The Maestro will conduct his final concert as the Liceu's Music Director on 24 July, bringing Univers Mahler to its culmination, the project through which he has presented the composer's complete symphonic cycle. Since his arrival in 2012, the Liceu Orchestra and Chorus have undergone a profound transformation, both artistically and organisationally, establishing themselves as fundamental pillars of the Institution while developing a distinctive artistic identity.
The 2025/26 season marks the culmination of a decisive chapter in the recent history of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. After fourteen years as Music Director, Josep Pons will bid farewell to the position on 24 July with a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, widely known as the Symphony of a Thousand. The concert will bring both the artistic season and the Univers Mahler project to a close, an initiative led by Pons with the aim of performing the composer's complete symphonic cycle at the Liceu. From the 2026/27 season onwards, Josep Pons will become Honorary Music Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
The concert follows the performance of Symphony No. 9 on 31 March and completes a musical journey that has made Mahler one of the central artistic pillars of the project developed by Josep Pons over the past fourteen years: Univers Mahler, the initiative that has encompassed the composer's complete symphonic cycle.
Regarded as one of the most monumental works in the symphonic repertoire, the Eighth Symphony represented, in Mahler's own words, his greatest creation, both in terms of its content and its form. An entirely sung work, it unites the medieval hymn Veni creator spiritus with the final scene of Goethe's Faust in a reflection on redemption through love.
The performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, known as the Symphony of a Thousand, represents one of the greatest challenges in the symphonic-choral repertoire. In this work, the choruses are not merely a complementary element but the true expressive driving force of the score, playing an essential role throughout the composition. For this occasion, the Gran Teatre del Liceu Chorus joins forces with the Coro Nacional de España, the Polifònica de Puig-reig and the Cor Vivaldi – Petits Cantors de Catalunya, creating a choral ensemble of exceptional scale. The participation of these three ensembles also carries profound symbolic significance in Josep Pons' career, as each has been closely linked to different stages of his artistic and musical life, making this farewell concert a particularly meaningful synthesis of his professional journey.
For this performance, the Gran Teatre del Liceu has assembled an outstanding vocal cast, led by tenor Michael Spyres, soprano Elisabeth Teige, and bass-baritones Nicholas Brownlee and Albert Dohmen. They are joined by sopranos Jacquelyn Wagner and Elena Villalón, and mezzo-sopranos Beth Taylor and Mihoko Fujimura.
Fourteen years of artistic transformation
When Josep Pons took on the role of Music Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2012, he did so with two key principles that would define his artistic vision: strengthening the visibility and centrality of the Orchestra and Chorus within the Theatre. Over the past fourteen years, both ensembles have undergone a profound transformation, both artistically and organisationally, establishing themselves as fundamental pillars of the Institution while developing a distinctive artistic identity.
This transformation has gone far beyond purely musical achievements. Under Josep Pons' leadership, the Orchestra has strengthened its role as the driving force behind the Liceu's artistic activity, forging a distinctive identity in the service of opera and reaffirming the essential role the ensemble plays in shaping every production. Likewise, Pablo Assante, as Chorus Director of the Liceu, has helped consolidate a model built on rigour, interpretative precision and trust in its musicians and singers, fostering an Orchestra and Chorus that are increasingly cohesive, autonomous and empowered.
At the same time, significant organisational improvements have also been implemented through the creation of the Music Department, together with a comprehensive review and update of the ensembles' organisation and working conditions. This has included the progressive renewal of both companies through the incorporation of new generations of musicians, the modernisation of the instrument collection, the strengthening of the Orchestra's different sections and the renewal of positions within the Chorus. This process has also been accompanied by a commitment to enhancing the role of the Music Department within the Theatre's structure, as well as recognising the work of its assistant conductors and repetiteurs.
Between the 2012/13 and 2025/26 seasons, 41 new musicians have joined the Orchestra and 30 new singers have joined the Chorus. The Orchestra has grown from 67 to 87 permanent members — with three additional trial positions — while the Chorus maintains a roster of 57 singers, with two positions currently in the audition process. Today, the Orchestra and Chorus reflect this evolution with companies comprising professionals from twenty different nationalities in the Orchestra and thirteen in the Chorus.
More than 80 titles conducted at the Liceu
During his tenure as Music Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Josep Pons has conducted a total of 84 different productions at the Theatre, including operas, concerts and other performances, amounting to almost 360 performances at the helm of the Orchestra and Chorus. The productions he has conducted have achieved an average attendance rate of 83% and have attracted almost 550,000 audience members, demonstrating the impact and consolidation of the artistic project developed over these fourteen years.
With the support of:
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Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture as part of Barcelona's Cultural Capital programme, promoted by the Ministry of Culture and Barcelona City Council:
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As part of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Pau Casals:
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