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'{{Short description|Opera house in Barcelona, Spain}} {{Redirect|Liceo|the Italian school type|Liceo (Italian school)|the Romanian school type|Liceu (Romanian school)|other school types|Lyceum||Lyceum (disambiguation)|and|Lyceum Theatre (disambiguation)}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox venue |name = Gran Teatre del Liceu |image = Liceu.jpg |caption = Liceu façade (2006) |address = [[La Rambla, Barcelona|La Rambla]], 51–59 |city = [[Ciutat Vella]], [[Barcelona]] |country = Spain |designation = |pushpin_map = Spain Barcelona |latitude = |longitude = |architect = Miquel Garriga i Roca (1847), Josep Oriol Mestres (1862), [[Ignasi de Solà-Morales]] (1999) |owner = Public theatre |capacity = 2,292 seats on 6 levels |type = Opera House |opened = 1847 (founded 1837 in another place) |yearsactive = Active |rebuilt = 1862, 1999 (after fires in 1861 and 1994) |closed = |othernames = Teatro del Liceo de Montesión (1837–1847) |production = Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu |currentuse = |website = {{URL|http://www.liceubarcelona.cat/ www.liceubarcelona.cat}} }} The '''Gran Teatre del Liceu''' ({{IPA-ca|ˈɡɾan teˈatɾə ðəl liˈsɛw}}, English: Great Theatre of the Lyceum), or '''Liceu''' for short, is an [[opera]] house on [[La Rambla, Barcelona|La Rambla]] in [[Barcelona]], [[Catalonia]], Spain. The Liceu opened on 4 April 1847. The adjacent [[Liceu metro station]] is named after the theatre. ==History== ===Origins (1837–1847)=== In 1837, the ''[[Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu|Liceo Filodramático de Montesión]]'' (Philodramatic Lyceum of Montesión, now named ''Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu'') was founded in Barcelona to promote musical education (hence the name "Liceo", or [[lyceum]]) and organize scenic representations of opera performed by Liceo students. A theatre was built in the convent building — named ''Teatro de Montesión'' or ''Teatro del Liceo de Montesión'' — and plays and operas were performed: the first was [[Vicenzo Bellini]]'s ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'' (3 February 1838). The repertoire was Italian, the most performed composers being [[Donizetti]] and [[Saverio Mercadante|Mercadante]] as well as Bellini and [[Gioacchino Rossini|Rossini]]. The Barcelona premiere of [[Ferdinand Hérold|Hérold]]'s ''[[Zampa]]'' was held here. In 1838, the society changed its name to ''Liceo Dramático Filarmónico de S. M. la Reina Isabel II'' (Dramatic Philharmonic Lyceum of H.M. Queen Isabel II). Lack of space, as well as pressures brought to bear by a group of nuns (who were the former proprietors of the convent and had recovered rights to return), motivated the Liceu to leave its headquarters in 1844. The last theatre performance was on 8 September. The Trinitarian convent building located in the centre of the town at [[La Rambla, Barcelona|la Rambla]] was purchased. The managers of the Liceu entrusted Joaquim de Gispert d'Anglí with a project to make the construction of the new building viable. Two different societies were created: a "building society" and an "auxiliary building society". Shareholders of the building society obtained the right of use ''in perpetuity'' of some theatre boxes and seats in exchange for their economic contributions. Those of the second society contributed the rest of the money necessary in exchange for property of other spaces in the building including some shops and a private club called the ''Círculo del Liceo''. In contrast with many other European cities, where the monarchy took on the responsibility of the building and upkeep of opera houses, the Liceu was funded by private shareholders of what would become the ''Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu'' (Great Liceu Theatre Society), organized similarly to a trading company or ''societat''. This is reflected in the building's architecture; for example, there exists no royal box. The Queen did not contribute to the construction, so the name of the society was changed to ''Liceo Filarmónico Dramático'', removing the Queen's name from it. [[Miquel Garriga i Roca]] was the architect contracted; the construction began on 11 April 1845. The theatre was inaugurated on 4 April 1847. ===Opening, fire and rebuilding (1847–1862)=== [[File:Liceu1847Norma.jpg|thumb|left|View of the house from the stage, 1847]] The inauguration presented a mixed program including the [[premiere]]s of José Melchior Gomis' musical [[ouverture]], a historical play ''Don Fernando de Antequera'' by Ventura de la Vega, the ballet ''La rondeña'' (''The girl from Ronda'') by Josep Jurch, and a [[cantata]] ''Il regio himene'' with music by the musical director of the theatre [[Marià Obiols]]. The first complete opera, [[Gaetano Donizetti|Donizetti]]'s ''[[Anna Bolena]]'' was presented on 17 April. At this point, Liceu was the biggest opera house in Europe with 3,500 seats. Other operas performed in the Liceu during the first year were (in chronological order): ''[[I due Foscari]]'' (Verdi), ''Il bravo'' (Mercadante), ''Parisina d'Este'' (Donizetti), ''[[Giovanna d'Arco]]'' (Verdi), ''Leonora'' (Mercadante), ''[[Ernani]]'' (Verdi), ''Norma'' (Bellini), ''[[Linda di Chamounix]]'' (Donizetti) and ''[[The Barber of Seville|Il barbiere di Siviglia]]'' (Rossini). The building was severely damaged by fire on 9 April 1861, but it was rebuilt by the architect [[Josep Oriol Mestres]] and re-opened on 20 April 1862, performing Bellini's ''[[I puritani]]''. From the old building, only the facade, the entrance hall and the [[foyer]] (Mirrors Hall) remained. {{clear}} ===Bombing and civil war (1862–1940)=== [[Image:Liceubomb.jpg|thumb|Explosion of Liceu of Barcelona by the anarchist Santiago Salvador in the cover of the newspaper ''Le Petit Journal'', 1893]] On 7 November 1893, on the opening night of the season and during the second act of the opera [[William Tell (opera)|''Guillaume Tell'']] by Rossini, two [[Orsini bomb]]s were thrown into the stalls of the opera house. Only one of the bombs exploded; some twenty people were killed and many more were injured. The attack executed by [[anarchism|anarchist]] [[Santiago Salvador]] and it deeply shocked Barcelona, becoming a symbol of the turbulent social unrest of the time. The Liceu re-opened its doors on 18 January 1894, but the seats occupied by those killed were not used for a number of years. The second bomb was put in the Van Gogh Museum in 2007 during an exhibit on ''Barcelona around 1900''. In 1909, the auditorium ornamentation was renewed. Spanish neutrality during World War I allowed the Catalan textile industry to amass enormous wealth through supplying the warring parties. The 1920s were prosperous years and the Liceu became fully established as a leading opera house welcoming better singers, the orchestra leaders of the time and companies such as [[Sergei Diaghilev]]'s [[Ballets Russes]]. When the [[Second Spanish Republic]] was proclaimed in 1931, political instability meant that the Liceu suffered a severe financial crisis which was only overcome through subsidies from Barcelona City Council and the government of [[Catalonia]]. During the [[Spanish Civil War]], the Liceu was [[Nationalization|nationalized]] and took the name the Teatre del Liceu – Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (Liceu Opera House – the National Theatre of Catalonia). The opera seasons were suspended. After the war, it was returned to its original owners in 1939. ==="Silver Age" and crisis (1940–1980)=== From 1940 to the 1960s, the seasons were high-quality ones. 1955, thanks to the creation of a special board, saw a historic event when for the first time since its foundation, the [[Bayreuth Festival]] was staged away from its normal venue. Performances of ''[[Parsifal]]'', ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'' and ''[[Die Walküre]]'' with innovative stage sets by [[Wieland Wagner]] were enthusiastically received. In the 1970s, an economic crisis affected the theatre and the privately based organisation could not afford the increasing budgets of modern opera productions and general quality declined. ===New direction and second fire (1980–1994)=== The death of {{Interlanguage link multi|Joan Antoni Pàmias|es}} in 1980 revealed the need for the intervention of the official bodies if the institution was to remain a leading opera house. In 1981, the [[Generalitat de Catalunya]], with Barcelona's City Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu, created the Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu (Consortium of the Great Liceu Theater) responsible for the theatre's management. The Deputation of Barcelona and the Spanish Ministry of Culture joined the Consortium in 1985 and 1986 respectively. The Consortium managed to quickly attract the public back to the Liceu owing to a considerable improvement in its artistic standard. This included a more complete and up-to-date perspective of the very nature of an opera performance, a great improvement in the choir and orchestra, careful casting, and attracting the interest of the public to other aspects of productions besides the leading roles alone. This approach, coupled with the new economic support and a more demanding and discerning public, resulted in a high standard of productions. The seasons organised by the Consortium maintained high standards in casting, production and public loyalty, as measured by public attendance, but all this came to a halt with a fire on 31 January 1994. The building was destroyed by a fire caused by a spark that accidentally fell on the curtain during a routine repair. At this time, [[Paul Hindemith]]'s ''[[Mathis der Maler]]'' was performing at the theatre and the following opera to be performed was [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]]'s ''[[Turandot]]''. Public and institutional response was unanimous on the need to rebuild a new opera house on the same site with improved facilities. The new Liceu is the result of a series of actions to preserve those parts of the building unaffected by the fire, the same ones as had survived the fire in 1861. The auditorium was rebuilt with the same layout, except for the roof paintings which were replaced with new art works by [[Perejaume]], and state-of-the-art stage technology. To rebuild and improve the theatre, it became public. The ''Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu'' (Liceu Great Theater Foundation) was created and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu handed over the ownership of the building to the Foundation. Some owners disagreed with the decision, which was challenged unsuccessfully in court. ===Reopening (1994–present)=== [[Image:Liceu - Interior.jpg|thumb|left|Interior of the Gran Teatre del Liceu after the 1999 rebuilding|205x205px]] From 1994 until the reopening in 1999, the opera seasons in Barcelona took place in [[Palau Sant Jordi]] arena (some large-scale performances in 1994), [[Palau de la Música Catalana]], and Teatre Victòria. The rebuilt, improved and expanded theatre opened on 7 October 1999, with [[Puccini]]'s ''[[Turandot]]'', the opera that had been next on the program at the time of the 1994 fire. The new venue had the same traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium as before but with greatly improved technical, rehearsal, office and educational facilities, a new rehearsal hall, a new chamber opera and small performances' hall, and much more public space. Architects for the rebuilding project were [[Ignasi de Solà-Morales]] and Xavier Fabré i Lluís Dilmé. [[Surtitle]]s, projected onto a screen above the proscenium, are used for all opera performances and some [[lieder]] concerts. The [[Electronic libretto|electronic libretto system]] provides translations (to English, Spanish or Catalan) onto small individual monitors for most of the seats. During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, the opera house marked Spain's lifting of regulations by playing for an audience of 2,292 plants. The event was livestreamed on social media. Each plant was then donated to healthcare workers at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Jack |last=Guy|title=Barcelona opera house reopens with performance to 2,292 plants|url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/barcelona-opera-plants-scli-intl/index.html|access-date=24 June 2020|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref> ==Opera house building== The theatre is in [[La Rambla, Barcelona|la Rambla]], in downtown Barcelona. The building has only two facades as the other two sides were limited, until 1994, by dwelling buildings. Some parts of the first building remain: *The main facade in [[La Rambla, Barcelona|la Rambla]] (1847). *The hall and the staircase (1861), with a Vallmitjana's statue of the Music (1901). *The foyer (Saló de Miralls or Mirrors Hall) (1847). It preserves romantic ornamentation with round paintings of musicians, singers and dancers from that time of [[Giuditta Pasta|Pasta]], [[Giovanni Battista Rubini|Rubini]], [[Donizetti]], [[Vincenzo Bellini|Bellini]], [[Gluck]], [[Marie Taglioni]]. It was partially redecorated in 1877 by Elies Rogent and the roof painting, with the [[Parnassus]], is from this period. [[Image:Saló dels Miralls (Gran Teatre del Liceu).jpg|thumb|right|Foyer of Gran Teatre del Liceu, named Saló dels Miralls (Mirrors Hall), preserved from the 1994 fire.]] The auditorium was rebuilt after the 1994 fire; it is a faithful recreation of the 1861 auditorium, with some improvements{{Clarify|reason=|date=June 2020}}. It has a seat capacity of 2,292, making it one of the largest opera houses in Europe. It is a typical Italian horseshoe-shaped theatre. Maximum length and width are 33 and 27 m. There is a platea (main floor) and five tiers (or balconies). Boxes, with small rooms attached, are in the fore stage, in the platea and in some galleries. There is no significant physical divisions among boxes: only a low screen separates one box from another. No columns are in the theatre apart from inside the platea giving the appearance of the galleries of a golden horseshoe without visual interruptions. Another peculiarity is in the first gallery where the ''amfiteatre ubicare'' is located. This is a projecting part of this gallery, with a less pronounced horseshoe shape, that allows three ranks of seats to be located there and are considered the best in the theatre. Building expenses were covered by the sale of boxes and seats. Boxes were lavishly decorated by their owners but they disappeared in the 1994 fire. Upper balconies (4th and 5th tiers) are the cheapest seats and are called the ''galliner'' (literally "henroost").{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} <!--''Hide until picture can be found'': [[Image:AUtrilloLiceo.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Small room in a box of the Gran Teatre del Liceu; before the 1994 fire, all the boxes in the theatre were ornated by different artists (this was by A. Utrillo). They disappeared with the fire.]] --> The fore stage, or proscenium, reproduces the old one which was rebuilt in 1909. It has a big central arch with two Corinthian columns on both sides and, among the columns, four tiers of boxes parapets with the wider and more luxurious boxes in the theatre being called ''banyeres'' (literally "bathtubs"). The auditorium ornamentation reproduces that of 1909: sumptuous with golden and poly chromed plaster moldings, as usual in 19th-century European theatres. Lamps are of brass and glass in the shape of a drake. Armchairs on the main floor are made of strained iron and red velvet. In the rebuilding some modern features were introduced. The eight circular paintings in the roof, and the three in the fore stage, were all lost in the fire and have been re-created by contemporary artist [[Perejaume]]. The stage curtain is a work of the Catalan designer {{Interlanguage link multi|Antoni Miró|ca}}. The new hemispheric lamp in the center of the roof is a platform for technological facilities (lighting, sound and computer). Other technological facilities are control and projecting cabins in some balconies, a "technical floor" over the roof, and high-tech equipment to record and broadcast performances. With computerized cameras, the auditorium could also be used as a television set. Stage facilities are among the most modern and allow quick scene changes and to perform four different sets simultaneously. A new foyer has been built under the main auditorium. It is a room where the main bar and the restaurant are located and is also used to stage concerts, small format performances, lectures, cultural activities, and meetings etc. ==Artistic history== ===Performed works=== [[Image:Gaetano Donizetti Kriehuber.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gaetano Donizetti]], composer of ''[[Anna Bolena]]'', the first opera performed at the Liceu.]] At present, the Liceu is both a [[receiving house|receiving]] and [[producing house]], with two or three new productions staged each year. The Liceu company consists of a permanent [[orchestra]] and [[choir]] and some singers for the supporting roles. Leading roles are usually sung by guest singers. [[Stagecraft]] is in part produced internally by the theatre (alone or together with other opera houses) and also rented from other external houses. Until the 1990s, Liceu had its ballet company which was at its best in the 1920–1930s under Joan Magriñà. Most of the performed operas were from the Italian and German schools of the 19th century: [[Verdi]], [[Wagner]], [[Belcanto]] authors and in more recent times [[Puccini]], [[Richard Strauss]] and [[Mozart]] are included. The history of Liceu premieres is a good instance of the evolution of European opera tastes. At first opera was only a part of the artistic activities and opera alternated with other forms of performance such [[zarzuela]] (Spanish light opera), classical dance (''[[Giselle]]'' was given its first Barcelona performance in 1847), theatrical performances, magic shows and numerous activities which today might appear more appropriate for a variety concert or a music hall. The first performed operas, [[Donizetti]]'s ''[[Anna Bolena]]'' and Verdi's ''[[I due Foscari]]'', are symptomatic of the taste for belcanto and Italian romantic melodrama: [[Rossini]], Donizetti, [[Vincenzo Bellini|Bellini]], and Verdi etc. They are still in the repertory, and Verdi is by far the most performed composer. The first operas by non-Italian composers which were put on in the Liceu were [[Ferdinand Hérold]]'s ''Zampa'' (1848), [[Carl Maria von Weber]]'s ''[[Der Freischütz]]'' (1849), Giacomo [[Meyerbeer]]'s ''Robert le diable'', Auber's ''La muette de Portici'' (1852) and ''Fra Diavolo'' (1853). These were sung in Italian as was the custom of the time. The first performances of ''[[Il trovatore]]'' (1854) and ''[[La traviata]]'' (1855) led to the crowning of [[Giuseppe Verdi]] as the king of opera. In 1866 Mozart was staged at the Liceu for the first time with ''Don Giovanni''. 1883 is a landmark when [[Wagner]]'s ''[[Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]'' is first performed. From there, and especially from the 1880s to 1950s, Wagner become one of the most beloved and highly regarded composers at Liceu. The theatre had the first staged performance of ''[[Parsifal]]'' outside [[Bayreuth]] on 31 December 1913, after the Bayreuth monopoly ended (although performance started 30 minutes before the deadline of 00:00 on 1 January 1914) with Francesc Viñas in the title role and conducted by Franz Beidler. In 1955, the [[Bayreuth Festival]] company visited the theatre and performed three operas. [[Verismo]], especially Puccini, is an esteemed school from the end of 19th century. The first Russian opera was given in 1915 with a great success; [[Mussorgsky]], [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Tchaikovsky]] being often performed. The first years of the 20th century saw [[Richard Strauss]] conducting his works. In 1904, [[Siegfried Wagner]] conducted a concert and a year afterwards [[Pietro Mascagni]] conducted a work. In 1915, [[impresario]] Mestres Calvet broadened the repertory and introduced composers such as Mozart, Richard Strauss, [[de Falla]], [[Stravinsky]], etc. It was a golden age for Russian and German operas which were now sung in their original language. Mestres also was closely associated with the success commencing in 1917 with the ballets of [[Diaghilev]], with Nijinsky, Massine, Lopokova, Chernicheva and other great figures. Years later another famous dancer, [[Anna Pavlova]], was also to perform here. In 1947, the directing company changed and came into the hands of Arquer and Pàmias. In contrast with the preceding years, which had been marked by the almost exclusive programming of the great repertory works, the first season of the new directorship saw a special renewal of the repertoire featuring the first performances in Barcelona of some 100 works by numerous composers. Various revivals featured Donizetti's ''[[Anna Bolena]]'', which had first been staged in the Liceu one hundred years earlier. For 33 years, Pàmias was the leading figure of the Liceu's activity during a period when it seemed that it would be impossible to maintain the opera house without any official aid. From the 1950s to the present, the repertory has largely comprised the most performed titles in the world, including practically all the great 20th-century composers: Bartók, Honegger, Gershwin, Berg, Janáček, Weill, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Britten, [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schönberg]], [[Hindemith]], etc., along with [[Baroque]] and [[classicism|classical]] composers [[Monteverdi]], [[Handel]] and [[Gluck]]. Ballet seasons are an important part of the theatre's activities with some of the best known companies in the world performing, including Diaghilev and [[Béjart Ballet|Béjart]]. The adjacent [[Liceu metro station]] is named after the theatre. ====Most performed operas==== Most performed operas in the history of Liceu are (in January 2009): {{Div col|colwidth=30em|rules=yes}} *Verdi's ''[[Aida]]'', with 442 performances from 1877 to 2008. *Verdi's ''[[Rigoletto]]'' with 359 performances from 1853 to 2005. *Gounod's ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'' with 297 performances from 1864 to 1988. *Donizetti's ''[[Lucia di Lammermoor]]'' with 274 performances from 1849 to 2007. *Donizetti's ''[[La favorita]]'' with 263 performances from 1850 to 2002 (last 10 performances are from the French version) *Verdi's ''[[Il trovatore]]'' with 259 performances from 1854 to 1993. *Wagner's ''[[Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]'' with 241 performances from 1883 to 2006. *Puccini's ''[[La bohème]]'' with 238 performances from 1898 to 2001. *Rossini's ''[[Il barbiere di Siviglia]]'' with 233 performances from 1847 to 1991. *Verdi's ''[[La traviata]]'' with 231 performances from 1855 to 2002. *Meyerbeer's ''[[Les Huguenots]]'' with 228 performances from 1856 to 1971 (mostly in Italian version). *Bizet's ''[[Carmen]]'' with 205 performances from 1888 to 1993. *Boito's ''[[Mefistofele]]'' with 195 performances from 1880 to 1988. *Meyerbeer's ''[[L'Africaine]]'' with 191 performances from 1866 to 1977 (mostly in Italian version). *Wagner's ''[[Die Walküre]]'' with 182 performances from 1899 to 2008. {{Div col end}} ====Premieres at the theatre==== As a prominent theatre the Liceu has been the location for the premieres of several works of theatre and music, and for the Spanish premieres of many musical works. Among these premieres are: {{Div col|colwidth=30em|rules=yes}} *1847 (4 April) Ventura de la Vega's history play ''Don Fernando de Antequera''. *1851 (June) ''El granuja'', [[zarzuela]] with music by N. Gardyn. *1853 (8 January) [[Temistocle Solera]]'s Spanish opera ''La hermana de Pelayo''; ''La tapada del retiro'', Nicolau Manent's zarzuela; ''Sueño y realidad'', zarzuela with music by [[Felipe Pedrell]]. *1854 (16 February) J. Freixas' opera ''La figlia del deserto''. *1857 (23 May) Nicolau Manent's opera ''Gualtero di Monsonís''. *1858 Pujadas' Catalan [[zarzuela]] ''Setze jutges'' (''Sixteen judges''), the first all-Catalan language play performed at Liceu. *1858 ''Juan Garín, o, Las peñas de Montserrat'', music by Mariano Soriano Fuertes, Nicolau Manent and Francisco Porcell *1859 (12 May) Nicolau Guanyabéns' opera ''Arnaldo d'Erill''. *1859 Josep Anselm Clavé's Catalan [[zarzuela]] ''L'aplec del Remei''. *1867 (23 March) Francesc Sánchez Gavagnach's opera ''Rahabba''. *1874 (28 January) Marià Obiols' opera ''Editta di Belcourt''. *1874 (14 April) [[Felipe Pedrell]]'s opera ''L'ultimo Abenzerraggio''. *1878 (27 November) Salvatore Auteri-Manzocchi's opera ''Il negriero'' *1885 (6 June) Manuel Giró's opera ''Il rinnegato Alonso García'' *1885 (12 June) Antoni Baratta's opera ''Lo desengany'', first Catalan language opera sung at Liceu. *1889 (10 July) Francesc Sánchez Gavagnach's opera ''La messagiera''. *1892 (14 May) [[Tomás Bretón]]'s opera ''Garín''. *1895 (8 May) [[Isaac Albéniz]]'s opera ''Henry Clifford''. *1896 (5 January) [[Isaac Albéniz]]'s opera ''Pepita Jiménez''. *1902 (4 January) [[Felipe Pedrell]]'s grand-opera ''Els Pirineus''. *1903 (3 December) [[Joan Manén]]'s opera ''Acté''. *1906 (20 January) [[Enrique Morera|Enric Morera]]'s opera ''Empòrium''. *1906 (21 April) [[Enrique Morera|Enric Morera]]'s opera ''Bruniselda''. *1907 (21 January) [[Joan Lamote de Grignon]]'s opera ''Hesperia''. *1912 (17 January) [[Enrique Morera|Enric Morera]]'s ''Titaina'', with libretto by [[Àngel Guimerà]]. *1913 (15 January) [[Jaume Pahissa]]'s first opera ''Gal·la Placídia''. *1913 [[Jesús Guridi]]'s opera ''Mirentxu'' (premiered as zarzuela in 1910, at Bilbao, and revised as opera by the author) *1916 (18 January) [[Enrique Morera|Enric Morera]]'s opera ''Tassarba''. *1919 (15 February) [[Jaume Pahissa]]'s opera ''La morisca''. *1920 (24 January) Joaquim Cassadó's ''Lo monjo negre''. *1923 (31 March) [[Jaume Pahissa]]'s ''Marianela''. *1924 (20 December) A. Marqués' opera ''Sor Beatriu''. *1927 (12 January) Facundo de la Viña's opera ''La espigadora''. *1928 (28 February) [[Jaume Pahissa]]'s ''La princesa Margarida''. *1929 (12 February) [[Ricard Lamote de Grignon]]'s ballet ''Somnis''. *1929 (14 December) [[Jose Maria Usandizaga]]'s opera ''Las golondrinas'' (premiered as [[zarzuela]] in 1914 and revised as opera by Ramón Usandizaga) *1932 (3 March) [[Joan Manén]]'s opera ''Neró i Acté''. *1935 (15 January) Joan Gaig's opera ''El estudiante de Salamanca''. *1938 [[Salvador Bacarisse]]'s ballet ''Corrida de feria''. *1948 (10 January) [[Xavier Montsalvatge]]'s children opera ''El gato con botas''. *1948 (10 January) [[Carlos Surinach]]'s opera ''El mozo que casó con mujer brava''. *1950 (14 December) [[Conrado del Campo]]'s opera ''Lola la Piconera''. *1952 (12 December) [[Joan Manén]]'s opera ''Soledad''; his ballet ''Rosario la Tirana''. *1953 (21 May) Antoni Massana's ''Canigó'', the first Catalan-language opera after the [[Spanish Civil War|Civil War]]. *1955 (17 December) Ángel Barrios' opera ''La Lola se va a los puertos''. *1955 (19 December) [[Joaquín Rodrigo]]'s ballet ''Pavana real''. *1956 (28 April) [[Frederic Mompou]] and [[Xavier Montsalvatge]]'s ballet ''Perlimplinada''. *1959 (1 January) Joan Altisent's opera ''Amunt!''. *1960 (17 November) [[Ricard Lamote de Grignon]]'s opera ''La cabeza del dragón'' (written in 1939). *1960 (1 May) [[Cristóbal Halffter]]'s ballet ''Jugando al toro''; [[Matilde Salvador]]'s ballet ''El segoviano esquivo'' *1961 (24 November) [[Manuel de Falla]] and [[Ernesto Halffter]]'s scenic cantata ''Atlàntida''. *1962 (11 December) [[Xavier Montsalvatge]]'s opera ''Una voce in off''. *1969 (1 February) [[Joan Guinjoan]]'s ballet ''Els cinc continents''. *1974 (19 January) Matilde Salvador's opera ''Vinatea''. *1975 (29 November) J. Ventura Tort's opera ''Rondalla d'esparvers''. *1986 (22 May) [[Josep Soler i Sardà|Josep Soler's]] opera ''Oedipus et Iocasta'' (premiered as oratorio at [[Palau de la Música Catalana]], 1972). *1988 (21 September) Xavier Benguerel's scenic cantata ''Llibre vermell''. *1989 (24 September) [[Leonardo Balada]]'s opera ''Cristóbal Colón''. *2000 (2 October) José Luis Turina's opera ''D.Q., Don Quijote en Barcelona'', with settings by [[La Fura dels Baus]]. *2004 (3 November) Joan Guinjoan's opera ''Gaudí''. *2006 (6 April) [[Josep Mestres Quadreny]]'s camera opera ''El ganxo''. *2009 (20 April) Enric Palomar's opera ''La cabeza del Bautista''. {{Div col end}} =====Spanish opera premieres===== The Liceu has also been the location for the Spanish premieres of prominent operas. Among them are: {{Div col|colwidth=30em|rules=yes}} *1847 [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''Giovanna d'Arco'' (1845). *1848 [[Saverio Mercadante]]'s '' Orazi e Curiazi'' (1846). *1849 [[Carl Maria von Weber]]'s ''Der Freischütz''(1821); Giuseppe Verdi's ''Alzira'' (1847); [[Gaetano Donizetti]]'s ''Les martyrs'' (1840, in Italian). *1853 Daniel-François [[Daniel Auber|Auber]]'s ''Fra Diavolo'' (1830). *1854 Giuseppe Verdi's ''Il trovatore'' (1853). *1856 Giuseppe Verdi's ''Les vepres siciliennes'' (1855, 1856), in Italian; [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]]'s ''Les huguenots'' (in Italian) (1836). *1861 Giuseppe Verdi's ''Un ballo in maschera'' (1859). *1862 Giuseppe Verdi's ''Simon Boccanegra'' (1857). *1863 [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]]'s ''Le prophète'' (in Italian) (1849). *1864 [[Charles Gounod]]'s ''Faust'' (1859). *1868 [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]]'s ''Dinorah'' (in Italian) (1859). *1870 Giuseppe Verdi's ''Don Carlos'' (1868, Italian version 1869). *1875 Giuseppe Verdi's ''Requiem'' (1874); [[Ambroise Thomas]]'s ''Mignon'' (1866). *1876 [[Antônio Carlos Gomes|Carlos Gomes]]' ''Il guarany'' (1870). *1880 [[Arrigo Boito]]'s ''Mefistofele'' (1868, rev. 1875). *1883 [[Amilcare Ponchielli]]'s ''La Gioconda'' (1876). *1885 [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''Die fliegende Höllander'' (1843). *1887 Richard Wagner's ''Tannhäuser'' (1845, 1861). *1891 [[Pietro Mascagni]]'s ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (1890). *1894 Pietro Mascagni's ''L'amico Fritz'' (1891); [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Manon'' (1884). *1897 [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]'s ''Samson et Dalila'' (1877). *1898 [[Giacomo Puccini]]'s ''La bohème'' (1896); [[Umberto Giordano]]'s ''Andrea Chénier'' (1896). *1899 Richard Wagner's ''Tristan und Isolde'' (1865); [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Werther'' (1892). *1900 [[Umberto Giordano]]'s ''Fedora''(1898); Pietro Mascagni's ''Iris'' (1898); [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''Siegfried'' (1876); [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]]'s ''Iphigénie en Tauride'' (1779). *1901 Richard Wagner's ''Götterdammerung''(1876); [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]]'s ''Hänsel und Gretel'' (1893). *1903 [[Francesco Cilea]]'s ''Adriana Lecouvreur'' (1902). *1904 [[Gustave Charpentier]]'s ''Louise'' (1900). *1905 [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Thaïs'' (1894); Richard Wagner's ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (1868). *1907 Pietro Mascagni's ''Amica'' (1905). *1908 [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]'s ''Les barbares''(1901). *1910 [[Richard Strauss]]' ''Salome'' (1905); [[Eugen d'Albert]]'s ''Tiefland'' (1903) (sung in Catalan). *1911 [[Claude Debussy]]'s ''[[L'Enfant prodigue]]'' (1884). *1913 Richard Wagner's ''Parsifal'' (1883). *1915 Giacomo Puccini's ''La fanciulla del West'' (1914); [[Modest Mussorgsky]]'s ''Boris Godunov'' (1869). *1916 [[Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari]]'s ''Il segreto di Susanna'' (1909); [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (1786). *1919 [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Le jongleur de Notre-Dame'' (1902); Pietro Mascagni's ''Guglielmo Rattcliff'' (1895) *1920 Pietro Mascagni's ''Isabeau'' (1911). *1921 Richard Strauss' ''Rosenkavalier'' (1911); [[Vincent d'Indy]]'s ''L'étranger'' (1901). *1922 [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s ''Schneguroschka'' (1885); [[Alexander Borodin]]'s ''Prince Igor'' (1890); [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]] ''Pikovaia dama'' (1890). *1923 [[Modest Mussorgsky]]'s ''Khovanshchina'' (1886, 1913 first Western performance). *1924 [[Antonín Dvořák]]'s ''Rusalka'' (1900); [[Bedřich Smetana]]'s ''Prodaná nevesta'' (1866, The bartered bride); [[Jacques Offenbach]]'s ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'' (1881); [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Hérodiade'' (1881). *1925 [[Umberto Giordano]]'s ''La cena delle beffe'' (1924); Richard Strauss' ''Intermezzo'' (1924); [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s ''Die Zauberflöte''(1791). *1926 [[Riccardo Zandonai]]'s ''Francesca da Rimini'' (1914); [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s ''The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh'' (1907), (first performance out of Russia), ''Pskovityanka'' (1873, 1892) and ''May night'' (1879). *1927 [[Zoltán Kodály]]'s ''Háry János suite'' (orchestral suite from opera ''Háry János'') *1928 [[Igor Stravinsky]]'s ballet ''La sacre du printemps'' (1913); Giacomo Puccini's ''Turandot'' (1926); [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s ''Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail'' (1782). *1929 [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Don Quichotte'' (1910). *1930 [[Italo Montemezzi]]'s ''L'amore dei tre re'' (1913). *1933 Igor Stravinsky's ''Oedipus rex'' (1927). *1936 [[Antonín Dvořák]]'s ''Jakobin'' (1897, rev.). *1939 [[Enric Granados]]'s ''Goyescas'' (1916). *1943 Richard Strauss' ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' (1912). *1948 Giacomo Puccini's ''Il trittico'' (1918); [[Ottorino Respighi]]'s ''[[La fiamma]]'' (1934); Igor Stravinsky's ''Le rossignol'' (1914). *1949 Richard Strauss' ''Elektra'' (1909); [[Édouard Lalo]]'s ''Le roi d'Ys'' (1888). *1951 Richard Strauss' ''Die Frau ohne Schätten'' (1918). *1952 [[Gian Carlo Menotti]]'s ''The consul'' (1950). *1953 [[Riccardo Zandonai]]'s ''I cavalieri di Ekebù'' (1925). *1954 [[Gian Carlo Menotti]]'s ''Amelia al ballo'' (1937); [[Béla Bartók]]'s ''Duke Bluebeard's castle'' (1919); Giacomo Puccini's ''La rondine'' (1920, 1924). *1955 [[Ildebrando Pizzetti]]'s ''Debora e Jaele''(1921); [[George Gershwin]]'s ''Porgy and Bess''(1935); [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ''Eugene Onegin'' (1879). *1956 [[Henry Purcell]]'s ''Dido and Aeneas'' (1689). *1957 [[Ottorino Respighi]]'s ''Maria Egiziaca'' (1932); [[Gian Carlo Menotti]]'s ''The saint of Bleecker Street'' (1955). *1958 Ildebrando Pizzetti's ''Assassinio nella catedrale'' (1958); [[Carl Orff]]'s ''Die Kluge'' (1943). *1959 [[Francis Poulenc]]'s ''Dialogues des Carmelites''(1959); [[Franco Alfano]]'s ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' (1936). *1962 Richard Strauss' ''Arabella'' (1932). *1963 [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s ''La clemenza di Tito'' (1791). *1964 [[Alban Berg]]'s ''Wozzeck'' (1925); [[Georg Friedrich Haendel]]'s ''Giulio Cesare'' (1724). *1965 [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]'s ''Katerina Izmailova'' (1956); [[Leoš Janáček]]'s ''Jenůfa'' (1904). *1966 [[José Pablo Moncayo]]'s ''La mulata de Córdoba'' (1948); [[Luis Sandi]]'s ''Carlota''; Salvador Moreno's ''Severino''; [[Alfredo Keil]]'s ''A serrana'' (1899); Francis Poulenc's ''La voix humaine'' (1959); [[Henri Busser]]'s ''La carrosse du Saint-Sacrement''; [[Ruggero Leoncavallo]]'s ''La bohème'' (1896). *1969 Igor Stravinsky's ''The Rake's Progress'' (1962); [[Alban Berg]]'s ''Lulu'' (1938); [[Mikhail Glinka]]'s ''One life for the Tsar''. *1971 [[Kurt Weill]]'s ''Mahagonny''. *1972 [[Bohuslav Martinu]]'s ''A Greek Passion''; [[Bedřich Smetana]]'s ''Dalibor''. *1973 [[Leoš Janáček]]'s ''Katia Kabanova''; [[Gaetano Donizetti]]'s ''Caterina Cornaro''. *1975 [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''Billy Budd'' (1941); [[Nino Rota]]'s ''Il cappello di paglia di Firenze''; [[Gian Francesco Malipiero]]'s ''Il capitano Spavento''; Igor Stravinsky's ''Mavra''. *1976 [[Leoš Janáček]]'s ''From the Dead House''. *1977 [[Sergei Prokofiev]]'s ''War and Peace''; [[Hector Berlioz]]'s ''Benvenuto Cellini''; [[Luigi Cherubini]]'s ''Medea''. *1985 [[Arnold Schoenberg]]'s ''Moses und Aaron''. *1987 [[Alban Berg]]'s ''Lulu'' ([[Friedrich Cerha]]'s completed version, 1979); [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s ''Lucio Silla''. *1991 Richard Strauss' ''Capriccio'' (1942). *1992 [[Philip Glass]]' ''Einstein on the Beach'' (1976); János Vajda's ''Mario and the magician''. *1994 [[Paul Hindemith]]'s ''Mathis der Maler'' (1938). *1999 [[Leoš Janáček]]'s ''Vec Makropoulos''. *2000 [[Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari]]'s ''Sly''. *2001 [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''Gloriana''. *2002 [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]'s ''Lady Macbeth de Mtsenk'' (original version) (1934); [[Gaetano Donizetti]]'s ''La favorite'' French version (1850). *2003 [[Philippe Boesmans]]' ''[[Wintermärchen (opera)|Wintermärchen]]'' (1999). *2004 [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Cléopâtre'' (1914). *2005 [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1960); Giuseppe Verdi's ''Il corsaro'' (1848); [[Gioacchino Rossini]]'s ''La gazzetta'' (1816). *2006 [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]'s ''Die tote Stadt''; [[Georg Friedrich Haendel]]'s ''Ariodante'' (1735). *2007 [[Hans Werner Henze]]'s ''Boulevard Solitude''(1952); [[Jules Massenet]]'s ''Le portrait de Manon'' (1894); Giuseppe Verdi's ''Don Carlos'' French original version (1868). *2008 [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''Death in Venice''; ''L'ape musicale'' (1789), [[pasticcio]] by [[Lorenzo da Ponte]] with music by [[Mozart]], [[Vicente Martín y Soler]], [[Giuseppe Gazzaniga]], [[Domenico Cimarosa]], Giordani and Tarchi. *2009 [[Karol Szymanowski]]'s ''Król Roger'' (1926); Héctor Parra's ''Hypermusic prologue'' (2009). *2010 [[George Benjamin (composer)|George Benjamin]]'s ''Into the little hill'' (2006). *2011 [[:ca:Agustí Charles i Soler|Agustí Charles]] ''Lord Byron: un estiu sense estiu'' (2011); [[György Ligeti]]'s ''[[Le Grand Macabre]]'' (1978). *2013 [[Kurt Weill]]'s ''[[Street Scene (opera)|Street Scene]]'' (1946). {{Div col end}} ===Directors, orchestra, and company=== The theatre is managed by a [[general director]] or [[intendant]] (''empresari'' or ''administrador''). From 1980 there is also an [[artistic director]] (''director artistic''). {{Div col|colwidth=30em|rules=yes}} General directors: *Albert Bernis (1901–1911) *Francesc Casanovas (1911–1913) *Alfredo Volpini (1913–1914) *Joan Mestres i Calvet (1915–1947) *Josep F. Arquer (to 1959) & Joan Pàmias, (1947–1980) *Lluís Portabella (1981–1986) *Josep M. Busquets (1986–1992) *Jordi Maluquer (1992–1993) *Josep Caminal (1993–2005) *Rosa Cullell (2005–2008) *Joan Francesc Marco (from 2008). {{div col end}} {{Div col|colwidth=30em|rules=yes}} Artistic directors: *{{Interlanguage link multi|Napoleone Annovazzi|ca}} (1947–1952) *Lluís Andreu (1981–1990) *Albin Hänseroth (1990–1996) *Joan Matabosch (1996–2014) *Christina Scheppelmann (2014–2019). {{div col end}} ====Orchestra and conductors==== The theatre has had its own orchestra from its foundation in 1847, the [[Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu]]. It is the oldest still working orchestra in Spain. Its first conductor was Marià Obiols. Orchestra music directors and chief conductors: {{Div col|colwidth=30em|rules=yes}} * Ernest Xancó (1959–1961) * Eugenio Marco (1981–1984) * [[Uwe Mund (conductor)|Uwe Mund]] (1987–1994) * [[Bertrand de Billy]] (1999–2004) * [[Sebastian Weigle]] (2004–2008) * [[Michael Boder]] (2008–2012) * [[Josep Pons]] (2012–present) {{Div col end}} The current music director of the company is [[Josep Pons]], since 2012. In November 2017, the Liceu announced the extension of Pons' contract through the 2021–2022 season.<ref>{{cite news | title=Josep Pons renueva como director musical del Liceu hasta temporada 2021–2022 | url=http://www.elperiodico.com/es/ocio-y-cultura/20171117/josep-pons-renueva-como-director-musical-del-liceu-hasta-temporada-2021-2022-6430677 | work=El Periódico | date=17 November 2017 | access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref> ====Choir conductors==== The choir was consolidated during the 1960s by its conductor Riccardo Bottino (1960–1982). From 1982 the choir conductors were {{Interlanguage link multi|Romano Gandolfi|ca}} (1982–1993), with Vittorio Sicuri (1982–1990), and Andrés Máspero (from 1990). The present choir conductor is William Spaulding. ====Stage directors and stagecraft==== During the second half of the 19th century, a school of stagecraft and theatrical scenery was developed at the Liceu. After the beginnings with Joan Ballester, well known for his setting for [[L'Africaine]], the leading scenographer was Francesc Soler i Rovirosa, working in the 1880–1900s. The style was very realistic using painted paper flats and curtains. Settings and costumes were made in the theatre workshops. From the 1900s to 1930s the school is represented by scenic painters including Maurici Vilomara, Fèlix Urgellés, Salvador Alarma and Oleguer Junyent. The last of these painters was Josep Mestres Cabanes who painted sceneries in the 1930–1950s. ===Singers=== [[Image:Lavirgen Caballé Turandot.jpg|thumb|''[[Turandot]]'' (Liceu, 1980) with [[Montserrat Caballé]] and {{Interlanguage link multi|Pedro Lavirgen|es}}]] Many famous singers have sung at the Liceu. Composer [[Camille Saint-Saëns]], when visiting the Liceu, once said: "Ils aiment trop the ténor" (They [the Liceu public] love tenors too much). In brackets are the dates of the house debuts and final/most recent performances of prominent singers who have appeared at the Liceu: *'''1800s:''' Manuela Rossi-Caccia (1847), {{Interlanguage link multi|Pietro Mongini|ca}} (1860/1862), [[Giuseppe Mario]] (1863), [[Roberto Stagno]] (1867), Rosa Vercolini, [[Francesco Tamagno]] (1876/1890), Adelaida d'Alberti, Francesc Mateu (Francesco Uetam) (1874/1877), Carolina Cepeda (1877), {{Interlanguage link multi|Angelo Masini|es}} (1881), [[Julián Gayarre]] (1881/1888), [[Victor Maurel]], [[Francesc Viñas]] (1888/1913), [[Hariclea Darclée]] (1894), [[Luisa Tetrazzini]] (1896), [[Geneviève Vix]], {{Interlanguage link multi|Josefina Huguet|ca|3=Josefina Huguet i Salat}} (1896), [[Maria Barrientos]] (1898/1918), [[Rosina Storchio]] (1898). *'''1900s:''' In 1904 [[Enrico Caruso]] (in his only Liceu appearance) participated in two performances of ''Rigoletto''. [[Gemma Bellincioni]] played the title role in a ''Salomé'', the Catalan singer [[Conchita Supervía]] made her debut. Success was recorded by other performers such as: [[Mario Sammarco]] (1902), [[Adamo Didur]] (1905), [[Mattia Battistini]] (1906), [[Graziella Pareto]] (1906/1928), [[Giuseppe Anselmi]] (1907), [[Titta Ruffo]] (1908/1926), [[Riccardo Stracciari]] (1909/1939) *'''1910s–1920s:''' [[Elvira de Hidalgo]] (1911), [[Ebe Stignani]], [[Conchita Supervía]] (1912/1928), [[Hipólito Lázaro]] (1914/1945), [[Giovanni Zenatello]], [[Giacomo Lauri-Volpi]] (1922/1945 and 1972) [[Miguel Fleta]] (1925/1933), [[Toti Dal Monte]] (1925/1934), [[Feodor Chaliapin]] (1927/1934), [[Lauritz Melchior]] (1927/1930), Tina Poli Randaccio, Lily Hafgren, Carlo Galeffi, [[Gilda Dalla Rizza]], [[Georges Thill]], Giannina Arangi Lombardi and [[Gina Cigna]]. *'''1940s:''' [[Giulietta Simionato]] (1945/1951), [[Victoria de los Ángeles]] (1945/1968 and 1994), [[Giuseppe Di Stefano]] (1946/1970 and 1986), [[Maria Caniglia]] (1947/1954), [[Gianni Poggi]] (1947/1963), [[Kirsten Flagstad]] (1949/1952), [[Hans Hotter]] (1948/1987), [[Max Lorenz (tenor)|Max Lorenz]] (1950/1954) *'''1950s:''' [[Boris Christoff]] (1951/1952), [[Renata Tebaldi]] (1953/1959), [[Giuseppe Taddei]] (1953/1986), [[Wolfgang Windgassen]] (1954/1959), [[Walter Berry (bass-baritone)|Walter Berry]] (1954/1985), [[Anton Dermota]] (1955/1966), [[Gianna D'Angelo]] (1957/1965), {{Interlanguage link multi|Enriqueta Tarrés|ca}} (1957/1992), [[Fedora Barbieri]], [[Margherita Carosio]], [[Astrid Varnay]] (1955/1957), [[Gertrude Grob-Prandl]], [[Birgit Nilsson]] (1957/1958), [[Régine Crespin]] (1958/1966), [[Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)|Carlo Bergonzi]] (1958/1982), [[Alfredo Kraus]] (1958/1994). *'''1960s:''' [[Joan Sutherland]] (1960/1989), [[Piero Cappuccilli]] (1961/1994), [[Fiorenza Cossotto]] (1961/1994), [[Montserrat Caballé]] (1962/2007), [[Virginia Zeani]] (1963/1977), {{Interlanguage link multi|Pedro Lavirgen|es}} (1964/1989), [[Plácido Domingo]] (1966/2015), [[Jaume Aragall]] (1964–1997), [[Vicente Sardinero]] (1964/1997), [[Richard Tucker (tenor)|Richard Tucker]] (1965/1975), [[Grace Bumbry]] (1966/1988), [[Anja Silja]] (1966/2000). *'''1970s:''' [[Mirella Freni]] (1970/1994), [[José Carreras]] (1958, as child, and 1970/2008), [[Joan Pons]] (1970/2006), [[Elena Obraztsova]] (1970/1984), [[Agnes Baltsa]] (1971/1992), [[Edita Gruberová]] (1977/2008) *'''1980s:''' [[Simon Estes]] (1981/1997), [[Matti Salminen]] (1981/2004), [[Ewa Podleś]] (1981/2007), [[Martti Talvela]] (1982/1989), Franco Bonisolli [[Éva Marton]] (1982/2006), [[Gwyneth Jones (soprano)|Gwyneth Jones]] (1985/1997), [[Nicolai Ghiaurov]] (1985/1992), [[Rockwell Blake]] (1986/1996), [[Dolora Zajick]] (1988/2008). *'''1990s & 2000s:''' {{Interlanguage link multi|Josep Bros|es}} (1992/2007), [[Deborah Polaski]] (2000), [[Angela Denoke]] (2002), [[Natalie Dessay]], [[Juan Diego Flórez]] (2002/2008), [[Rolando Villazón]] (2005/2008), [[Peter Seiffert]] or [[Fiorenza Cedolins]] (2005/2007), [[Nina Stemme]] (2004–2005/2008–2009). ==Conservatori de Música del Liceu== Linked to the theatre is the [[Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu]], a music college founded in 1837 which is part of the same corporation. ==Círculo del Liceo== [[Image:La Sargantain.JPG|thumb|''{{Interlanguage link multi|La Sargantain|ca}}'', Júlia Peraire's portrait (1907) by [[Ramon Casas]], a painting at the ''Círculo del Liceo'']] The ''Círculo del Liceo'' is an exclusive private club located in the Liceu building. The ''Círculo'' opened in November 1847, a few months after the Liceu opera house, with 125 founding members, according to its earliest records. The club's facilities include numerous elegant lounges, conference rooms, a restaurant, a library and other services.<ref name="circulo"/> <!--''Needs better translation to be included'': The first article of the bylaws says: "The Círculo del Liceo is an association that has for object provide to its individuals the playtime and entertainments of the good society and to be foreign to any act that has political trend". --> For the society's first 150 years, only men were permitted to become members; women were allowed access solely as guests of male society members. In 2001, following public controversy over the club's exclusively male membership, the club's constitution was amended and ten women (including renowned soprano [[Montserrat Caballé]] and several family members of existing members) were permitted to apply for membership for the first time. All ten women were initially turned down,<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2001/02/25/cultura/983068789.html | title=El Círculo del Liceo rechaza las 10 solicitudes de ingreso presentadas por mujeres | newspaper=El Mundo | date=25 February 2001 | access-date=6 January 2013 }}</ref> then later admitted after a subsequent vote by members, with a final vote of 373 votes in favor and 279 against their admission.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://elpais.com/diario/2001/04/04/sociedad/986335210_850215.html | title=El Círculo del Liceo aprueba la admisión de mujeres como socias | newspaper=El País | date=4 April 2001 | access-date=6 January 2013}}</ref> At present, the society has around one thousand members.<ref name="circulo">{{Cite web | url=http://www.circulodelliceo.es/en/bienvenida | title=Welcome – Círculo del Liceo | access-date=6 January 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029143703/http://www.circulodelliceo.es/en/bienvenida | archive-date=29 October 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The ''Círculo del Liceo'' is the oldest club in Spain which retains its original location.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.circulodelliceo.es/en/club | title=The Club – Círculo del Liceo | access-date=6 January 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029143711/http://www.circulodelliceo.es/en/club | archive-date=29 October 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The club's long history has enabled it to accumulate a unique heritage of artistic works. Many of its rooms are decorated in an [[Art Nouveau]] style. Four large windows in the low foyer serve as a testimony to the influence of [[Wagner controversies|Wagnerism]] in Catalan culture at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to the furniture and decor, the club retains a collection of sculptures, [[marquetry]], enamels, engravings, etchings and paintings by Catalan artists: [[Alexandre de Riquer]], [[Santiago Rusiñol]], [[Modest Urgell Inglada]] and [[Francesc Miralles i Galaup|Francesc Miralles]], among others. The most notable work belonging to the club is a set of twelve oils on fabric, commissioned to [[Ramon Casas]] and installed in the rotunda of the club. Each of the twelve paintings, Casas' most ambitious work, is inspired by a musical topic. ==The Liceu in fiction, cinema, etc.== ===Fiction: novels, plays, etc.=== * {{Interlanguage link multi|Frederic Soler|es|3=Frederic Soler}}'s satirical comedy ''"Liceístas" i "cruzados"'' (1865), about the quarrels among the fans of the Liceu and fans of the [[Teatre Principal (Barcelona)|Teatre Principal]], the two main opera houses as there was a great rivalry among them in Barcelona during the 19th century. * [[Narcís Oller]]'s novel ''La febre d'or'' (1892). * [[Artur Masriera]]'s sketch book ''Los buenos barceloneses: hombres, costumbres y anécdotas de la Barcelona ochocentista (1850–1870)'' (1925). * {{Interlanguage link multi|Ignacio Agustí|es}}'s novels: ''Mariona Rebull'' (1944) and ''El viudo Rius'' (1945), where the 1893 bomb at Liceu is narrated. * [[Eduardo Mendoza Garriga|Eduardo Mendoza]]'s novel ''La ciudad de los prodigios'' (1986). However the film based on it was filmed at Teatre Fortuny at [[Reus]], not at '''Liceu'''. * {{Interlanguage link multi|Joan Agut|es}}'s short stories book ''El dia que es va cremar el Liceu'' (''The day the Liceu was burnt'') (1995). ===Films=== * ''[[Mariona Rebull (film)|Mariona Rebull]]'' (1947), directed by José Luis Sáenz de Heredia * ''Gayarre'' (1958), by Domingo Viladomat, a biopic about [[Julián Gayarre]], performed by [[Alfredo Kraus]]. * ''[[Circus World (film)|Circus World]]'' (1964), directed by [[Henry Hathaway]], with [[John Wayne]] and [[Claudia Cardinale]]; some circus scenes are filmed inside the Liceu theatre. * ''Romanza final'' (1986), directed by José María Forqué, a film about [[Julián Gayarre]]'s life with [[Josep Carreras]]. * ''Un submarí a les estovalles'' (1990), directed by Ignasi Pere Ferré. * ''La febre d'or'' (1993), directed by Gonzalo Herralde, with Fernando Guillén, [[Rosa Maria Sardà|Rosa M. Sardà]] and Àlex Casanovas, with fragments of a performance of [[Gounod]]'s ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]''. * ''The Life of David Gale'' (2003), directed by [[Alan Parker]], with [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Kate Winslet]]. ==See also== *[[Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu]] *[[List of theatres and concert halls in Barcelona]] ==References== '''Notes''' {{reflist}} '''Sources''' *Alier, Roger, ''El gran llibre del Liceu''. Barcelona: Carroggio, DL 1999. *Alier, Roger, ''El Gran Teatro del Liceo: historia artística''. Barcelona: Francesc X. Mata, 1991. *Alier, Roger, ''Historia del Gran Teatro del Liceo''. Barcelona: La Vanguardia, 1983. *''Anuari 1947–1997 del Gran Teatre del Liceu''. Recerca i recopilació: Pau Nadal. Barcelona: Amics del Liceu: Àmbit, DL 1997. *Artís, Josep, ''El Gran Teatro del Liceo''. Col·lecció Barcelona histórica y monumental. Barcelona: Aymá, 1946. *''Crònica il·lustrada del Gran Teatre del Liceu: 1947–1997''. Barcelona: Amics del Liceu : Àmbit, DL 1997. *Lloret, Teresa, ''Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona''. [Barcelona: Fundació Gran Teatre del Liceu], cop. 2002. *''Òpera Liceu: una exposició en cinc actes: Museu d'Història de Catalunya, 19 setembre de 1997-11 de gener de 1998, Barcelona''. [Barcelona]: Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Cultura : Proa : Fundació Gran Teatre del Liceu, DL 1997. *Radigales, Jaume, ''Els orígens del Gran Teatre del Liceu: 1837–1847: de la plaça de Santa Anna a la Rambla: història del Liceu Filharmònic d'Isabel II o Liceu Filodramàtic de Barcelona''. Barcelona: Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, 1998. *Subirá, José, ''La ópera en los teatros de Barcelona: estudio histórico cronológico desde el siglo XVIII al XX ''. Monografías históricas de Barcelona, 9. Millà. 1946. *Tribó, Jaume, ''Annals 1847–1897 del Gran Teatre del Liceu''. Barcelona: Amics del Liceu: Gran Teatre del Liceu, 2004. ==External links== {{commons category|Gran Teatre del Liceu}} * {{Official website|http://www.liceubarcelona.cat/en.html}} {{in lang|en|ca|es}} {{Barcelona landmarks}} {{coord|41|22|49|N|2|10|25|E|display=title|type:landmark_source:cawiki}} {{authority control}} [[Category:Opera houses in Spain]] [[Category:Theatres and concert halls in Barcelona]] [[Category:Ciutat Vella]] [[Category:La Rambla, Barcelona]] [[Category:Catalan music]] [[Category:Theatres completed in 1847]] [[Category:Music venues completed in 1847]] [[Category:Theatres completed in 1862]] [[Category:Music venues completed in 1862]] [[Category:Theatres completed in 1999]] [[Category:Music venues completed in 1999]] [[Category:1837 establishments in Spain]] [[Category:1847 establishments in Spain]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Barcelona]] [[Category:Liceu]]'