Guitars Ensemble Pau Casals Municipal School of Music in El Vendrell Photo: Sílvia Isach (@sinoca_studio

María Dolores García Martínez
(esguarddedona)

Versió català

Versión en castellano

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Long live chamber music!

Third concert

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Tivoli Auditorium

Pau Casals Municipal School of Music (EMMPAC))

Concert by EMMPAC students, remembering Pablo Casals and his friends​.

With the participation of Jaime Laredo

Concert program and performers

• Guitars Ensemble

Old Spanish songs,
collected by  

Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936)

Nana de Sevilla, popular
(Lullaby from Seville)
(arr. Adrià Galindo)

Los cuatro muleros, popular
(The four muleteers)
(arr. Maria Elena Casañas)

Las morillas de Jaén, popular
(The morels of Jaén)
(arr. Àngel Agulló)

La tarara, popular
(The Tarara)
(arr. Jorge Cardoso)

Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)

Danza española núm. 6
Rondalla aragonesa
(Spanish Dance No. 6)
(Aragonese Rondalla)
(Arr. Enrique Lop)

Guitar ensemble during a moment of their performance Photo: Sílvia Isach (@sinoca_studio)

• Anna Casellas (flute)

• Almudena Menor (piano)

Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)

Sicilenne. Op. 78

• Ferran Herrero (piano)

• Alexander Reimer (piano)

Pyotr Ilyxt Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

The Waltz of the Flowers (The Nutcracker)

Ferran Herrero and Alexander Reimer Photo: Sílvia Isach (@sinoca_studio)

• Ingrid Merino (viola)

• Oriol Borrell (piano)

Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda(1801 - 1866)

Nocturne no. 3, Op 186, for viola and piano

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710 - 1736)

Nina

Ingrid Merino (viola) and Oriol Borrell (piano) Photo: Sílvia Isach (@sinoca_studio)

• Arnau Bassas (clarinet)

• Simón Alonso (piano)

Witold Lutoslawski(1913 - 1994)

Dance Preludes

Arnau Bassas (clarinet) and Simón Alonso (piano) Photo: Sílvia Isach (@sinoca_studio)

Video of a rehearsal by Simón Alonso on the stage of the Tivoli Auditorium, of the EMMPAC

The meeting with Jaime Laredo

This concert offered the appeal of hearing young performers training at EMMPAC, but it was also a major draw to see Jaime Laredo perform, as well as interact with students and the audience, allowing them to hear his opinions and advice. He was joined on stage by his wife, the renowned cellist Sharon Robinson.

Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson Photo: Sílvia Isach (@sinoca_studio) July 13, 2025

Laredo and Robinson are highly respected musicians, with extensive experience performing and teaching. They frequently offer masterclasses; for example, just a few weeks after their performance in El Vendrell, they gave a joint class at Oberlin College & Conservatory in Pennsylvania (USA), which was also open to the public.

García Lorca and Enrique Granados, prominent figures in the concert

All the concerts at the Festival shared a common thread: they highlighted the fruit of friendship. The friendship between Granados and Casals is well known, but did a similar friendship exist between García Lorca and Casals?.

Federico García Lorca (1898 – 1936)

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Federico García Lorca Granada, February 10, 1919 Photographer: unknown Federico García Lorca Foundation Collection Public domain

The Pau Casals Music Association celebrates Casals Month every October in El Vendrell. In 2018, a study by philologist Jaume Figueras was presented, analyzing whether Casals and García Lorca ever met.

Jaume Figueras suggested that they may have met at a tribute event held on October 23, 1935 at the Olympia Theatre, dedicated to actress and theatre director Margarida Xirgu (1888 - 1969). His hypothesis includes a letter from Casals to Xirgu. That letter might contain a passage that refers to the poet, but without mentioning his name.

Casals and Lorca shared a similar goal: to make it easier for the working classes to discover and enjoy classic theater (Lorca) through his theater group "La Barraca" and classical music (Casals) through the Workers' Concert Association. This was a point emphasized by Figueras.

But there is a document that allows us to confirm that they met. It was provided by historian and cultural expert Àngels Santacana, at the presentation of the Casals Month, where she stated that there is a photograph taken in Uruguay in which Lorca and Casals appear.

Enrique Granados Campiña (1867 – 1916)

Enrique Granados Campiña May 3, 1914 Photo by: Agence de presse Meurisse Bibliotheque Nationale de France Public domain

Casals and Granados met in 1891. Casals was fifteen years old and Granados was twenty-four. Despite the age difference, they became great friends. A few years later, in 1897, they, along with violinist Mathieu Crickboom (1871–1947), toured Spain.

Enrique Granados and Pau Casals Between 1895 and 1900 Photo by: Antoni Esplugas i Puig (1852 - 1929) National Archive of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) Glass plate, silver gelatin negative Public domain

For Casals, Granados's death was a terrible blow. Their friendship was sincere; moreover, as Pablo L. Rodríguez published in El País, in the article entitled "The tragic final embrace of Enrique Granados and his wife" (published March 27, 2016), Casals was the person who gave Granados the most support among all Spaniards (Rodríguez uses the word "national," but given the use that word was given later during the Spanish Civil War, its use could create a misunderstanding).

Casals visited Granados in New York where the composer was preparing for the premiere of his opera Goyescas.They both gave a concert for the Friends of Music of New York on January 23, 1916. and Goyescas premiered on January 28, 1916. Granados and his wife Amparo Gal Lloberas (1870 - 1916) [1] had planned to return to Europe on March 8th, but they postponed the trip, so that Granados could perfom at the White House for Woodrow Wilson (1856 - 1924).

Amparo Gal was the manager of her husband's musical schedule; she was his support in all aspects, both emotional and practical.

Granados and his wife returned to Europe, stopping in London, from where they boarded the steamship Sussex to reach France. It was a passenger ship that was to take them to Dieppe, but during the voyage it was torpedoed in the English Channel by the German submarine UB-29 at 2:50 p.m. on March 24, 1916.

The torpedo impact created a large wave that swept some of the passengers into the sea. Fifty people died from the impact, the wave, and those who jumped into the sea in panic. The rest of the passengers survived because part of the ship did not sink. A section of the stern remained afloat because it was watertight, but it drifted for 32 kilometers. They were eventually spotted by a fishing boat, and a rescue operation began. Three hundred and thirty people were saved. The unsunk portion of the ship was towed to Boulogne. The German government denied the events, but the remains of the torpedo and the testimonies of the travelers forced them to rectify, although they excused themselves by saying that it had been a mistake by the submarine commander. The incident was so significant that it led to the Sussex Pledge. With it, the Germans declared they would not attack non-military ships. But in practice, it was not honored. (Link to the official report on the attack. U.S. State Department.

Although there are photos of the unsunken remains of the Sussex, this drawing by James McBey (1883 - 1959) is probably the most emotionally impactful. The print can be found on the website of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (London)

United Press International correspondent John H. Hearley reported on the events.
(Link to a photograph taken on the ship after it was torpedoed.)
(Link to the Hearley's chronicle)

A concert to help the children of Enrique Granados

Granados died alongside his wife, Amparo Gal. They had six children who were left orphaned. By one of those strange coincidences of life, Arthur Rubinstein (1887 - 1982) performed Goyescas at the Palau de la Música Catalana on the same day that Enrique Granados and Amparo Gal died; their children attended the concert; they had not yet received the news of their parents' death.

On May 7, 1916, a concert was held at the Metropolitan Opera House to benefit the orphans of Granados. The concert featured Pablo Casals, the soprano María Barrientos (1894–1946), Fritz Kreisler (1875–1962), and Ignacy Paderewski (1860–1941).

Furthermore, to raise more funds, Paderewski's wife, Helena M. Paderewska, donated 100 dolls. These dolls were made by Polish refugees for a project Paderewska was undertaking to raise funds to help her country, Poland, and its people. However, she felt that helping Granados's children was a cause that deserved this extra contribution. Paderewska herself, along with Susan Metcalf (1878-1959), who was Casals's wife at the time, and Harriet Lies (1869-1963), Kreisler's wife, sold the dolls at the theater entrance.

Helena Pederewska (1856–1934) was of Polish origin. In addition to the Doll project already described, which is documented at least as far back as 1914, she also founded the Polish White Cross with the help of Polish emigrants in the United States. She also recruited 20,000 volunteers to assist refugees during World War I. After the war, she continued her work and, among other achievements, secured funding for the training of doctors and nurses and founded the School of Agriculture in northeastern Poland. She also welcomed exiles into her home in Switzerland.

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Photograph of dolls made by Polish refugees in Paris
The dolls were sold to benefit the Polish War Victims Relief Fund
Dated 1915
Author: Bain News Service
Public domain

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Walter Aaron Clark in his article The Death of Enrique Granados: Context and Controversy (Musical Yearbook no. 65, January - December 2010) explains how the tribute concert to Granados ended: All the lights were off, there was a candle on the piano, with that only illumination Pederewski played the Funeral March by Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1835), while the public remained silent.

The tragic death of Granados deeply affected Casals. When Albert E. Kahn recorded his statements, which would later be published as the book "Joys and Sorrows: Reflections by Pablo Casals," he spoke of this loss and said: "This tragic event symbolized for me the waste and madness of the war." The book was published in 1970 by Simon & Schuster.

Enrique Granados playing the piano Sculpture by Ismael Smith (1886-1972) Work from 1908 Museu Pau Casals Photo: María Dolores García Martínez (esguarddedona)

Besides being friends, Casals and Granados collaborated musically. In the book "Enrique Granados in Context / Enrique Granados en contexto" (LEAL Cultural Association, 2020), there is a chapter titled: "Enrique Granados and Pau Casals: A Long Friendship and the Construction of a Cello Repertoire." The article is written by musicologist Xoán M. Carreria (1954) and music communicator Josep M. Rebés (1955).

Likewise, the exhibition "Counterpoint: Enrique Granados - Pau Casals" explored the friendship and musical relationship between the two. The following quote is from that exhibition:

"This premature death would signify the earthly end and the spiritual continuation of a friendship in the form of counterpoint, which once again makes the figures of Granados and Casals exceptional."

The exhibition was displayed at the Museu Pau Casals from December 2, 2004 to January 23, 2005, and subsequently toured various towns in Catalonia.

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Video about the exhibition “Counterpoint: Enrique Granados – Pau Casals”
with numerous photographs of both
Pau Casals Foundation
Video production: Linus Urpí
Music: Enrique Granados. Goyescas, H. 71 Intermezzo
(Arr. Gaspar Cassadó (1897 - 1966) for cello and piano)
April 19, 2021

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Casals' relationships with the other composers in the concert program

Gabriel Fauré (1845- 1924)

There is a photograph that shows Fauré and the Casals-Cortot-Thibaud trio; it was taken at the Ecole Normale de Musique after a rehearsal. The trio performed for Fauré the Trio Op. 120, which would be the composer's penultimate work. Once again, we find sources that speak of a sincere friendship between Casals and Fauré. Furthermore, Casals made a cello arrangement of Fauré's work "Après un Rêve."

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Gabriel Fauré: Après un revê
Pau Casals, cello - Nikolai Mednikoff, piano
1927
Shared on YouTube by Classics&Opera
March 20, 2023

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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

We have no evidence to suggest that Casals was familiar with the other composers on the concert program. However, we do know that he recorded works by Tchaikovsky.

The venue for the third concert of FIMPC 2025: The Pau Casals Municipal School of Music

The vocation to train young musicians and to offer the opportunity to learn music to people of all ages.

The school is the fruit of Vendrell's vital energy towards music and culture in general, and above all it is an achievement of the people who fought tirelessly to see that project become a reality.

The school is a municipal public center. It began classes on February 3, 1986. To make its existence possible, an agreement was established with the Generalitat of Catalonia and support was also obtained from the Social Welfare Fund of the Provincial Savings Bank of Tarragona.

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Facade of the first headquarters of the EMMPAC del Vendrell on Isidre Ribes street

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There was never any doubt that the school should be named after Pau Casals. Furthermore, the project was one of the goals set by the Pau Casals Musical Association, which was presided over by Josep Altet Font (1920-2003) (UN Medal, Creu de Sant Jordi, 1999 from the Generalitat of Catalonia, and Favorite Son of El Vendrell, 2010).

The school's first location was on Isidre Ribes Street. It was a 300 m² building that accommodated up to 300 students. It was so successful, and there was such high demand for places, that it became necessary to find a new, larger location. The school's first teachers were Albert Solé, who was the first director; Carlota Baldrís, who became director a few years later; Margarita Güell (violin); and Andreu Guash Padró (piano).

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Visit of Marta Casals Istomin and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (1927 - 2007) to the EMMPAC
The photograph shows the meeting with the Cor de Veus Blanques (White Voices Choir), which was going to perform, directed by Montse Meneses, at the funeral events of Eugene Istomin on October 16, 2003, in the Vendrell cemetery.
Photo: Carlota Baldrís

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From cinema to school

The current building houses a classroom and activity area, the Tivoli Auditorium (capacity 333 people), the Cohi i Grau Auditorium [1] (capacity 120 people), a multipurpose room (capacity 60 people), and a library. All of this is contained within the same building. This building was constructed on the site of a former center called Tivoli, which offered cultural and recreational activities, a bar, and served as the headquarters of the Vendrell Sports Club. However, it is still best remembered for its cinema.

[1] Agustí Cohi Grau (1921 - 2012) Son of Vendrell, composer, musician and educator; creator of the Cohi Grau scholarship, which since 2005 has been awarded to a student or group from EMMPAC

The Tivoli (as the aforementioned activity center was always known) began its activities in 1876 and ceased operations in the 1990s. Negotiations for its acquisition began in 2002. The following year it became the property of the City Council. Classes were able to be held in the new building during the 2009-2010 academic year.

The official opening took place on June 21, 2010, with a performance by the cellist and Casal's godson Lluís Claret (1951), the singer Marina Rosell (1954), and the Zóngora choir, which originated at the school. The event was presided over by Ernest Mararagall, then Counselor of Education for the Generalitat of Catalonia. At that time, the school had 345 students and 23 teachers.

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Facade of the current EMMPAC headquarters
Photo: Linus Urpí

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EMMPAC is one of the cultural driving forces of Vendrell and the Baix Penedès region

To celebrate EMMPAC's 30th anniversary, the cantata "The Magic Ring," composed by Albert Solé, premiered. Two hundred singers, fifty musicians (including students and teachers), three soloists, and the dancers from the school's dance studio participated. Montse Meneses conducted the cantata. Meneses studied at EMMPAC, and later at the Conservatories of Tarragona, Badalona, and Barcelona. Today she is the director of the Cor de Noies del Orfeó Català (girls' choir), the Veus Blanques choir (children's voices), the Zóngora choir, and the Coral Cantiga of Barcelona.

A new cantata premiered to mark the 40th anniversary. This time, the text was by Xavier Sanjuan and the music by Jordi Cornudella. The work was titled "Everything is Music". It premiered in June 2022 and was recorded by Radio Televisión of El Vendrell.

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Tívoli Auditorium
Photo: Linus Urpí

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TheEMMPAC continues its activities. Its goal is to offer new and better opportunities to those who want to learn music, with a high level of quality, but always respecting the values championed by Pau Casals. Casals's idea that music is the divine way of expressing beautiful and poetic things to the heart is ever-present.

The current director of the school is Emi Recasens Collado, the head of studies is Xavi Font Rius and it has a human team that offers vocal, instrumental and dance training.

Names indelibly linked to EMMPAC

Albert Solé and Carlota Baldrís are two people whose life story is deeply linked to the music school; both were once its directors.

Albert Solé was honored for his lifetime dedication to music and to El Vendrell. And yet, music was never his profession, despite having a degree in piano, being an excellent pianist, choir director, and composer.

Carlota Baldrís, She is a composer, music theory and harmony teacher, and has been a professor at EMMPAC since 1986, where she also served as director from 1998 to 2010.

She is passionate about music and its role in intellectual and emotional development, as well as its impact on our brains. For this reason, she has offered several seminars on these topics at the Museu Pau Casals in recent years. For this, she has collaborated with specialists such as Jordi Jauset and Eduard Ramos
"An emotional journey: The cello suites by Bach"
"Comunication, music and emotions"
"Neuromusic, emotions and welfare"
"How music affects our brain"

A tireless composer, she is the author of works such as "Song of the Star" (Canço de l'Estrella), a work in which she set to music a text by Jacint Verdaguer (1845 - 1902).

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Vilafranca del Penedès Polyphonic Choir Director: David Hernàndez Piano: Miquel Villalba December 26, 2022

Another example is the Oratorio of the Angel Tobias [1] The text accompanying the video reads:

..."a song to life, peace, and the conservation of the planet. An emotional journey and a reflection on humanity, life, and death, told through the voice of an angel, a being half celestial and half earthly, who observes the earth from his bell tower. A piece that evolves each time it is performed, a transcendental experience, recommended by UNESCO for its message of peace and respect for planet Earth and for its universal values." ”

[1] The Angel of Tobias presides over the bell tower of the parish church of Vedndrell and is a landmark for the town.

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18th Vic Religious Music Festival Church of El Escorial, Vic Director: Montserrat Meneses April 11, 2022

Another of her projects has been to compose 38 pieces, one for each of the flowers mentioned by Mercè Rodora in her book "Journeys and Flowers" (Viatges i flors). This is a cross-disciplinary art project, meaning artworks generated by the inspiration of other artworks. In this case, a book has given rise to her 38 compositions.Thus, other creators have each contributed 38 other works; Camil·la Pérez Salvà has contributed with watercolors, Nati Soler with writings, and Esperanza Cases Prats with perfumes. This is not the first time Carlota Baldrís has participated in cross-disciplinary art projects; one of her most recent was inspired by dry stone constructions.

Photo: Concert program details: Long live chamber music!