The Liceu wants to schedule five opera shows and five dance performances at its seaside venue

The Liceu Mar is closer to becoming a reality. The second venue that the Gran Teatre wants to build in Port Vell – like the Sydney Opera House that kisses the shore – is already taking shape, as the time has come when deadlines, budget and number of shows to be exhibited are being considered. The project would start in 2030 with a budget of 15 million euros and a programme that would include five opera shows and five contemporary dance shows per season.

These are the figures that, according to La Vanguardia, the directors of the Barcelona opera house have in mind and which are expected to be presented on Wednesday to the executive committee of the consortium administrations and also to the Port of Barcelona, ​​which seems predisposed to favour and support the project. What is still not clear is in which area of ​​the Moll d'Espanya it would be built.

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According to José Alberto Carbonell, president of the organisation, in an interview with this newspaper on Monday, the competition for the drafting of the basic architectural and urbanisation project will be put out to tender before the summer, but it remains to be determined whether the Liceu Mar will replace the Imax or will be built on a larger scale. However, if the second option is chosen, two high volumes so close to each other on the Moll d'Espanya would not be able to coexist, so the building of the old Imax will have to, as Carbonell commented, be lowered in height: the stage box of the new theatre will undoubtedly require a larger size.

The project that the administrations had planned for the long term now has the support of the Government and the City Council

It has not been decided who will pay for the work and under what terms, but it does not seem that this issue will be delayed. The Liceu Mar is a project that the administrations contemplated in the long term and with relative commitment, but recently they have decided to promote it firmly from the Government and the City Council. It does not have to be a complex architecture, it can be a functional building that at the same time takes into account comfort, accessibility, human dimension, the relationship with the environment... that can really be a meeting point for Liceu 2.0 at sea.

Where would the 15 million euros come from, which would also have to finance a second orchestra of, say, fifty musicians... or enlarge the existing one so that it can respond to both programmes?

The Liceu hopes that the administrations will be willing to increase their aid by between 20 and 25%

Part of this will come from public contributions. The Liceu hopes that the Generalitat, the Ministry, the City Council and the Provincial Council will be willing to increase their support to the Barcelona opera house by between 20 and 25%. The rest would be its own income or from patronage, and the rental of the venue could contribute to this, as some 40 more activities are planned each year.

The need for a medium-sized auditorium for the Liceu became urgent after its reconstruction a quarter of a century ago. To bring its activity into line with that of other major European theatres meant programming opera and contemporary dance, rescuing the heritage in a contemporary way and giving way to medium-sized projects. All of these were vital proposals that would not necessarily fill the 2,292 seats in the main auditorium or deserve to be housed in the small space of the Foyer. For a time it was assumed that the auditorium would occasionally be 50% occupied, but in the current context it is unthinkable to use the Gran Teatre for unprofitable things.

As things stand, the number of new opera premieres has been falling by the dropper. And dance, which has continued to be conditioned by the opera calendar, is very limited precisely because of the lack of spaces for rehearsals. This new venue would make it possible to optimise the dance programme. What's more, the Liceu Mar could mean that the best of the new international choreographers, those who are currently making their mark by creating for ballet companies in other top-level opera houses, would pass through Barcelona. This would be a space to create new productions or perhaps to house a company in residence.

Because the Liceu wants to develop its contemporary project there, to have a creative space where digital culture, technological and audiovisual avant-garde, R&D and sound experimentation come together. To the main hall, with capacity for around a thousand people, another multipurpose hall would be added, which would serve as a laboratory and exhibition hall. And all this, mind you, avoiding being unprofitable or becoming overcrowded, cannibalising the Liceu Rambla itself or entering into unfair competition with other facilities in the city.

In the end, Pasqual Maragall's idea of ​​recovering part of the highly privatized Port of Barcelona from the public sphere could come to fruition thanks to collaboration with culture, and not just any culture.

Agreement Banca March will promote the dissemination of the Liceu's activities

Banca March and the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation in Barcelona have signed an agreement under which the bank will make a financial contribution to the Foundation and promote the dissemination of its operatic activity. The agreement has a duration of one year and focuses on promoting the artistic season and the cultural activities carried out by the Foundation.