Next season could be the definitive one for the Liceu to free itself from its credit debts, as it would complete the repayment of the bank loan that it was forced to request as a result of the economic crisis and the sudden withdrawal of public aid, which came to amount to 16 million. Of those, 2.2 million remain pending plus 1.1 of the 3.4 million that the theater requested as a result of the pandemic crisis. And according to its general director, Valentí Oviedo, assures, in the coming course the main credit would be settled and also part of those 1.1 million of the secondary.
For the moment, the institution closes this second season of its 175th anniversary with "economic balance, despite the general rise in costs", since the salary increase has been greater than what the entity expected, although spending in electricity it has not been as onerous as it was feared at first. The budget has reached 51 million euros, 9.4% more than in the previous year.
"The season that we are closing is, without a doubt, a good skeleton of how the institution should be. The pieces for future stability are in place. First we must consolidate the theater before embarking on new projects," says Oviedo.
Ordinary contributions from public administrations account for 48.8% of this budget, while patronage has exceeded 15% for the first time this season that is ending, reaching a record figure of 7.9 million euros, something that the general direction of the Liceu considers important for the balance achieved. The tax benefits applicable to events of exceptional public interest such as this 175th anniversary have favored an increase in business support, although the theater considers that this private support program for the Liceu is strengthened, and also continues "in constant evolution and adapting to business needs".
The occupation has been 273,000 spectators, 3% more than in the 2021/22 season. In percentage it has risen two points, reaching 82%. Although some thirty functions have registered the sold out.
Great voices have performed at the Liceu in this season that has ranged from Monteverdi, with the recent and successful L'incoronazione di Poppea, which reunited Calixto Bieito with Jordi Savall, to the unprecedented success of a newly created opera such as Alexina B. ., by Raquel García-Tomás, passing through the Wagnerian Parsifal directed by Josep Pons or the Italian hit of the season, that Trittico by Puccini that brought together the coveted Lise Davidsen and the musical director Sussana Mälkki.
The season was also marked by the new production of Verdi's Macbeth with stage editing by Jaume Plensa, which aroused international curiosity, or by the controversial Tosca by Rafael R. Villalobos which, regardless of its irregular stage and dramaturgical success, was a scandal because there was an audience at the Liceu that broke out when they saw two men (Pasolini and his lover) kissing on the scene. The public also had the opportunity to see Il trovatore by Àlex Ollé, with its already classic stage monumentality marked by La Fura dels Baus.
Sondra Radvanovsky, Piotr Beczała, Matthias Goerne, Iréne Theorin, Julie Fuchs, Cecilia Bartoli, Nadine Sierra, Luca Salsi, Ermonela Jaho, Ambrogio Maestri, Daniela Barcellona, Nikolai Schukoff, Elena Pankratova and Magdalena Kožená have also taken the Rambla stage in a season that has meant the definitive commitment to Sara Blanch, Xavier Sabata, Serena Sáenz or Carles Pachon.
Acclaimed stage directors such as Calixto Bieito, Àlex Ollé, Claus Guth, Olivier Py, Marta Pazos, Lotte de Beer or Damiano Michieletto have starred in the season along with stellar conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, René Jacobs, Jordi Savall, Marc Minkowski, the aforementioned Susanna Mälkki, William Christie or Rinaldo Alessandrini, who were added to the direction of Josep Pons as head of the Liceu.
Víctor Garcia de Gomar has opted for exhibitions by Antonio López -at La Modelo-, Flávia Junqueira and Marria Pratts at his Liceu de les Arts. Àlex Ollé has taken his project Òh! Pera for young students of composition, singing, playwriting and stage design a little further. And the community opera project La gata perduda, co-created with the Raval within Opera Prima, has earned the Gran Teatre a Max for best musical show.
The Liceu Symphony Orchestra has received the warmth of the public not only at the Gran Teatre, but also in its exchange of orchestras with the Opéra de Paris. If Gustavo Dudamel came to Barcelona with the formation of the Parisian theater and Mahler's Ninth, Josep Pons took his orchestra to the Bastille with Bartok's Castle of Barbazul just after the performances of Parsifal in the lyrical coliseum on La Rambla. Summer has also kept the orchestra active, which has made its debut at concerts on the beach and has participated in the Grec Festival.
The Liceu continues to try to reduce the average age of its audience, which currently does not exceed 50. The Under35 shows contribute to this, which sold out in Il trovatore, Tosca, Alexina B. and Dido
The Liceu is recovering the percentage of the public that comes from outside Catalonia to see its shows: if it was 20% before the pandemic, this season it has been 17%. 48% of attendees are from Barcelona city, 11% from the metropolitan area and 16% from the province.
He has also collaborated with the Barcelona City Council in the aforementioned concert on the Bogatell beach; 20,000 people gathered under the umbrella of Barcelona Obertura, and another 3,000 saw the circus and opera show La torre de Nadal in Plaza Catalunya.
The LiceuApropa social project has reached nearly 3,000 people, 750 have attended the Òpera a l'abast program and 450 have participated in the Ritmes en companyia program. Regarding the educational project, the LiceuAprèn has brought together 57,000 children, 10% more than the previous year.
Among the novelties of the 175th. anniversary, the venue has launched the Liceu platform and Liceu LIVE to watch live shows, which already has 3,000 subscribers.
The institution's board of trustees approved the recovery of the theater's Gold Medals, one of which went to the professor and critic of this newspaper, Roger Alier, who died two weeks before the award ceremony.
