The Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona ~ Photography Imaging

This week we return to the fabulous Music Palace in Barcelona. Above are a few of the 18 figures in the curved walls behind the stage. The are mosaics for the lower part of their bodies and sculptures emerging from the walls for the upper part of their bodies. There are 18 of them, each dressed differently and playing a different musical instrument.

The stained glass centerpiece of the ceiling is unbelievable. The colors are evocative of the sun in the center with the surrounding sky. It is the only concert hall in Europe that in the daytime needs no artificial light.

This view shows the balconies and ceiling at the rear of the theater. It seats 2,200 and was built in 1905-08 with the design objective of showcasing Catalan modernist architecture and decor. It is a masterpiece of curved design elements for which Gaudi is famous.

This is a view of the stage. You can see the figures from the first photo above behind the stage. This concert hall can be used only for music, not plays, as there is no room back stage for set changes.

This is part of the exterior. The Music Palace was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, and justifiably so. The one frustration is that it is on a narrow street and it is impossible to get good angles from far enough away to photograph the exterior