Gustavo Dudamel crowns the Orfeó Català's commitment to the 'Missa solemnis' in Los Angeles

BarcelonaThe Solemn Mass Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is one of the most demanding works in the symphonic-choral repertoire. It is usually tackled by veteran conductors, but increasingly, younger generations are not afraid to take on its challenge. Among them is the Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel, who will conduct it for the first time this weekend with the LA Phil in Los Angeles, on February 20, 21, and 22. For this exceptional occasion, Dudamel has invited the Orfeó Català and the Palau de la Música Chamber Choir, who will also make history with their US debut. To top it all off, this is Dudamel's farewell season with the LA Phil.

“Often, conductors wait to reach a certain level of maturity and experience before performing it. Some are still waiting. After seventeen years of a fruitful artistic relationship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, I felt it was the perfect time to try it together, alongside our four highly talented soloists [Pretty Yende, Satre Jong Brownlee] and two hearts,” says Gustavo Dudamel. “For me, theSolemn Mass"It's the Holy Grail of the symphonic repertoire," says the conductor. "Essentially, it's about faith, faith in something greater than ourselves. Beethoven had to invent a new musical architecture for his solemn mass, and every time I look at the score, I discover a new space. The piece itself is incredibly difficult, with almost impossible demands on the singers, the orchestra, and the heart, creating an overwhelming feeling. It makes me believe in another dimension of grandeur and beauty," he emphasizes.

Joan Oller, the general director of the Palau de la Música, agrees with Dudamel in highlighting the degree of transcendence that Beethoven achieved in the Solemn MassBeethoven composed it when he was already completely deaf, around the time he wrote the Ninth Symphony and the last quartets. He does what he believes he must do, and in a way loses his sense of reality, but he gains expressive interpretive possibilities that go far beyond that – explains Oller. This means he has no limits in terms of fatigue. The Solemn Mass It involves singing for a long time at a very extreme level and range, especially for the sopranos." "It's a magnificent, monumental work," adds the president of the Orfeó Català association, Joaquim Uriach, for whom the Solemn Mass "It's as demanding as performing five times the Novena"

Almost 100 years since the first 'Solemn Mass' of the Orfeó

In practically a century, the Orfeó Català has experienced two historic moments with the Solemn MassIn 1927, the orchestra was the first to perform it in Spain, on June 8, 12, and 18 at the Palau de la Música, to commemorate the centenary of Beethoven's death, with Eduard Toldrà as violin soloist. The last concert was broadcast live by Ràdio Barcelona and recorded on twelve cymbal discs. This was the first recording of the Solemn Mass of which there is any record. Since then, the Orfeó had only performed it once more, on March 18, 1962, also at the Palau de la Música, then conducted by Lluís Maria Millet and accompanied by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.

To prepare for the Los Angeles concerts, which will leave a profound mark on the institution, the Orfeó and the Cor de Cambra gave three consecutive concerts with the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Xavier Puig, in November at La Farándula in Sabadell, the Palau de la Música Catalana, and the Palau de la Música Catalana. "We have a very solid international track record since our first trip to Nice in 1897, and since then we have toured extensively, but never to the United States, until now. I have always been committed to serving as the heart of the Catalan choral movement and, at the same time, to making us known internationally," says Uriach.

After that formative trip to Nice, Uriach recalls others in London and Paris. The one to Rome in 1925 was legendary. "Whenever we returned, since we were there to promote the Catalan language and culture, they received us as if we had won the Champions League. And upon our arrival from Rome in 1925, Barça organized a football match for us as a tribute. An English orchestra played the English March, and the entire stadium erupted in a historic outcry that caused both Barça and the Orfeó Català to close simultaneously," Uriach explains. Since then, the trajectory of successive generations of singers has been unstoppable, with collaborations with great conductors including Kirill Petrenko, Daniele Gatti, Simon Rattle, Gustavo Gimeno, and Nikolaj Znaider.

The Orfeó and Dudamel, a trust forged over the years

As for the relationship between the Orfeó Català and Dudamel, it began to take shape when the Venezuelan musician conducted the Orfeó Català and the Palau Chamber Choir in 2015 in a program dedicated to Tannhäuser and 2017 in another with the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven. In 2019 the choirs participated in the conductor's tour with the Munich Philharmonic with the Second Symphony Mahler's and in 2024, the Chamber Choir accompanied Dudamel on tour with the production of Fidelio which began in Los Angeles and took them to Barcelona, ​​Paris, and London. "I'm very excited to arrive in the United States and to do so alongside Gustavo Dudamel, with whom I share not only a passion for excellence, but also the social commitment that musical expression should have," says Oller.

The Orfeó Català and Cor de Cambra's trip to the United States has been a massive logistical undertaking, involving organizing travel for some 200 people, 125 of whom are singers. "It was a challenge that has allowed the organization to grow significantly," says Uriach. The project's cost is split equally between the Orfeó and the LA Phil. The Orfeó secured 25% of its share through sponsorship from the Damm Foundation, the Fluidra Foundation, the "la Caixa" Foundation, the Salvat Foundation, Mesoestetic, Moventia, the Dvesta Foundation, Factor Energía, GVC Gaesco, and Reig Jofre. The trips of the Palau's core group also receive support from the Institut Ramon Llull.