The tribute to the great Colombian writer was organized by the Embassy of Colombia in Spain, on the occasion of the Barcelona International Book Fair (LIBER 2022)
On October 5, the Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona held a concert-lecture with some of the Colombian writer’s works accompanied by musical pieces alluding to Macondo, the mythical place of the Nobel Prize winner’s narrations, performed by ensembles of the Liceu Conservatory.
The event celebrating 40 years since the Nobel Prize was awarded to García Márquez was chaired by the Mayor of Barcelona, Ms. Ada Colau, and the Head of Mission of the Colombian Embassy in Spain, Ms. Victoria Pauwels. Both emphasized the deep ties between Barcelona and the writer, who lived in the city for several years.
The reading of fragments of works such as “La Hojarasca”, “The Colonel has no one to write to him”, “The Funerals of the Big Mama”, “La Mala Hora” and “One hundred years of solitude”, were made by the Mayor, the publisher Santiago Tobón, Carolina Rey, Vice President of ACLI, Jordi Martí, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Diana Rey, Director of Funda Lectura, and Antonio María Ávila, Director of the Spanish Federation of Publishers Guilds.
The String Camerata of the Liceu Conservatory, conducted by Colombian musician Rubén Dario Reina, performed three Colombian popular songs arranged for the event: El Pescador by José Barros, La Danza Negra by Lucho Bermúdez, and Ay Amores by Shakira. The Saxophone Quartet of the Liceu Conservatory performed La Piragua, one of the best-known works of Colombian folklore, in an arrangement by Julio Castillo. Finally, the Modern Music Ensemble of the Conservatori del Liceu closed the musical performances with two of the most loved pieces of Colombian music: Gaiteando and Colombia Tierra Querida, both by Lucho Bermúdez.
This activity is part of the Liceu Conservatory Foundation’s Collaboration Program with Latin-America, through which the institution has established institutional agreements with Conservatories, Universities and Cultural Organizations from several Latin American countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil. Colombia has a special place in this program, not only because of the large percentage that young Colombians represent among Latin American musicians who have completed their studies at the Liceu Conservatory (30%), but above all because of the wealth of cultural and educational projects in which they have participated and their social impact.