"We left L'Auditori in very good condition."

BarcelonaRobert Brufau (Mollerussa, 1980) speaks slowly, serenely, even coldly. Perhaps because he's holding back an understandable emotion. He has the endorsement of having done things well after seven years as director of L'Auditori de Barcelona, ​​​​the most important public musical institution in the country, both in terms of the volume of activity and the commitments to its heritage and support for new creation that it must fulfill by statute. On July 1, he leaves his position to assume the programming direction of the Konserthuset and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. He could have said goodbye with an informal ceremony, to take stock in a relaxed manner. He preferred to insert his farewell into the presentation of L'Auditori's 2025-2026 season. He did so before the press on the stage in Hall 2, surrounded by the team that has supported him in the preparation of the course, whose common thread is the concept of rebirth.

"We're leaving L'Auditori in very good shape," says Brufau, who, after explaining the general features of the season, gives the floor to Marta del Olmo, head of the education service; Jordi Alomar, director of the Music Museum; Verònica Rodríguez, head of programming and production; and Santi Barguño, artistic programmer and head of the record label. Also speaking via recorded video are the directors of the OBC and the Municipal Band, Ludovic Morlot and José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, respectively. "There will be more than 500 concerts, six festivals, 15 series, 11 world premieres, 15 national premieres, 65 heritage works, nine commissions..." he details. And works by "36 Catalan composers," such as Juli Gareta, Eduard Toldrà, Leonora Milán, Benet Casablancas, Joan Magrané, and Salvador Brotons.

The staging conveys the importance of teamwork. And Brufau's story looks toward the future, to next season, while also serving as a reminder of the merits accumulated. For example, when he explains that the OBC will once again perform in Hamburg's coveted Elbphilharmonie, he notes the growth the orchestra has experienced, an improvement also contributed to by the acoustic renovation of the main hall, a project that was long overdue. The OBC will open the season with the Novena by Beethoven, and later he will address the Symphony of the New World Dvorak's, the Fantastic by Berlioz, the Concerto for orchestra Bartók's... And in addition to Germany, she will travel to Madrid to participate in the Ibercamera season under the direction of Jonathan Nott, and will participate in an exchange with the Euskadiko Orchestra. She also boasts about the OBC's recording policy, especially its albums dedicated to Ravel, and about the more than 450,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. And, of course, about the determination with which she has defended gender equality, "especially on the orchestra's podium": in the 2025-2026 academic year, in addition to Stephanie Childress as guest conductor, there will be Eun Sun Kim, Giedre Slekyte, and Anja Bihlmaier.

With the Municipal Band, "the pride of the house," he admits that seven years ago it was already at a very high point, so rather than taking any credit, Brufau prefers to get excited about the 140th anniversary of the formation and a program that will include "a historic meeting" with Héctor Parra, Elisenda Fàbregas, Albert Guinovart and Marc Timón. A similar case is the educational service, another pride of the house since Joan Oller was director of L'Auditori between 2001 and 2011. "I learned everything at L'Auditori. I've been here for almost eighteen years and I've played all the roles of the auca. It's been a constant learning process," said Brufau, perhaps the emotion in the presentation.

In general, Brufau can personally boast about the impetus he has given to new creations, to hybrid proposals and to jazz and pop with a less conventional profile. That is to say, a modernity that a facility like L'Auditori could not avoid because, although the public's response may not always be as expected or the proposal may not be successful, it has the responsibility as a public institution, just as it must be constant in the recovery of heritage and more diverse in its programming of chamber and early music. "We have managed to give prestige to the facility with modernity, and we hope that this will remain forever in the country's musical ecosystem," he said, confident that his successor, Víctor Medem, maintain this uniqueness.