The city of El Vendrell hosts the start of the Pau Casals International Music Festival, which this year reaches its 45th edition. This event commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the renowned cellist and peace activist, Pau Casals, and centers its program on the instrument he defined as his best friend.
The festival, promoted by the Pau Casals Foundation, the Pau Casals Musical Association, and the El Vendrell City Council, aims to maintain Casals' spirit of bringing music to the people. The Sant Salvador Auditorium, located opposite the musician's former summer residence, will be the main venue for the concerts.
The opening, this Friday at 8:00 PM, will feature cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and pianist Annika Treutler. This year's program highlights the participation of performers who were disciples of Pau Casals, such as Miklós Perényi, as well as other notable names like Truls Mørk, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, and Edgar Moreau.
One of the highlights will be the performance by the winner of the Queen Elisabeth competition, Ettore Pagano, who will have the privilege of playing the 1700 Goffriller cello that belonged to Pau Casals for 60 years. This historic instrument will sound again in El Vendrell after eleven years, during the festival's closing concert on July 21st.
In addition to honoring Casals, the event will extend an "embrace to Puerto Rico", the cellist's place of residence and the birthplace of his wife Marta Casals, with a performance by Puerto Rican soprano Natalia Santaliz. The initiative inspired by the Marlboro Festival, a gathering of young virtuosos from around the world, will also continue.
A total of 14 young musicians will collaborate with more experienced artists in various venues, including the Pau Casals Museum and the Plaça Nova in El Vendrell. This commemoration will extend until the end of next year, with events in El Vendrell and across the country.
Pau Casals was recognized not only for his musical genius but also for his commitment to world peace, protesting against totalitarianism and injustice. He was invited four times by the United Nations and premiered the United Nations Anthem in 1971, receiving the Peace Medal.
