Barcelona has been showing sensitivity with the good work of female batons and proof of this is that, this December, apart from the participatory version of Handel's Messiah that the Catalan Baroque Orchestra and the Cor Francesc Valls will offer at L'Auditori (day 15), under the direction of Jordi Casas, there are two proposals at the Palau de la Música Catalana with two women directors at the helm: Mireia Barrera will be in charge of the one that programs the Ibercamera cycle (the 12th), and the Frenchman Laurence Equilbey, of the of Palau 100 (day 21).
The Parisian born in 1962 and founder of the Accentus choir will offer a performance together with the Insula Orchestra plus some exceptional solo voices, such as soprano Sandrine Piau and tenor Stuart Jackson. For his part, Barrera (Terrassa, 1967), has had carte blanche from Ibercamera to choose the ensembles and soloists, and has opted for the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, one of the most notable European groups specialized in baroque.
Those from Helsinki will join the magnificent Barcelona Ars Nova, the vocal ensemble led by the Catalan director, which emerged from the polyphonic masses project. And in this case the voices will be from the country, "to give an outlet to the artists from here": María Espada, Gabriel Díaz, Juan Sancho and Joan Martín-Royo.
“It has been a gift to be able to choose,” says Barrera. To my surprise, the Helsinki group accepted the first one, and I have never directed it, in fact I chose it by browsing the internet, watching them in recordings. It will be an exciting debut that they will make in the Spanish State."
Barrera assures that he has tried to surround himself with baroque specialists "because I am not one." "I also thought of soloists who are accustomed to this period of the baroque, so that I can contribute the naturalness of the music," she adds. "Among them there are those who often sing baroque and others, like Martín Royo, who combine this with other styles."
This is not the first time she has led an orchestra, but Barrera declares herself choir director. "In my years of experience I have conducted several orchestras, it is not my field but I have done it in different circumstances, with baroque and contemporary music," she indicates. El Mesías has assumed it on several occasions, and in fact a couple of years ago he took care of the participatory at L'Auditori, with 500 singers.
"I do not intend to make a different version of The Messiah, only to offer it in the best way and giving a global vision of what the piece tries to explain in its three parts," concludes this artist who has been collaborating with Ibercamera for years.
