The vibrant Barcelona Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Carlos Checa commemorates the 50th anniversary of the passing of Pau Casals, an exceptional artist who excelled not only as a cellist but also as a conductor, pedagogue and humanist. Casals’ influence on the arts and society of the last century was immense, and this concert aims to pay tribute to his musical legacy.

The programme includes a dash of Casals’ own Catalan heritage, the sardana ‘Sant Martí del Canigó’ followed by Goyesca’s Intermezzo by Enrique Granados, a close friend of Casals. To complete the first half of the concert, cellist Laura Peribañez Artero will join as soloist for a rendition of Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei.

Johannes Brahms featured prominently in Casals’ concert programmes, with the cellist having extensively performed and recorded Brahms’ Double Concerto and sonatas. The Barcelona Youth Symphony Orchestra will close the programme with a performance of his First Symphony.

This concert has the support of the Spanish Embassy in the UK, the Delegation of the Catalan Government in the UK & Ireland, the Cervantes Institute and NPro. It is organised in partnership with the Iberian and Latin American Music Society as part of the ECHOES Festival 2023 and it is part of the Cultural Programme of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.