Over the coming days, several of Barcelona’s most acclaimed landmarks are the stage for a range of Christmas concerts to get audiences into the spirit of the season.
The first is the Reial Monestir de Santa María de Pedralbes, an oasis of calm in the upper part of town that was founded by Queen Elisenda de Montcada in 1327 and inhabited continuously by a Poor Clare community of nuns until recent times. On 18 December, the monastery-turned-museum hosts a concert in its church entitled ‘A Winter Journey’ featuring works by Bach and Schubert as well as traditional German Christmas songs (8.30pm, €12. monestirpedralbes.bcn.cat).
On 20 December, at the Maritime Museum the local Cor de Drassanes choir (the drassanes or royal boatyards, are the buildings that house the museum) present their annual concert that makes up part of the Museu Marítim’s Christmas schedule (7pm, free. mmb.cat).
The following day, the two modernista gems of Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site and La Pedrera hold their own seasonal events.
At Sant Pau the focus is on music performed by students from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya; the repertoire includes Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak and Ravel (8pm, €12. santpaubarcelona.org).
At La Pedrera, classic Christmas jazz tunes, mixed up with blues, rock ‘n’ roll and gospel, are on the programme courtesy of the group Shakin’ All, which has just recorded its first CD (8pm, €15. lapedrera.com).
Finally, rounding off the week of music, it’s the turn of the Liceu Opera House to fill with festive tunes. The children’s choir Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió and the Liceu’s own symphonic orchestra join forces for a musical version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Noon, €10-€29. liceubarcelona.cat).
