The 8th annual 'Els teus clàssics' concert cycle is about to begin

On 17 February at the Ateneu Barcelonès, a four-handed piano recital by Mireia Fornells and Joan-Miquel Hernández will mark the beginning of the 8th annual 'Els teus clàssics' concert cycle, an initiative that follows on from the Joan Manén Cycle of Catalan Music. The Joan Manén Association has scheduled six concerts that focus on traditional classics, rediscovered Catalan classics and the music of contemporary Catalan composers – all performed by top level musicians. A good example of the cycle’s approach is the opening concert, in which Hernández and Fornells will perform a number of small pieces by composers including Fernando Sor, Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz or Frederic Mompou, as well as offering a fragment of a 2005 work written by Ferran Crujiente.

The second recital will take place in the auditorium at Casal del Metge on 14 March and features the Altimira Quartet in a performance titled Cassadó and Manén: rediscovered string quartets. The action then shifts back to the Ateneu Barcelonès, where, on 5 April, Trío Rodin will offer a concert titled The romantic tradition in noucentista modernity. Guillermo Pastrana on cello and Daniel Blach will perform compositions by Robert Gerhard, Xavier Montsalvatge and Joan Manén at the same venue on Friday May. The penultimate concert on 27 May at Casal del Metge deserves special consideration, since, according to the organisers, it will be a recital that is "unique and has never before been programmed in Barcelona". The artists are a trio featuring piano and Mustel harmonium who, among other pieces of great interest, will perform a handwritten work by Manén that was believed to be lost but was discovered by the organist Emmanuel Pélaprat. The soprano Elena Copons and the pianist Josep Surinyac will close the cycle on 9 June with a recital they have christened Becquerianas.

Additional information and tickets are available at the following link.