Benjamin Alard and friends will perform Falla and the Reinvention of the Harpsichord at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona on 5 November 2026. The concert links the venue with the centenary of Manuel de Falla’s Concerto for Harpsichord and Five Instruments, first performed there on 5 November 1926.
Falla’s centenary concert returns to the original venue
The concert begins at 8pm in the Concert Hall, according to the organiser. Alard appears as harpsichordist and conductor, joined by Miguel Colom on violin, Fernando Arias on cello, Álvaro Octavio on flute, Ángel Luis Sánchez on oboe and Pablo Barragán on clarinet.
The programme includes Falla’s Concerto for Harpsichord and Five Instruments alongside works by Tomás Luis de Victoria, José María Sánchez-Verdú, Domenico Scarlatti and Johann Sebastian Bach. The organiser describes the event as a return to the hall where Falla’s concerto received its premiere exactly 100 years earlier. The concert programme and date identify the venue, performers and centenary connection.
How the 1926 premiere relates to the modernist hall
The building was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner for the Orfeó Català and constructed between 1905 and 1908. Its architecture combines a steel structure with stained glass, mosaics, sculpture and other applied arts. The Concert Hall therefore places a work written for an expanded harpsichord setting inside a building conceived as a home for choral and instrumental music.
The Palau de la Música Catalana opened in 1908 and became part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Palau and Hospital de Sant Pau in 1997. UNESCO describes the Barcelona buildings as major works by Domènech i Montaner and examples of the Modernista style. The UNESCO heritage record confirms the site’s location and architectural significance.
Five November places Falla beside Bach and Scarlatti
The date gives the programme a direct link to the hall’s performance history rather than treating the anniversary as a separate commemoration. Falla’s concerto is paired with earlier repertory and contemporary music, so the harpsichord becomes the connecting instrument between the historical premiere and the current programme.
The event belongs to the Palau Cambra cycle and is organised by the Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música. The organiser lists the concert as a public programme with the Concert Hall as its venue. No change to the building’s normal identity as an active concert venue is announced for 5 November 2026.
Visiting Palau de la Música Catalana: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The concert takes place on 5 November 2026 in the Concert Hall at the Palau de la Música Catalana, with Benjamin Alard and friends.
- The listed programme is a concert rather than a change to the building’s access arrangements. Visitors should distinguish the Concert Hall event from architectural visits elsewhere in the building.
- The venue is at Carrer del Palau de la Música, 4-6, in central Barcelona, near Plaça Urquinaona. Urquinaona station serves metro lines L1 and L4, while Catalunya Square station serves RENFE and FGC trains.
- The building is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility through lifts on all floors. The Foyer balconies also have a stair lift for wheelchair users.
- The official languages used locally are Catalan and Spanish, and Spain’s national currency is the euro.
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Frequently asked questions about Palau de la Música Catalana
When does Falla and the Reinvention of the Harpsichord take place at Palau de la Música Catalana?
The concert takes place on 5 November 2026 at 8pm in the Concert Hall.
What is the programme for the 5 November concert?
Benjamin Alard leads music by Falla, Bach, Scarlatti, Sánchez-Verdú and Victoria with an ensemble of six named instrumentalists.
Where is Palau de la Música Catalana and how do you get there?
The venue is in central Barcelona at Carrer del Palau de la Música, 4-6, near Plaça Urquinaona. Urquinaona station is served by metro lines L1 and L4.
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