In July 2020, the Gran Teatre del Liceu resumed its musical activity after the closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with a programme devoted to Gustav Mahler, conducted by Josep Pons. The concert became one of the most symbolic cultural events of the post-lockdown period, marking the reunion of the orchestra, the theatre and its audience.
The programme featured Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, performed by baritone Matthias Goerne, together with Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, featuring soprano Marlis Petersen. Two of the world’s leading Mahler interpreters joined the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra in a performance that demonstrated the theatre’s determination to resume its artistic activity at the highest level.
The concert also continued one of the defining artistic threads of Josep Pons’s work at the Liceu: his long-standing commitment to Mahler’s symphonic repertoire. Distinguished by orchestral transparency, expressive refinement and structural clarity, the performance reflected the artistic maturity achieved by the Liceu’s resident ensembles.
Beyond its musical significance, the concert became a symbol of the gradual return of live culture following the pandemic, opening a new chapter for the Gran Teatre del Liceu and reaffirming the essential role of music in bringing audiences together once again.