The Escolania brings the Montserrat touch to the Tribute Concert to Pau Casals at the Palau de la Música

Wednesday, September 30, 2026.- The Palau de la Música Catalana opened its season with a tribute to Pau Casals in the year of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Among the concert's protagonists, the Escolania de Montserrat was tasked with remembering the maestro's close connection to Montserrat. They performed two pieces composed by Pau Casals himself, O vos omnes and Nigra sum, in tribute to their composer. As could not be otherwise in a tribute to his figure, El cant dels ocells (The Song of the Birds) was also heard, featuring an arrangement by Bernat Vivancos.

The program also included the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony—which had just been performed at the Abbey of Montserrat the day before—specifically the fourth movement, the Ode to Joy. This section was performed by the same musicians from the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès and the voices of the Orfeó Català, along with soprano Martha Mathéu, mezzosoprano Gemma Coma-Alabert, tenor Roger Padullés, and baritone Ferran Albrich.

The performers also included Pablo Ferrández, the first recipient of the Pau Casals Grant, who performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, as well as the Quartet Casals and Mercè Sanchís on organ, with the entire ensemble under the direction of Xavier Puig.

Thus, Pau Casals' legacy was reviewed through significant artists and groups tied to his universe—a universe that to this day speaks to us of peace, always holding the memory of his figure as a cornerstone of Catalan culture and music.

The concert, held on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Pau Casals, was attended by the Abbot of Montserrat, Fr. Manel Gasch i Hurios, in his capacity as president of the Pau Casals Foundation.