Montserrat Seró and Marta Puig premiere a new Combat del somni by Joan Magrané that dialogues with Mompou’s work.

One of the essential recitals of this LIFE Victoria season will take place on March 25. This concert features Montserrat Seró and Marta Puig, who will be responsible for the absolute premiere of Combat del somni by Joan Magrané, a work that dialogues with Frederic Mompou’s legendary eponymous cycle and gives its name to this season.

LIFE Victoria commissioned this new Combat del somni from Magrané, this season’s resident composer, to pay tribute to both Mompou and Victoria de los Ángeles herself, who immortalized the song cycle and sang it throughout her life.

Mompou’s work is based on Josep Janés’ eponymous collection of poems, written in 1937, in the midst of the Civil War, and bears the following dedication: “Sonnets to María Victoria, who died with her dream.” In 1941, when the war had ended, Mompou set five of these poems to music and, in 1944, at twenty-one years old, Victoria de los Ángeles premiered the now celebrated Damunt de tu, només les flors in her debut at the Palau.

Now, 82 years after that premiere, we will hear Mompou’s work as well as Magrané’s new score based on the same collection of poems. The evening will be led by two artists who have been closely linked to the figure of Victoria de los Ángeles and the Foundation that preserves her legacy: soprano Montserrat Seró, one of the most prominent voices on the current scene, a graduate of the Victoria de los Ángeles Lied Master’s Program and resident artist of this LIFE Victoria season, and pianist Marta Puig, specializing in Lied and vocal repertoire, resident artist of last season.

The program is completed with other works by Magrané and Mompou: Jardí de campanes, Fantasiestück 4, Fantasiestück 6: a Santi Moix (absolute premiere), Combat del somni (absolute premiere) by the former, and Cantar del alma, Combat del somni and Variacions sobre un tema de Chopin, by the latter.