The UNESCO Pau Casals Chair presents the results of the 2023 Research Grants on Pau Casals’s legacy at ESMUC

Next Thursday, March 20, at 6:00 PM, the UNESCO Pau Casals Chair—a joint initiative between the Pau Casals Foundation and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC)—will publicly present at ESMUC the results of the two projects selected in the first call for 2023 research grants, dedicated to the study and dissemination of Pau Casals’s musical and humanistic legacy. Furthermore, it will be held the presentation of the new collection of publications Papers de la Càtedra.

The selection committee, composed Núria Ballester, Joan Fuster-Sobrepere, Marc Gil, Alfons Martinell, Bernard Meillat, Jordi Pardo and Pepe Reche, highlighted the quality, excellence, and relevance of the submitted proposals and decided to award two grants to the following projects: “The evolution of international protection mechanisms for musicians at risk. A historical perspective exploring Pau Casals’s legacy” presented by Laurence Cuny, “From Festívola to the Prelude of El Pessebre: A first approach to Pau Casals’ musical catalogue through his sardanas” jointly presented by Anna Costal and Albert Fontelles.

The first of these works, presented by Laurence Cuny, is associated with the doctoral thesis she is conducting at Université Laval and Université Paris 1 Sorbonne. The starting point of this research has been to investigate whether Pau Casals received any support during his exile and to place the evolution of international mechanisms for the protection of musicians in a historical perspective. Based on interviews with actors involved in international protection and research in the archives of the Pau Casals Foundation, this monograph explores Pau Casals’s commitment and contributes to understanding the current landscape of protection, its possible gaps, and how reclaiming Casals’s figure remains valuable in addressing them.

The second work, developed by Anna Costal and Albert Fontelles, presents an approach to the reasoned catalogue of his compositional work, that is, a study that delves into the localization of manuscripts and editions, historically and artistically contextualizes the creative process, and relates the interpretations and recordings that have marked the historical trajectory of each of his works. The research has been guided by three objectives: analyzing the reception and impact of the six sardanas, promoting their access to performers and researchers, and disseminating their artistic value to a broad audience. The study, driven by the Research Group in Cultural and Musical Studies (GRECUM) at ESMUC, offers a first approach to Casals’s sardana compositions, highlighting their cultural and heritage significance.

The works will be published in the new collection of Papers de la Càtedra, which will be available on the website of the UNESCO Pau Casals Chair and in the Repository of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).

The UNESCO Pau Casals Chair has provided a financial grant of €2,000 for each selected project, along with expert support, access to the Pau Casals documentary archive at the National Archive of Catalonia, and other benefits.

The selected projects have been recognized as significant contributions to Casals’s studies, with a technical quality and a solid approach, emphasizing the importance of continued research in this field.

For more information about the grants and research projects, visit the UNESCO Pau Casals Chair website here.

Free entry.

With the support of the Entidad de Gestión de los Artistas Intérpretes o Ejecutantes de la música (AIE) and the collaboration of the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC):