The gentlemen in tuxedos and the ladies in long suits. The occasion was not for less and, for the first time, for some years now, the Liceu went back to dressing up to commemorate a unique occasion: the presence of the King and Queen at the 175th anniversary of the Cercle del Liceu. A celebration that had two acts: the first took place inside the theater itself, where the commemorative ceremony and the awarding of medals took place; the second was closed in the famous Hall of Mirrors of the Liceu, where the King and Queen shared a conversation and a meal with the guests. The Cercle occupied the space of the Liceu last night as for 175 years they have shared a building, history, tragedies, happy evenings, music and lyrics. Two entities with their own life and, at the same time, communicating.
It was not the first time that Felipe and Letizia entered the Liceu; as Princes of Asturias they were already at the theater on May 30, 2013, to attend an opera performance. An occasion in which some of the spectators who attended the performance of L' Elisir d'Amore protested their presence.
The almost five hundred members of the Círculo attending the event applauded the entrance and the presence of the King and Queen, as well as the words of the current president of the entity, Francisco Gaudier, who thanked the royal presence: "We appreciate and value the tireless commitment of the King and Queen with culture and also its attention to Catalan life, two fundamental axes around which our activity revolves.”
The King and Queen went up to the Liceu stage, which is not just any stage, to present the entity's four gold medals, which, in the first place, were received by Salvador Alemany, president of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu, who was awarded the distinction in 2020 and was unable to receive due to pandemic restrictions. On the occasion of the anniversary, the Cercle del Liceu also recognized three former presidents with their highest honor: Carlos Cuatrecasas, Joan Anton Maragall and Ignacio García-Nieto. As Francisco Gaudier, president since 2017, recalled in his words, Carlos Cuatrecasas (1992-1999) had to manage the time that coincided with the fire and the reconstruction of the Liceu; Joan Anton Maragall, grandson of the poet, had a short mandate (2000-2001) but was the architect of the change in status that allowed women to be partners by right. Ignacio García-Nieto (2010-2017) deserves the merit of having promoted the entry of young members with the launch of the Lliga Jove. In 2017, the Cercle del Liceu presented its Gold Medal to Queen Sofía at a gala dinner.
The performance of the soprano Ermonela Jaho, accompanied by the pianist and partner Albert Guinovart, and the screening of a documentary by Oriol Coll and José Enrique Ruiz-Domènec on the almost two centuries of history of the Cercle completed the time in which the celebration It took place inside the theater. Next, the King and Queen, accompanied by their hosts, moved to that jewel of Barcelona that is the headquarters of the oldest private club in Spain, with its modernist decoration, its paintings by Ramon Casas and its stained glass windows. In the Piano Room, the King unveiled a portrait of himself, the work of the painter Tomás Baleztena –donated by a club member–, which will be placed in the president's office. The Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta, and the Government delegate, María Eugenia Gay, accompanied the King and Queen during the evening. The president of the Generalitat and the mayor of Barcelona, who by virtue of their positions are honorary members of the Cercle, declined the invitation.
After touring the club's main rooms, the Kings, along the path that symbolizes the indissoluble union of the two entities, entered the Hall of Mirrors of the Liceu where, together with the guests, they toasted the past, the present and the future of circle Among the attendees were Javier Godó and Marisa Falcó, Counts of Godó; Gabriela Lanardone, José María Puig and Rosa Alsina; María Guasch, Ernestina Torelló, Isabel Suqué and Edward Reger; Francisco de Sert and Mar Arnús, counts of Sert; Mercedes Arnús, Marcos Portabella, José García-Reyes, Manuel Valls and Susana Gallardo; Luis Sans and Sandra Dominguez; Luisa Sallent, Joaquín Pérez Valette and Emi Vives Fierro; Joan and Joaquim Uriach; Adela Subirana, Ángel Gómez-Sala, Ricardo Fisas, Ainhoa Grandes, Miguel Lerín, Miguel Torres and Waltraud Maczassek; Carlos and Lilian Hartmann; Elena Barraquer, Rosina Malumbres, Oriol Aguilà and Marta Gelpi; Carlos Martorell, Carmen Robert, Luis López de Lamadrid, Bartomolé Masoliver and María Ventós.
