'Opera in the veins' brings the story of the Urgell Canal back to the Palau de la Música

LleidaThe story of the Urgell Canal, one of the most crucial hydraulic infrastructures for the development of contemporary Catalonia, will once again be brought to life through music and theater with the return ofOpera in the veinsA stage and musical production will arrive next April at two emblematic venues. The show will premiere again on April 19 at the Teatre de la Lonja in Lleida, and the following day, April 20, it will move to the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, ​​in a double performance that will conclude the tour begun last year.

The project was born with the desire to explain, through the power of opera and choral performance, the past, present, and future of a work that radically transformed the landscape and society of the Terres de Ponent region. In the mid-19th century, the construction of the Urgell Canal transformed a vast dryland area into a fertile and productive territory, marking a turning point in the Catalan agricultural economy. This historical transformation is the guiding thread of this production, which combines music, drama, and images to recreate a collective epic.

The show Opera in the veins It is a co-production of the Canals de Urgell Foundation, the Orfeó Leridano choir, and the Julià Carbonell Symphony Orchestra of the Lleida region, with the support of the Lleida Provincial Council-IEI, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Lleida City Council, the Barcelona City Council, and the Government of Catalonia. It also has the corporate support of Semillas Fitó and the Repsol Foundation.

The stage production takes as its starting point the book Water in the veins. Chronicle of a universal Catalan miracleFrom the work of journalist and writer Francesc Canosa, a dramatized adaptation has been created, transforming the history of the channel into a theatrical narrative that moves between historical account and artistic emotion. The dramatic text, written by Berta Lacruz, serves as the basis for a staging that integrates theater, dance, and audiovisual resources.

The musical direction is by Xavier Pagès-Corella, while the stage direction is by Dani Coma. The production also incorporates the participation of the mezzo-soprano Marta Infante from Lleida and several performers who contribute complementary disciplines to the show. Among them are the percussionist and choreographer Santi Serratosa and the dancer Jana García, who introduce elements of body percussion and stage movement, as well as the actress Begonya Ferrer, who reinforces the dramatic narrative of the production. The audiovisual component, which accompanies and amplifies the visual narrative of the show, was developed by the production company Kionalia.

One of the central elements of the production is the music. The repertoire consists of large choral excerpts and emblematic pieces from the 19th-century operatic repertoire, the era in which the canal was built. Through these compositions, the production constructs a soundtrack that accompanies the historical narrative and reinforces the epic dimension of the story being told.

The program includes excerpts from works by composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Georges Bizet. Among the best-known pieces are choral excerpts and fragments from operas such as Nabucco, Aida, The Troubadour, Madama Butterfly either CarmenThe repertoire also incorporates other orchestral compositions and solo pieces that broaden the musical landscape of the performance, as well as some more local references linked to Catalan tradition. The musical performance will be given by the Orfeó Lleidatà and the Julià Carbonell Symphony Orchestra of the Lleida region, who will share the stage with other invited choral groups. This combination of heart, orchestra, and soloists shapes a production that aims to bring the language of opera to a wide audience, while also highlighting the power of culture to tell the story of a region.

The project also has an important symbolic dimension. The initiative is part of the events linked to the sixtieth anniversary of the granting of ownership of the Urgell Canals to the General Community of Irrigators, an anniversary commemorated in 2025. With this production, the promoters want to recall the historical and social impact of this infrastructure and highlight its role in the development of the country.

With Opera in the veinsThe project's promoters aim to transform this story into an artistic experience capable of moving audiences and prompting reflection on the region's past and future. The performance is conceived as a way to use art as a vehicle for collective memory, but also as a tool to project a contemporary perspective on present-day challenges, especially those related to water, the land, and sustainability. Following the warm reception of last year's premiere and subsequent tour through various municipalities (at theaters in Juneda, Mollerussa, Bellpuig, and Ponts), with over 2,700 spectators, the production now reaches its final stage with two performances that symbolize the bridge between the Ponent region and the capital. Lleida and Barcelona will thus become the venues that complete the circle of a cultural initiative that has sought to reclaim the history of a region through the universal language of music. "A demonstration of Lleida pride"

Maribel Pedrol, director of the Canals de Urgell Foundation, describes the project as a "complete success" and recalls: "We not only want the Julià Carbonell Orchestra and the Orfeó de Lleida to play together and showcase our cultural and musical heritage, but it's also a way for the people of Lleida to demonstrate their pride in being from here, in giving back." Pedrol predicts that this year they will continue to be praised for their talent in Lleida and indicates that performing in Barcelona "will allow us to make our story theirs as well." The Foundation director recalls that the Urgell Canal "was also born thanks to the people of Barcelona, ​​because the history of the canal is the history of a country, of providing sustenance to all of Catalonia." Opera in the veins It is a local story with universal scope, "it speaks of water, an element that is increasingly essential for life and our food," concludes Pedrol.