Palau De La Musica Catalana

Yesterday morning was bright and sunny, beautiful blue sky and spring freshness in the air. I was dressed for holiday and the locals were in coats and scarves - softies! An hour later the clouds closed in, the temperature dropped and I thought I was in London again. But by then I didn't care because we were in the marvelous Palau de la Musica with a chance to see the glories that a man of vision can create when he has the conviction of imagination.

The Palau was designed by Luis Domenech i Montaner and opened in 1908 to celebrate music and the heritage of Catalonia, the Catalan flag and symbolic roses repeated everywhere in the incredibly intricate and colourful design. You can't just wander round, unfortunately, it's a guided a tour or nothing, but it's well worth going and having the architecture and design explained. It's strange to think that the building was one of the first prefabs - the structures built elsewhere and then put together on site.

The side walls of the concert hall and much of the ceiling is made from glass so it feels light and airy, and has been likened to being inside a music box. It hosts over 300 concerts each year, mainly classical and choral but this week Anthony & The Johnsons is playing. so it has a wide range of events. It would be interesting to hear a concert there and experience the acoustics.

No photography is allowed inside the Palau so here's an image of the concert hall to give you an idea of what it's like.