"Peace is the guiding thread of the 2026-2027 season," says Joaquim Uriach, president of the Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música Catalana. "Music has a very powerful social and civic function; it creates a space for meeting, listening, and mutual understanding. It must be a place of refuge, of solace, and of hope," he adds. To illustrate this purpose, Uriach cites three names that will have special relevance in the Palau de la Música's calendar: Pau Casals, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johann Sebastian Bach, all three pillars of a "very ambitious" season with its own programming that includes 212 concerts, in addition to 157 family and school concerts. Some of these are part of the main cycle offerings presented a few weeks ago, and others were made public this Monday at a press conference by Joan Oller and Mercedes Conde, the institution's general director and associate artistic director, respectively.

Rotisserie chickens. Dolphin-shaped balloons. Rolling on a wet floor. A rattle with bells. Songs performed with a gag. Absurd messages ("I sell an Opel Corsa"). Insurrectionary slogans ("Let's smash it all", like a Quimi Portet song). Dadaist customs. Rhymes connected to an immortal memory. Pre-modern sense of humor. And a Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium packed to the rafters so that El Último de la Fila could settle a debt with nostalgia thirty years after Manolo García and Quimi Portet went their separate ways, and ten years after the ephemeral stage reunion of both in tribute concerts to Los Burros and Los Rápidos.

Roast chicken. Dolphin-shaped balloons. Rolled around on a wet floor. A rattle with bells. Songs performed in a tunic. Absurd messages ("For Sale: Opel Corsa"). Insurrectionary slogans ("We trample everything", like a song by Quimi Portet). Dadaist costumbrismo. Ballads connected to an immortal memory. Pre-modern sense of humor. And a Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium packed to the rafters so that El Último de la Fila could settle a debt with nostalgia thirty years after Manolo García and Quimi Portet went their separate ways, and ten years after the ephemeral stage reunion of both at the tribute concerts for Los Burros and Los Rápidos.

The National Opera of Paris, La Scala of Milan, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden, the Salzburg Festival, the Peralada Festival... The 2026 agenda is quite eloquent about the magnificent artistic moment of soprano Sara Blanch (Darmós, Ribera d'Ebre, 1989). Until May 9th, she is performing the leading female role in Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande at La Scala, a good testament to the breadth of repertoire that a singer forged in bel canto is tackling, and who at the same time has authoritatively entered the universes of Gluck, Mozart, Richard Strauss, and Britten, among others. "I like to work on different repertoires, as long as they are suitable for my voice, because that way I explore possibilities. It's about looking at the evolution of the voice and where I can go according to the physical and vocal sensations of the moment," she explains to el ARA by phone from Milan. Undoubtedly, 2026 is Sara Blanch's year, a more than deserved reward for the work done and what she can achieve.

There is an encouraging impetus on the new album by Dan Peralbo and el Comboi. Obviously, the name makes the thing, and the title Quin goig (Montgrí, 2026) already predisposes to joy, and the suspicion is confirmed as soon as some melodic rock songs play that continue the good news from the album of two years ago. They will share the joy with the public on a tour that begins this Friday, May 1, on the stairs of the Girona cathedral (7:30 PM), as part of the Strenes Festival. Dan Peralbo (Torelló, 1998), singer and guitarist of the group completed by Albert Rams, Pol Piti Villegas and Aleix Jimmy Vilarrasa, talks about all of this, and also about a dark memory.

Manolo García and Quimi Portet once again shared the same stage yesterday in Fuengirola, as reported by the Efe agency. Ten years after the tribute concerts to Los Burros and Los Rápidostribute concerts to Los Burros and Los RápidosOn Saturday, 18,500 people filled the Maresnostrum Fuengirola and received the group with an ovation. As reported by the Efe agency, the celebratory atmosphere was constant during the more than two hours of performance. The concert began with two songs by Los Burros:

Manel Gasch, abbot of Montserrat and president of the Pau Casals Foundation, has bypassed the usual thank you speeches. At the same time, he has eliminated the false modesty that often appears at award ceremonies. At the ceremony for the awarding of the

"It doesn't seem so, but it's a risky album, due to its rawness and simplicity," says Clara Peya (Palafrugell, 1986) about the album Nuca (Hidden Tracks, 2026). Above all, it's a very emotional album, with an admirable poetic tone in both Catalan and Spanish that stems from the awareness of loneliness, and is musically very rich and full of interesting things, whose presentation tour begins at the Accents Festival in Reus on April 24th. Like Corsé (2024), the pianist from Empordà shares each song with a different singer, among whom are now Mar Pujol, Anna Andreu, Xarim Aresté, Ahmed Eid, Henrio, and Judit Neddermann. Committed to music to the fullest, she has decided not to publish her music on Spotify.

The Barcelona-born siblings Júlia and Pau Serrasolsas have consolidated Ginestà as a unique proposal in the Catalan music ecosystem. A pop music attentive to the present and lyrics about the eternal circumstances of love continue to build a group that has just released its fifth album, Gira tot igual, però diferent (Halley Records, 2026). The presentation tour will begin on May 1st on the steps of Girona Cathedral, as part of the Strenes Festival programming.

The German director Christof Loy closed last season at the Liceu with a brilliant production of Rusalka, by Antonín Dvořák, with Piotr Beczala and Asmik Grigorian in the leading roles, both in a state of grace. Loy had the indispensable accomplice of set designer Johannes Leiacker, another master of clear lines and contained emotion, with whom he also worked on the staging of Jules Massenet's opera Werther, ten performances of which will be given at the Liceu from May 2 to 17, with a double cast. In the first (on the 4th, 7th, 9th, 14th and 17th), two singers debuting in the roles: Basque tenor Xabier Anduaga as Werther and German mezzo-soprano Kristina Stanek as Charlotte; two roles that in the second cast (on the 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th and 16th) are sung by American Matthew Polenzani and AzerbaijaniElmina Hasan.

The best antidote to the banality of some talk shows is a debate with people who know what they're talking about. For example, four people whom the deputy editor of Culture at ARA, Xavi Serra, invited on Tuesday to the Sala Laya at the Filmoteca to discuss the canon of 21st-century Catalan cinema, the list of 267 films published by the newspaper and which can be consulted in a magnificent and exemplary interactive. "An excellent dossier, an unprecedented initiative with a survey in which 200 experts have participated to make a possible canon," as Pablo La Parra, the director of the Filmoteca (where there will be a meeting with Carla Simón this Wednesday), said. The interactive, by the way, also shows the 200 votes (each of 10 films). "It's a beautiful way to discover films, debate and talk about our cinema," says Serra, who imagined Tuesday's meeting as "an extension of the survey" and an opportunity to specify some of the characteristics of Catalan cinema; such as the naturalism that connects with certain European auteur cinema and the fruitful relationship between the language of documentary and fiction.

The best antidote to the banality of some discussions is a debate with people who know what they are talking about. For example, four people whom the deputy director of Culture at ARA, Xavi Serra, convened on Tuesday in the Sala Laya of the Filmoteca to talk about the canon of 21st-century Catalan cinema, the list of 267 films published by the newspaper and which can be consulted in a magnificent and exemplary interactive. "An excellent dossier, an unprecedented initiative with a survey in which 200 experts have participated to make a possible canon," as Pablo La Parra, the director of the Filmoteca (where this Wednesday there will be a meeting with Carla Simón), said. The interactive, incidentally, also shows the 200 votes (each of 10 films). "It's a nice way to discover films, debate and talk about our cinema," celebrates Serra, who imagined Tuesday's meeting as "an extension of the survey" and an opportunity to specify some of the characteristics of Catalan cinema; such as the naturalism that connects with certain European auteur cinema and the fruitful relationship between the language of documentary and fiction.

Thousands of videos and chronicles shared on social media and in the news have explained in detail the show that Rosalía premiered in Lyon on March 16. There has been an avalanche of aesthetic, scenic, musical, and even psychological interpretations of this show that has the album Lux as its backbone. With all these fragmentary impacts, it is possible to form an opinion about the concert, marvel at, and admire the proposal of the artist from Sant Esteve Sesrovires. However, experiencing the show live is something much more impactful, as she demonstrated in the first of the four concerts at the Palau Sant Jordi, all of them with sold-out tickets.

The Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona is the next stop for Rosalía's Lux tour on April 13, 15, 17, and 18. On this ambitious tour, a huge leap in scale, the artist from Sant Esteve Sesrovires is not alone. This time she has surrounded herself with trusted artists and new collaborators who add talents in a show that is making history.

The same night he filled the Palau Sant Jordi, Joan Dausà set himself the challenge of filling a similar venue in Madrid or San Sebastián singing in Catalan. In the end it was in Madrid. The Basque group ETS (En Tol Sarmiento) took note of the challenge Dausà set for himself. "That's where the move came from," admits singer Iñigo Etxezarreta from Álava. The idea was to fill the Palau Sant Jordi and the Madrid Movistar Arena singing in Euskera. They perform in Barcelona this Saturday, April 11th, and in Madrid on May 25th. "There are people who believe that language can be a barrier, but what we do shows that it is not so. I believe that singing in Euskera brings its own sensibility, and it is also a cultural differentiation in such a globalized world," says Etxezarreta. Last year it was Fermin Muguruza who mobilized thousands of people to listen to music in Euskera at the Palau Sant Jordi, and now it's the turn of ETS, a band born under the umbrella of Basque punk-rock that gradually incorporated other musical sensibilities, some more pop, others more Latin, like bachata. "The concert will be a Basque cultural festival centered around Euskera, tradition, and oral transmission, but also a show with space for encounters with other cultures," explains the Basque musician.

The same night that he filled the Palau Sant Jordi, Joan Dausà set himself the challenge of filling a similar venue in Madrid or San Sebastián singing in Catalan. It finally happened in Madrid. The Basque group ETS (En Tol Sarmiento) took note of the challenge that Dausà set for himself. "That's where the move came from," admits the Alavese singer Iñigo Etxezarreta. The idea was to fill the Palau Sant Jordi and the Madrid Movistar Arena singing in Basque. They perform in Barcelona this Saturday, April 11, and in Madrid on May 25. "Some people believe that language can be a barrier, but what we do shows that it isn't. I think singing in Basque brings its own sensibility, and it's also a cultural differentiation in such a globalized world," says Etxezarreta. Last year it was Fermin Muguruza who mobilized thousands of people to listen to music in Basque at the Palau Sant Jordi, and now it's the turn of ETS, a band born under the umbrella of Basque punk-rock that gradually incorporated other musical sensibilities, some more pop, others more Latin, like bachata. "The concert will be a Basque cultural festival around the Basque language, tradition, and oral transmission, but also a show with space for encounters with other cultures," explains the Basque musician.

At Can Pastora there is no rush. "After the pandemic we said let's get together for a coffee to talk about making a record," recalls Caïm Riba (Formentera, 1974). "And a year went by before we met up," says Dolo Beltrán (Sant Boi de Llobregat, 1974), who at the time was performing Bonus track at Teatre Lliure. The intention was to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the release of the album Pastora. And it ended up celebrating "25 years". "We can also say we are celebrating Lola's anniversary," adds Riba, referring to the song that catapulted the group to success and with a verse from which they are now playing to title the album 25 años buscando follón (Halley Records, 2026), which they will present this Friday, April 10th, at the Auditori de Girona as part of the Strenes festival program. "That album changed our lives," admits Beltrán.The new album brings together a dozen songs from Pastora's career, but it is not a conventional compilation. Each song features a special guest: Santi Balmes, Pedro Guerra, Macaco, Roger Padrós, María Peláe, Sommeliers, Delafé & las Flores Azules, Marc Parrot, Ladilla Rusa, and Marina Rossell. Too much time had passed since the previous album, Una altra galàxia

Surprisingly, Australian Kevin Parker turned Tame Impala into a headliner at many festivals. With expansive psychedelia and a talent for immersive melodies, he conquered prime-time slots and built a remarkable discography. To avoid getting stuck in the mire of comfort and repetition, Parker has been opening windows to other sounds, evident in the album Deadbeat (2025) which he is presenting on the tour that passed through Palau Sant Jordi yesterday, with tickets practically sold out. Incidentally, it was the first time he had given a concert in Barcelona outside of Primavera Sound, where he has performed five times. And as on previous visits to the city, he made a stop at the bar La Plata in the Gothic Quarter.

Feliu Ventura (Xàtiva, 1976) published a few months ago Quan el cel es tornà negre, a song against the management of the October 2024 storm in the Valencian Country, and in support of the victims and neighborhood solidarity. He has also included it in Tot el que hem guanyatperdent (Propaganda pel Fet, 2026), an album of domestic anthems, singer-songwriter music with electronic textures and a resilient and, despite everything, hopeful outlook.

Copy until the end, says the devil. Be careful not to be accused of plagiarism, recommends the lawyer. In any case, make a virtue of influence, don't hide it, we will all benefit, because it's about knowledge transfer. After all, music is a combination of familiarity and uniqueness. The avant-garde tightens the string of uniqueness, pursuing the chimera of originality. The mainstream demands familiarity, recognizable things. Between one and the other there is a long way to go, including copying and legitimate inspiration, issues that intellectual property legislation sanctions or protects. Nothing legitimate, however, is extractive plagiarism, such as dispossessing authorship or passing off what belongs to another as one's own.