Small big event at L'Auditori with the Canta amb l'OBC project

Despite the importance of the two “classical” works scheduled for the weekend at L’Auditori (Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Bruckner's Third Symphony), the relevance and where to place the emphasis is on the premiere of Domèstica maragda, with text by Gemma Casamajó Solé and music by the osonenca Helena Cánovas. It was the culmination of the Canta amb l’OBC project, which brought together 170 non-professional singers and the participation of the Coral Sant Jordi. An event both grand and small: grand for the achievement of the project and the magnitude of the work, with a vocal ensemble arranged on stage and on the sides of the first floor and an immense orchestra. And small for the brevity of the piece (which is less than 10 minutes) and because this is also a small country, which diminishes its creators with the disdain that Cánovas's composition has been subjected to. And it is that, beyond the quality of the piece (more musical than literary), projects of this nature should deserve more attention. From the media and from attendees, a good part of whom —at least in the stalls— did not enter until the Mendelssohn concert began.

The romantic piece was conducted by Anja Bihlmaier, to whom Adrián Moscardó handed over the baton after Cánovas's work, and who also took on the task of bringing Anton Bruckner's third symphony from the catalogue to a successful conclusion, which was renamed Wagner, given the admiration the Austrian composer felt for the author of The Ring of the Nibelung.Bihlmaier's reading was correct, with an orchestra that delivered what was asked of it. Excellence from the brass and good dynamic contrasts were the most outstanding aspects of the overall performance.Mendelssohn was served by the ductile bow and the luminous violin of the Latvian Kristine Balanas, with a performance generous in phrasing and feeling throughout a piece frequently performed in Barcelona in recent seasons. A crystalline and volatile rendition attentive to the discourse and well supported by the conductor, with meticulous attention to the various orchestral sections. By the way, the encore (Waltzing Matilda) was dizzying, with the collaboration of three musicians from the orchestra.