labbra' and rewrote it in their own language.
This year, Catalan musician Jordi Savall also returns to present his new work, a program of Renaissance composers and instrumentalists from the Elizabethan era.
Surprises at the festival
The festival will have two surprises. The first is the filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, to whom the festival will dedicate a themed night with the musical show "Pasión Almodóvar". The Madrid-born singer Pasión Vega will perform songs from the soundtracks of the director's filmography.
The other new feature to this year’s edition is the newly created opera "Don Juan no existe. Sobre lo que olvidamos y lo que permanece", by the young composer Helena Cánovas. It is a co-production of Barcelona's Liceu Opera House, Madrid's Teatro Real, and Seville's Teatro de Maestranza, and pays tribute to all the women who have been erased from history for the simple reason that they were born women.
One Castle, many scenarios
The stage will be the emblematic Castell de Peralada, but organizers want to take advantage of all the spaces the grounds offer, including the church of Carme, the castle viewpoint, and the gardens of the Peralada Wine Cellar with proposals that include a gastronomic tasting.
The viewpoint of the castle will host dance performances from the likes of Cuban partner Acosta Danza and Catalan choreographer Aleix Martinez.
With a budget of €2.2 million, Peralada wants to take artistic creation out of the comfort zone.