Liceu facts for kids
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Teatro del Liceo de Montesión (1837–1847)
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Liceu façade towards La Rambla
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| Address | La Rambla, 51–59 Barcelona, Spain |
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| Public transit | Liceu   |
| Owner | Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu |
| Type | Theatre |
| Genre(s) | Opera |
| Capacity | 2,292 seats |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 4 April 1847 (founded 1837 at another location) |
| Reopened |
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| Architect |
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The Gran Teatre del Liceu (which means "Great Theater of the Lyceum" in English), often called El Liceu, is a famous opera house in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. You can find it on La Rambla, a busy street in the city. It is the oldest theater in Barcelona that is still used for performances today.
El Liceu first opened on April 4, 1847, at its current spot. Before that, it started in 1837 at a different place. The theater has been rebuilt twice after big fires, once in 1861 and again in 1994. It reopened on April 20, 1862, and then on October 7, 1999. In 1893, during an opening night, a person threw bombs into the audience. About twenty people died, and many more were hurt.
For a long time, from 1847 to 1989, El Liceu was the biggest opera house in Europe. It could hold 2,338 people! Since 1994, a public group called the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu has owned and managed the theater. El Liceu has its own choir, a symphony orchestra, and even a music school.
Contents
History of El Liceu
How it All Began (1837–1847)
The story of El Liceu started in 1837. A group called the Liceo Filodramático de Montesión was formed in Barcelona. Their goal was to teach music, which is why they used the name "Liceo" (like a school). Students from this music school would put on opera shows.
They used an old convent building as their first theater. It was called Teatro de Montesión. The very first opera performed there was Norma on February 3, 1838. Most of the music played was Italian opera.
By 1844, the theater needed more space. Also, the nuns who used to own the convent wanted their building back. So, El Liceu had to move. Its last show there was on September 8, 1844.
The managers of El Liceu bought a new building on La Rambla. This was an old convent building too. They decided to build a brand new theater there. Two groups were created to help pay for it. People who bought shares in the main group got to use certain theater boxes and seats forever. Other shareholders helped pay for shops and the private Círculo del Liceo club inside the building.
In many European cities, kings and queens paid for opera houses. But El Liceu was different. It was paid for by private people who became shareholders. Because the queen did not help pay, the theater's name was changed. It was no longer named after the queen.
Construction on the new theater began on April 11, 1845. The architect was Miquel Garriga i Roca. The grand opening was on April 4, 1847.
Opening, Fire, and Rebuilding (1847–1862)
The opening night was a big event with different kinds of performances. It included a new musical piece, a historical play, a ballet, and a special song. The first full opera shown was Donizetti's Anna Bolena on April 17, 1847.
At that time, El Liceu was the largest opera house in Europe, with 3,500 seats. Many famous operas were performed in its first year. These included works by Verdi, Mercadante, Donizetti, Bellini, and Rossini.
Sadly, a big fire badly damaged the building on April 9, 1861. But it was quickly rebuilt by architect Josep Oriol Mestres. It reopened on April 20, 1862, with Bellini's I puritani. Only the front of the building, the entrance hall, and the Hall of Mirrors were saved from the fire.
Bombing and War (1862–1940)
On November 7, 1893, during an opera performance, two bombs were thrown into the theater. Only one bomb exploded, but it killed about twenty people and injured many more. This attack by an anarchist named Santiago Salvador shocked Barcelona.
El Liceu reopened on January 18, 1894. For several years, the seats where people died were left empty. The second bomb was even shown in a museum later on.
In 1909, the main hall of the theater was updated. During World War I, Spain stayed neutral, which helped Barcelona's textile factories make a lot of money. The 1920s were a great time for El Liceu. Many famous singers, conductors, and groups performed there, like Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
When the Second Spanish Republic started in 1931, there was some political trouble. This caused money problems for El Liceu. The city and regional governments had to give money to help. During the Spanish Civil War, the theater was taken over by the government and renamed. Opera seasons were stopped. But after the war ended in 1939, El Liceu was given back to its original owners.
New Challenges and Second Fire (1940–1994)
From the 1940s to the 1960s, El Liceu had many high-quality opera seasons. In 1955, a special event happened: the Bayreuth Festival (a famous German opera festival) performed outside its usual home for the first time ever, right at El Liceu!
However, in the 1970s, the theater faced money problems again. It was hard for the private owners to pay for the rising costs of modern opera shows. The quality of performances started to go down.
To save El Liceu, the government and city groups stepped in. In 1981, they created a group called the Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu to manage the theater. More government groups joined later. This new management helped bring the audience back. They improved the artistic quality of the shows, including the choir and orchestra. They also made sure to pick the best singers for each role.
The theater kept its high standards until January 31, 1994. A spark from a repair job fell onto the stage curtain and caused a fire. The fire destroyed the building. The next opera planned was Puccini's Turandot.
Everyone agreed that the opera house needed to be rebuilt in the same spot. The new Liceu kept parts of the old building that survived both the 1861 and 1994 fires. The main hall was rebuilt to look the same as the 1861 design. It also got new roof paintings and modern stage technology.
To help rebuild and improve the theater, it became a public building. A new foundation was created, and the original owners gave the building to this foundation.
Reopening and Today (1994–present)
While El Liceu was being rebuilt, Barcelona's opera shows were held in other venues. The new, improved, and expanded theater finally opened on October 7, 1999. The first opera performed was Puccini's Turandot, which was the opera scheduled when the 1994 fire happened.
The new theater kept its traditional horseshoe shape. It also added modern technical areas, rehearsal rooms, offices, and a new hall for smaller performances. The architects for the rebuilding were Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Xavier Fabré, and Lluís Dilmé.
Today, all opera performances at El Liceu have Surtitles (words projected above the stage). These show the words being sung, usually in different languages. Many seats also have small screens that show translations in English, Spanish, or Catalan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, El Liceu did something very unique. To celebrate the end of Spain's lockdown, they held a concert for an audience of 2,292 house plants! The concert was streamed online. After the show, each plant was given to healthcare workers at a local hospital.
The Opera House Building
The theater is located on La Rambla, in the center of Barcelona. It has two main fronts, as the other sides were surrounded by other buildings until 1994.
Some parts of the very first building are still there:
- The main front on La Rambla, built in 1847.
- The entrance hall and the main staircase, rebuilt in 1861. You can see a statue of Music there.
- The beautiful Hall of Mirrors (Saló de Miralls), from 1847. This room has paintings of famous musicians, singers, and dancers from that time.
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The main hall where performances happen was rebuilt after the 1994 fire. It looks like the 1861 hall but with many improvements. It can seat 2,292 people, making El Liceu one of Europe's largest opera houses. It has a classic Italian horseshoe shape.
The hall has a main floor and five balconies. There are also special boxes with small rooms in front of the stage and on some balconies. These boxes are separated by low screens. The theater has no columns in the main seating area, so the balconies look like a continuous golden horseshoe.
The decorations in the hall are very fancy, with gold and colorful plaster designs. The lamps have glass shaped like ducks. The seats on the main floor are made of red velvet.
Modern features were added during the rebuilding. The paintings on the roof and above the stage, which were lost in the fire, were recreated by a modern artist named Perejaume. The stage curtain was designed by Antoni Miró. A new lamp in the center of the roof is actually a platform for technical equipment like lights and sound.
The stage itself is very modern. It allows for quick scene changes and can even use four different sets at the same time. A new area was built under the main hall for a bar, restaurant, and smaller concerts or events. The Liceu station of the Barcelona Metro line 3 is right next to the theater.
Artistic History
What's Performed Here?
El Liceu both hosts shows from other companies and creates its own productions. Each year, it stages two or three new operas. The theater has its own orchestra and choir, plus singers for smaller roles. The main singers are usually guest artists from around the world.
For many years, El Liceu also had its own ballet company. Most of the operas performed are from the 19th century, especially by composers like Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Richard Strauss, and Mozart.
When El Liceu first opened, opera was just one part of its activities. They also had zarzuela (Spanish light opera), romantic ballet, plays, and even magic shows. The first operas performed were Anna Bolena and I due Foscari. These show that people loved bel canto (beautiful singing) and Italian romantic operas by composers like Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi. Verdi is still the most performed composer at El Liceu.
The first operas by non-Italian composers were performed in Italian, which was the custom back then. Later, in 1883, Wagner's Lohengrin was performed for the first time. Wagner became very popular at El Liceu. In 1913, El Liceu was the first place outside of Bayreuth (Wagner's special festival home) to perform his opera Parsifal.
In the early 1900s, famous composers like Richard Strauss and Pietro Mascagni even conducted their own works at El Liceu. The theater also became known for Russian and German operas, which were then sung in their original languages. Famous ballet dancers like Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova also performed here.
After the 1950s, El Liceu started performing a wider range of operas. This included works by 20th-century composers like Bartók, Gershwin, and Britten. They also performed older works from the baroque period by composers like Monteverdi and Handel. Ballet continues to be an important part of the theater's shows, with performances by top companies.
Most Popular Operas
Some of the operas performed most often at El Liceu include:
- Verdi's Aida (over 440 performances)
- Verdi's Rigoletto (over 350 performances)
- Gounod's Faust (nearly 300 performances)
- Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor (over 270 performances)
- Wagner's Lohengrin (over 240 performances)
- Puccini's La bohème (over 230 performances)
New Works Premiered Here
El Liceu has also been the place where many new plays and musical works were performed for the very first time. These include:
- The history play Don Fernando de Antequera (1847)
- The first Catalan-language play, Setze jutges (1858)
- The first Catalan-language opera, Lo desengany (1885)
- Isaac Albéniz's operas Henry Clifford (1895) and Pepita Jiménez (1896)
- Xavier Montsalvatge's children's opera, El gato con botas (1948)
- Joan Guinjoan's opera, Gaudí (2004)
- And many more!
Famous Singers
Many famous singers have performed at El Liceu over the years. Some people even joked that the audience loved tenors (male singers) "too much"! Here are just a few of the amazing artists who have graced its stage:
- Early Stars (1800s): Francesco Tamagno, Julián Gayarre, Francesc Viñas, Maria Barrientos.
- Golden Voices (Early 1900s): Enrico Caruso (who only sang there twice!), Conchita Supervía, Titta Ruffo, Miguel Fleta.
- Mid-Century Legends (1940s-1950s): Victoria de los Ángeles, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Kirsten Flagstad, Renata Tebaldi, Montserrat Caballé, Alfredo Kraus.
- Modern Icons (1960s-Present): Joan Sutherland, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Edita Gruberová, Juan Diego Flórez, Rolando Villazón.
The Liceu Team
El Liceu has a team of people who help run the theater and its artistic programs.
Managers
The theater has a general manager who oversees everything. Some of the past managers include Joan Mestres i Calvet (1915–1947) and Josep Caminal (1993–2005). The current manager is Valentí Oviedo.
Artistic Directors
There is also an artistic director who decides which operas and performances will be shown. Past artistic directors include Albin Hänseroth (1990–1996) and Joan Matabosch (1996–2014). The current artistic director is Víctor Garcia de Gomar.
Orchestra and Conductors
El Liceu has its own orchestra, the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu. It was started in 1847 and is the oldest working orchestra in Spain! Its first conductor was Marià Obiols.
Music Directors
The orchestra has a music director or chief conductor who leads the musicians. Some past directors include Uwe Mund (1987–1994) and Bertrand de Billy (1999–2004). The current music director is Josep Pons, whose contract has been extended until at least 2022.
Choir Conductors
The theater's choir is also very important. It became very strong under its conductor Riccardo Bottino (1960–1982). The current choir conductor is William Spaulding.
Conservatori de Música del Liceu
The Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu is a music school that started in 1837. It is closely connected to the opera house.
Círculo del Liceo
The Círculo del Liceo is a private club located inside the Liceu building. It opened in 1847. The club has special rooms, meeting areas, a restaurant, and a library.
For its first 150 years, only men could be members. Women could only visit as guests. In 2001, after some discussion, the club changed its rules. Ten women, including the famous singer Montserrat Caballé, were allowed to apply. After a vote, they were finally admitted. Today, the club has about one thousand members.
The Círculo del Liceo is the oldest club in Spain that is still in its original building. The club has many beautiful artworks. Many of its rooms are decorated in the Art Nouveau style. The club also has a collection of sculptures, paintings, and other art by Catalan artists. The most famous artworks are twelve large oil paintings by Ramon Casas. Each painting is inspired by music.
El Liceu in Stories and Movies
In Books
El Liceu has appeared in many books:
- A funny play called "Liceístas" i "cruzados" (1865) by Frederic Soler, about the rivalry between fans of El Liceu and another Barcelona theater.
- The novel La febre d'or (1892) by Narcís Oller.
- Novels like Mariona Rebull (1944) and El viudo Rius (1945) by Ignacio Agustí, which talk about the 1893 bombing.
- Eduardo Mendoza's novel La ciudad de los prodigios (1986).
- A short story collection called El dia que es va cremar el Liceu (The Day the Liceu Was Burnt, 1995) by Joan Agut.
In Films
You can also see El Liceu in movies:
- Mariona Rebull (1947).
- Gayarre (1958), a movie about the singer Julián Gayarre.
- Circus World (1964)], starring John Wayne. Some circus scenes were filmed inside the theater.
- Romanza final (1986), another film about Julián Gayarre's life, starring Josep Carreras.
- La febre d'or (1993), which includes parts of an opera performance.
- The Life of David Gale (2003), starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet.
See also
In Spanish: Gran Teatro del Liceo para niños
- Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu
- List of theaters and concert halls in Barcelona
