Catalans have always liked to make fun of our Andorran neighbors ("El país dels Pirineus," a famous advertisement used to say) and, too often, we have scorned the homeland of Andorrans as a simple place to go fishing for cigar boxes or hide the inheritance of the anti-Franco grandfather. Afterwards, we tried to fix it, stating that we envy Andorrans due to the privilege of having Catalan as a state language and being able to enjoy public officials who are ministers and not that corny thing of the consellers so nostrada. I understand, for all this, that del nord enllà we have been viewed with a certain historical distrust; but I would say that all this has changed a lot lately and I suspect that the Andorran authorities have a certain desire to reconnect with the Barcelona sphere through cultural initiatives that go beyond sports and spa tourism. I would say it is necessary to return the invitation by extolling virtues and dangers.
All this comes to mind because I recently attended the presentation evening of the third ClàssicAnd with the attraction of soprano Angela Gheorghiu, a first course that will be complemented starting in May with a series of proven interpreters such as Anna Netrebko, the Modigliani Quartet or the cantaor Miguel Poveda. Well directed by a man of theater like Joan Anton Rechi, ClàssicAnd is an ambitious event, and that is how ---to give just one example--- Rechi's stubbornness has managed to mount a performance of Lucía de Lammermoor that will have the guarantee of Josep Caballé Doménech conducting the Dresdner Festpielorchester of the great Ivor Bolton (it will be the first opera of this type and genre that can be seen complete in the country). Thanks to public-private collaboration, tickets will not exceed between 25 and 35 euros: Barcelona programmers, take note!
Regarding the concert I mentioned at the beginning (I celebrate the idea of preparing recitals with the protagonist announced at the last minute, but I will always argue against giving away tickets; art, let's remember, is better valued when paid for!), Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu displayed skill and sopranic narcissism in a program that, at least and in line with what singers usually do when they see their twilight, included arias from the operatic repertoire. Nearing sixty, Gheorghiu is far from the vocal resources that gave her planetary fame, but based on intelligence, on disguising the (logical) wear and tear in the high notes, swaying her hips and blowing kisses to the audience, she managed to charm the crowd. Many divas have fallen into a shameful late period, and it must be said that the Traviata that Solti gave us has avoided caricaturing itself. As some end up, this fact has a lot of merit.
That said, and if they want to acquire transcendence, cultural-musical initiatives like ClàssicAnd will have to know how to sensibly balance the need to collaborate with operatic superstars and other similar attractions (which do not go beyond mere correctness) and the possibility of generating shows of greater weight and, if possible, generated from the territory. To give a national example from our tribe, I would follow more the paradigm of the beginnings of Torroella or Vilabertran than that of Peralada or the monumental tackiness of Cap Roig. Since there are quite generous resources and an audience that enjoys a scarce musical offer, I would opt for organizing few copy-paste concerts that can be seen in other parts of the world and would bet much more on unique events. Rechi is a man with experience, he has trodden many stages, and I would say he will know how to find the formula to force us to travel to his country just to go to a concert.
The connections between our city and Andorra do not end here. After the concert, I was able to walk through the mini-gallery (it feels unethical to speak of a museum, no matter what anyone says) that Carmen Thyssen has in the country's capital. The exhibition Vincles is an overly generic dialogue between some notable paintings by our Modest Cuixart and pieces ---minor, it must be said--- from the baroness's collection. My spies tell me that the museum will soon change location and could cohabit in a new space (with much more exhibition capacity) with a company from our city that has a lot of science and grace in immersive experiences. I am sure that the resulting environment will form a much more stimulating offer than the current one; I also hope the same happens when ClàssicAnd manages to endure; I insist, the difference will not be made by the stars, but by the ability to weave concerts with a unique aroma.
I would say that in the future, cultural connections Barcelona-Andorra (and, why not, Andorra-Barcelona!) will be on the rise. At least, I hope they overcome the initial image I had arriving in La Vella, when I fatally stumbled upon Jaume Plensa's umpteenth Easter monkeys hovering over one of the city's grayest places. Let's overcome this connection, brothers, it will be very easy for us. I will be back soon.