XXXIX edition of the Peralada Festival

Last Wednesday, May 7, the XXXIX edition of the Peralada Festival was presented in the Jardins del Castell de Peralada, which will be held from July 3 to 18 in different spaces of the Castle grounds, such as the Church of El Carme, the Mirador del Castell and the Celler Peralada. The event was attended by the artistic director of the Festival, Oriol Aguilà, accompanied by the singer and composer Elena Tarrats, the playwright Helena Tornero and the musicians Miquel Vich, Pau Codina and Marc Heredia, who shared the details of an edition that remains faithful to the essence of the Festival.

A total of twelve shows have been programmed for this year, which make up a proposal that reaffirms the innovative, transversal and committed nature of the event. From opera and Lied to flamenco, contemporary dance or the most undisciplined creation, the Festival is once again a unique platform for cultural experiences in unique environments.

Representing the Suqué-Mateu family, Matthew Reger Suqué highlighted that “Peralada is a unique meeting place where music and art merge with the beauty of our surroundings. For this reason, we invite you to experience a true sensory journey this summer in our captivating paradise and garden. Once again, the Festival comes to life”. For her part, the president of the Peralada Festival, Isabel Suqué Mateu, expressed that “this Festival is the shared dream of our family and a determined commitment to culture as a space of freedom and inspiration. We are thrilled to see how, year after year, Peralada transforms into a refuge for creators and a meeting point for our audience. It is a pride to keep this legacy alive and present a new edition”.

Oriol Aguilà wanted to emphasize that “this Festival is a rich and diverse cultural proposal, with shows that embrace lyric, dance, ancient and contemporary music, scenic thinking and hybrid forms. An edition that combines great international names with the strength of emerging creation, which turns Peralada into a space for meeting, emotion and transformation through art”. And he added: “In this new edition, the festival is framed in the fascinating world of garden art, as we explore the diverse and multifaceted meanings of paradise. A journey that we take through new creations, with the absolute premieres of Hort/Garden, talking about the utopia and memory of a family in the cultivation of the garden as a common cosmos, and of Genius Loci, in the dialogue between gardener and garden”.

Three spaces for concerts and performances

The Gothic temple of El Carmen will host some of the most memorable vocal evenings of this edition. For example, the great mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who will open the Festival, will be accompanied by Craig Terry on the piano. Christoph and Julian Prégardien (father and son) will also perform, accompanied by pianist Saskia Giorgini and narrator Alba Pujol. This recital will feature the participation of Miquel Genescà, a member of the Escolania de Montserrat, as part of the celebration of the Abbey's Millenary. Other outstanding performances will be those of Katia and Marielle Labèque, William Christie with his emblematic ensemble Les Arts Florissants, and the American soprano Angel Blue. In commemoration of the centenary of Conxita Badia, the church of El Carmen will also host the premiere of Melodies compartides. Pau Codina, Marc Heredia and Montserrat Seró will put music and voice to the historical bond between Pau Casals and Conxita Badia. A performance by soprano Sonya Yoncheva is also planned.

As for the Celler Perelada, a contemporary and immersive stage, dance and the most innovative sound creation will predominate. The choreographer and dancer Lorena Nogal and the reference collective in the country's new sound creation, Frames Percussion, will perform. The stage of the Mirador del Castell will host three proposals that connect with nature, memory and the passage of time, such as: Genius Loci, starring Xavier Sabata under the direction of Rafael R. Villalobos, with the complicity of theorbo player Jonas Nordberg and the viola of Liam Byrne. The show has a poetic staging with the participation of the visual artist Cachito Vallés.

The Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía and the Accademia del Piacere, with musical direction by Fahmi Alqhai and choreography by Patricia Guerrero, are also part of this edition. Of note is Hort/Garden, a hybrid opera-monologue born from the creative mind of Elena Tarrats, with text by Helena Tornero and set design by Silvia Costa, which debuts at the Festival. The music, written by six hands by Damien Bazin, Mario G. Cortizo and Tarrats herself, is its heart. Hort/Garden is a co-production of the Peralada Festival and Òpera de Butxaca and Nova Creació.

Celler Peralada. © Toti Ferrer

The Festival travels to Finland

At the end of July, once the programming in Peralada has finished, the Festival will travel to Finland to participate, for the first time, in the prestigious Savonlinna Opera Festival. There, three performances of the operatic production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen, directed by Joan Anton Rechi, will be presented (on July 29 and 31 and August 2).

The Peralada Festival program also includes a series of parallel activities that expand the cultural experience of the Festival. These activities will be held in various spaces and institutions, and will offer the public the opportunity to delve into the historical and creative contexts that give life to the music performed at the festival. On the other hand, in collaboration with the Film Fest, the Cinemes Verdi will host two special screenings: Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and the documentary Painting the Modern Garden: from Monet to Matisse, directed by David Bickerstaff. Once again, the Campus Estiu of the Campus Peralada opens the festival's doors to local students from the world of performing arts or linked to this field.