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© Gran Teatre del Liceu
Lise Davidsen and Matthias Goerne - Concert
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July 2025 | ||||||
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Symphonic Cycle of the Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
A gift for our audience and the announcement of something extraordinary for the opera world.
Farewell: a gesture, word, or expression of courtesy from one person to another when parting ways.
The departure of a loved one and dealing with ensuing frustration has been a subject in music throughout the centuries. It has become the perfect pretext for some great composers to write sublime moments in the repertoire.
Three Wagnerian examples place us before this proposed common thread: from King Marke's acceptance of his nephew Tristan's betrayal, to Brünnhilde's sleep as punishment for Wotan's marital disloyalty to Fricka, and finally Isolde's lament over Tristan's body: a death of infinite love in the face of its impossibility on Earth.
The lament, as a lyrical-pathetic figure that has dominated opera history, is a complaint against fate due to adversity.
Through externalizing pain, relief is sought. It has been central to the emotional expression in opera. Music serves as a bridge towards the disintegration of identity; art as an existential limit.
On the other hand, Richard Strauss's Vier letzte Lieder for soprano and orchestra was his final composition. His compositional farewell at the age of 82. A sonic testament, but also the final chapter of post-Romantic lyrical literature. Strauss did not live long enough to hear them. The premiere in London in 1950 featured Flagstad, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Wilhelm Furtwängler.
At the Liceu, we will have Josep Pons, a specialist in these repertoires, and two incomparable voices such as Lise Davidsen and Matthias Goerne.
Beloved by audiences worldwide, they will offer these lyrical gems for which they are authentic specialists. Lise Davidsen, hailed as the promise of her generation's finest Isolde, will present her first Liebestod at the Liceu. A gift for our audience and the announcement of something extraordinary for the opera world.
Program and cast
Soprano: Lise Davidsen
Tenor: Matthias Goerne
Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
Conductor: Josep Pons
Program
R. Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder
R. Wagner: Liebestod (Tristan und Isolde, Act III), King Marke's Lament (Tristan und Isolde, Act II), Wotan's Farewell (Die Walküre, Act III)
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Barcelona's opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was founded on the Rambla in 1847 and has continued over the years to fulfil its role as a culture and arts centre and one of the symbols of the city.
Today it is publicly-owned (by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte) and administered by the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu which, in addition to the aforementioned bodies, incorporates the Patronage Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu (the old society of owners).
Origins: From 1837 to 1847
The Liceu evolved out of the Sociedad Dramática de Aficionados (Society of theatre-lovers) set up in 1837 at the instigation of Manuel Gibert in the former convent of Montsió by members of the National Militia, an organization of armed citizens with liberal leanings.
Barcelona's economy and population were growing fast at the time and the city needed a music conservatory. This led to the conversion of the Sociedad Dramática into the Liceo Filármonico Dramático Barcelonés de S.M. la Reina Isabel II (Barcelona Dramatic and Philharmonic Lyceum of HM Queen Isabel II). In addition to its theatrical activities, the new organization cultivated Italian-style singing and music.
The building on the Rambla
The original building was solemnly opened on 4 April 1847. The plans had been drawn up by Miquel Garriga i Roca, subsequently assisted by Josep Oriol Mestres. The project was funded by selling shares, which meant that many of the boxes and seats were to be privately owned. The shareholders formed the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu, known as the “Societat de Propietaris” (Society of Owners), which was in sole charge of running the Gran Teatre del Liceu from 1855 onwards, after it was legally separated from the Conservatori del Gran Teatre del Liceu.
The theatre was operated by impresarios who were given a concession to stage a specific number of productions in exchange for the proceeds from the sale of tickets not reserved for the Societat itself. This system was to endure until 1980.
The creation of the Consortium
By the last quarter of the 20th century this management system was no longer viable. In 1980, to avert the danger of the disappearance of an institution of such worldwide cultural renown, the Generalitat Catalonia's first government in modern times – set up a consortium, the Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu, which also incorporated Barcelona City Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu. Barcelona Provincial Council joined the Consortium in 1985, followed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1986. From then on the Consortium took over operation of the theatre.
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