175 years of performing arts. Gran Teatro del Liceo de Barcelona

Since this first Gran Teatro del Liceo project began in 1845, it has had to be rebuilt three times. The first project of the Lyceum had a short life of 14 years, being in ruins by a fire in 1861. This second Lyceum, rebuilt in 1862, was in the sights of the anarchist revolutionaries of the late 19th century for identifying the Theater as a space for the bourgeoisie. In 1893, the anarchist Santiago Salvador threw two Orsini bombs in the stalls, which is why it closed its doors for a year.

With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, the Liceo Theater ended up being nationalized by the Generalitat of Catalonia. Finally, at the end of the 70s of the 20th century, a consortium is created that manages the theater through the public administration.

The Gran Teatro del Liceo has undergone several reconstructions throughout its 175-year history, the last due to a fire on January 31, 1994, causing a strong emotional impact on Barcelonan society and Spain. On the same day of the fire, it was agreed to rebuild the Lyceum on the same site.

The building has a total constructed area of ​​36,000m2, of which 70% is occupied by the scene and services area, and the remaining 30% corresponds to the area intended for the public. Some of the most important spaces of the Gran Teatro del Liceo complex are the following.

- Lobby

The main hall with access from La Rambla is one of the spaces that were saved from the 1994 fire.

The lobby is eclectic in style based on the Renaissance. This style was known, in the mid-nineteenth century, as "Florentine" and was the more or less free interpretation of the neoclassical in Elizabethan times.

The central staircase is made of marble and leads to the first floor where the “Saló dels Miralls” is located. The staircase is also in the neoclassical style. At the top is a sculpture of the "Muse of Music", the work of Venanci Vallmitjana. It was laid in 1901.

- Room

The faithful reconstruction of the Hall and the stage destroyed by the fire, has allowed several changes and improvements.

The hall, explicitly inspired by the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, has a horseshoe-shaped plan (maximum depth and width of 33 and 27 m), with stalls and five levels, which make the hall one of the most solemn theatrical spaces of all the European architecture of the 20th century.

Its capacity is 2,292 spectators, one of the largest in European opera houses. The boxes - with small anterooms - are located on the proscenium, around the stalls, and in the amphitheater. The Orchestra Pit is also a platform that is raised or held 2m below the stage depending on the type of show.

- Saló dels Miralls

The Saló dels Miralls, formerly called “El vergel”, is a meeting place for the public. Saved from the fire and carefully restored, this room, with the new paintings on the ceiling and the curious texts referring to art and music that run along the upper part of the walls, is a space where the atmosphere of the old Theater is preserved intact. from the Lyceum.

- Stage

The stage of the Lyceum is the largest area of ​​the entire Theater complex and the nucleus around which the entire building is organized. It is the heart of a large scenic tower that rises 40m above scene level and sinks 24m below this level.

The mouth of the stage (the frame) is 14m wide and the stage is 15m wide and 16m deep (which is what the viewer sees). This space is made up of two large platforms with upward and downward movement that work as elevators.

On top of the stage, that is to say on the zero levels, the great scenic tower rises 33m high to the pint, and 7m more to the top of the roof. It sinks 16 + 8m to accommodate platforms below this zero level.