Last night we inaugurated our tenth season with a concert by the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, conducted by its principal conductor, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, at the Palau de la Música Catalana. The Italian ensemble, currently on a four-concert tour of Spain, featured violinist Michael Barenboim, who made his debut in Barcelona.
The evening opened with a vibrant performance of Rossini’s William Tell Overture, which set the festive tone for the night. Next, Michael Barenboim offered a refined and virtuosic reading of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4, displaying impeccable technical mastery and great musical sensitivity. As an encore, he delighted the audience with Fritz Kreisler’s Fantasia Scherzo.
In the second half, the orchestra tackled one of the most iconic works of the Romantic repertoire — Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique — with energy and precision, taking the audience on an emotional journey that still stands out for its originality and expressive power. To everyone’s surprise, Michael Barenboim himself joined the RAI Orchestra’s violin section!
The audience’s enthusiasm was rewarded with one final “Italian gift,” as Orozco-Estrada introduced it: the Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana.
It was, without a doubt, a memorable opening and a wonderful way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of BCN Clàssics.
Thank you for being with us, and see you very soon!