Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner had many things in common and many convergent points between them. But also many divergent ones. Uniting them with the Rhine river as a common link is a good idea, because the fluvial knife that cuts a good part of Germany was the primary motive for Schumann's third (chronologically fourth and last) symphony, while Wagner begins the cycle The Ring of the Nibelung with a prologue (Das Rheingold), the first scene of which takes place precisely at the bottom of the aforementioned river. In the case of the concert at the Palau de la Música, however, it was the final scene of the first day (Die Walküre) that occupied the second part.However, and unfortunately, what could have been a splendid end-of-season party for Palau 100 was left unfinished. We expected a lot from an orchestra that has set the bar very high in other concerts and recordings, with or without the baton of the one who on Wednesday occupied the podium in the modernist auditorium: an Iván Fischer somewhat disheveled, without many ideas and who led a Renana with an uncertain start and a finish without pain or glory. And the peculiar arrangement of the strings (first violins and cellos on the left, violas and second violins on the right, and double basses at the back) did not have the imaginative flair that many of us expected in service of Schumann's magnificent symphony.And the second part disappointed due to the woody voice of Hanno Müller-Brachmann, a singer with more than sufficient volume and projection but with changing colors, scarce expressiveness, and zero authority in the role of Wotan, who demands more roundness and vocal presence. Fortunately, soprano Ingela Brimberg's Brünnhilde had the sufficient metal that the Valkyrie demands, in a finale of the act that is a cocktail of feelings between father and daughter before she ends up asleep on a rock surrounded by fire.Nor did the orchestra here seem particularly involved in terms of narrativity and theatricality, despite the good level of the different sections (especially the velvety strings and the punchy brass), but without Fischer's direction adding much to it.By the way, it would be appreciated if a scene like this, long and dense, had the corresponding subtitles, so that Wagner's text would be understandable to everyone. Also for the Wagnerians who, in Barcelona, are legion.

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.

In case it wasn't clear from the title of this review: take note of the name Julie Roset, a young French soprano of only 29 years old who has already done many things in the world of opera (for example, winning the 2023 Operalia edition) and has participated in shows directed by some of the best conductors of the moment.Her debut in Catalonia has been possible thanks to this season's edition of the Lied Festival Life Victoria – which concludes its journey on May 26 with a recital by Simon Keenlyside and Malcolm Martineau – and within the modernist complex of the Hospital de Sant Pau. Alongside the pianistic wisdom of Susan Manoff (extraordinary in La fille aux cheveux de lin by Debussy and in Le banc songeur by Han), the French singer offered a recital that was pure filigree, especially for introducing us to pieces by composers little or not at all showcased among us, such as Charles Koechlin, Manuel Rosenthal, Louis Beydts, Mel Bonis, and, above all, the exquisite Isabelle Aboulker. To these names were added works by much more famous musicians in the style of Poulenc, Enescu, Lili Boulanger, and the already mentioned Han and Debussy.The French mélodie (equivalent to the German Lied) requires a pure singing style, with impeccable phrasing and, above all, chromatic iridescences to adorn each phrase, each word, each syllable, and each letter in order to give expressive emphasis and precise colors to what is being interpreted. In her outrageously young age, Julie Roset demonstrates mastery of all these tools, essential for a successful performance.Roset, moreover, stands out as a communicative, expressive, and even theatrical artist in pieces like the fun La princesse aux petits pois by Alboulker, a composer who makes it very difficult with the staccato notes, and the high notes of Je t’aime, or in the intervallic leaps of L’inconstante. A true discovery is the music of this artist, the only living one (she was born in 1938) among the composers for a difficult and demanding program for the performer, but very well received by the attending audience.It will be necessary to follow Roset's career, to listen to her in larger venues, in operatic performances and with varied repertoires. I would not be at all surprised if we heard from her, a lot and very well. Her presentation in Barcelona could not have been better crafted.