The Gran Teatre del Liceu unveiled its 2019/20 artistic season, a programme of particular significance marking the 20th anniversary of the theatre’s reopening following the 1994 fire. Under the motto “The Power of Opera”, the season reaffirmed the Liceu’s commitment to artistic excellence, international projection and the continued development of its long-term musical vision.
The anniversary season opened with a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, the very opera that inaugurated the rebuilt theatre in 1999. The programme combined major operatic masterpieces—including Aida, Carmen, Lohengrin, The Barber of Seville, La clemenza di Tito, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci—with rarely performed works such as Marin Marais’s Alcione and new creations including Diàlegs de Tirant e Carmesina.
As Music Director, Josep Pons continued to lead the artistic development of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, consolidating the long-term project launched in 2012. Bringing together leading conductors, stage directors, singers and creative artists, the season further reinforced the Liceu’s position among Europe’s foremost opera houses.
The presentation of this anniversary season also symbolised the theatre’s determination to build for the future by combining the preservation of the operatic heritage with support for contemporary creation and the engagement of new audiences.