Mobissimo

Monday, 2/4/08: Barcelona: Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona is getting a lot of love these days, thanks in part to Woody Allen's latest film Vicky Cristina Barcelona and also to the city's general fabulousness. The culture is tempered by the vibrant nightlife (or should it be vice versa...) so why not kill some time before that 10:00 pm dinner by hopping over to the Gran Teatro del Liceu? While it doesn't have the great stained-glass ceiling of its sister concert hall the Palau de la Musica, it has some pretty luminescent performances and opera divas (and divos) on stage. Not the least of which included Senor Allen himself, who played with his New Orleans Jazz Band as a special New Year's treat last month (all things Southern are good for the hangovers).

And that concert will give you a hint as to the wide variety of music at the Gran Teatro. From Allen to Anna Netrebko, they've all done the Big B, and with a history of eccentric and exotic productions (much like Barcelona's architecture and design ethos on the whole) the performers aren't the only things to look at. Current operas on the agenda include Elektra, Lucrezia Borgia, Tannhauser, and--one of the most Spanish-at-heart operas--Don Giovanni.  There will also be two dance companies to catch in May and July, and a series of concerts and recitals ranging from Handel to Brahms to Stravinsky.

Undoubtedly, however, opera is the Liceu's main squeeze. If you're a senior citizen (65 and above), you're guaranteed 30% ticket discounts to all foyer shows as well as the same discount on the day-of any performance--two hours before curtain. There's also the standard student love (and Barcelona has its fair share of students either studying, studying abroad, or passing through): same senior discounts as well as the Liceu at the University. Live simulcasts of five selected operas (Aida, La Cenerentola--both of which have already passed--Elektra, Tannhauser, Tamerlano, and Death in Venice) will be broadcast at over 40 universities within Spain, including the University of Barcelona. For more information on that (in every language besides English, it seems), check out Opera Oberta's website. Thanks, 45street! Gran Teatro del Liceu La Rambla 51-59, 08002 +34 93 485 99 13 http://www.liceubarcelona.com