| The economic
resurgence of the Alt Penedès after the disastrous
“Phylloxera plague” set the stage for the
arrival of Modernisme, the Catalan version of the artistic
and social current called Art Nouveau that was beginning
to prevail across Europe. Agricultural landowners and
merchants became the patrons of the Modernista trends
and commissioned buildings that reflected their financial
status. At the end of the 19th century, Vilafranca began
its transformation from a rural town into a small city,
with new buildings making their appearance on its old
squares and streets, changing its traditional image.
In short, a new town model came to be designed. Celebrated
architects replaced the master builders in the construction
of the various buildings, and the figures of Santiago
Güell, Eugeni Campllonch and Antoni Pons arose.
Indeed, Güell and Campllonch stood behind the design
of the great majority of the town’s most ambitious
architectural projects.
The Modernista architecture in Vilafranca combines Catalan
folk architecture with the trends characteristic of
Modernisme, including the use of new materials and a
new concept of space. On this tour of the Modernista
Vilafranca, one may observe the striking naturalistic
decoration of the façades, the use of face brick
in some buildings, stained-glass windows, and wrought-iron
railings in windows and balconies.
Modernisme also encompassed other aspects of art such
as painting, sculpture and street-furniture design.
Walking along Carrer de Santa Maria, one comes upon
some unique pieces in the form of streetlamps. Later,
on entering the Crypt of the Basilica, one will see
an excellent sculptural group by Josep Llimona and in
the Vilfranca Museum there are drawings by Ricard Opisso
in addition to works by other artists.
The Vilafranca Route forms an itinerary that allows
one to learn about the impact of the Modernista cultural
movement at the end of the 19th century and the beginning
of the 20th through the new symbols of progress and
modernity that this innovative tendency created.
Modernisme and
music. Apel·les Mestres i Oñós (Barcelona 1854-1936)
Concerts of Modernista music.
The historian from Vilafranca Joan Cuscó Clarasó
has prepared a significant compendium of the musical
production of Apel·les Mestres as the guiding
thread of Catalan musical Modernisme. The ties between
Apel·les Mestres and Vilafranca were significant
because of the relation that Mestres maintained with
the poet Lluís Via and the musician and folklorist
Francesc de Paula Bové.
Like a good Modernista, Apel·les Mestres was
a multi-faceted author who was interested in participating
actively in culture and in lending it new forms and
contents.
The concert that is offered after finishing the Modernista
itinerary deals with popular and spontaneous elements,
the nature and geographies of life, and the beauty of
the female imaginary. A total of 13 pieces, some of
them never before performed in public, form the programme
of this exclusive musical session.
Practical information Spring
season:
Sundays of 2nd April, 7th May and 4th June
Start of the visit: 6:30 pm
Concert of Modernista music: 8 pm
Price: € 5 (including the concert of Modernista
music at the end of the visit)
Autumn-winter season:
Sundays of 1st October, 5th November and 3rd December
Start of the visit: 11:30 am
Concert of Modernista music: 1 pm
Price: € 5 (including the concert of Modernista
music at the end of the visit)
Visits by appointment:
Municipal Tourist Office
Carrer de la Cort, 14 – 08720 Vilafranca del Penedès
Tel.: + 34 93 818 1254 - Fax: + 34 93 818 1479
E-mail: turisme@ajvilafranca.es
Website: www.turismevilafranca.com
|
