Pau Casals Square (Masllorenç)
This artistic intervention, in honor of Pau Casals, has been created with the aim of passing on the legacy of the musician, spreading the word about his life and work and promoting the approach of the culture and figure of Pau Casals to the public. Sculpture
The sculpture is the work of Ralf Ketller, sculptor and designer. | ||||||
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Regarding the composition of the sculpture, by means of the superimposition of four plates, we wanted to reinterpret the classic image of Pau Casals playing the cello in a solemn and concentrated position. | ||||||
First the facial profile of the musician is defined and, as if it were a puzzle, the silhouette of a cello is built with the empty spaces of the plates. The cello also has a certain depth and volume thanks to the different sizes of the silhouette in each plate. In addition, taking advantage of the location and the landscape, the gap that forms the figure of the instrument will constitute a window through which it will be possible to observe the neighboring vineyards and mountains that will complete the sculpture, and at the same time will fit into the environment. Moreover, the reason why the sculpture is made up of four plates is to represent both the four strings of a cello and the four bars of the Catalan flag. This detail that can be seen when observing the sculpture from either side. This is a dynamic sculpture that demands to be observed in motion, to discover how it is built as you walk around it. We encourage the viewer to play with the different gaps and spaces, to try to find the frame with the landscape and, after all, to make it his own. MURAL
The mural has been painted by Judit Alba. | ||||||
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The mural unfolds chronologically, opening and closing the life of Pau Casals with the date of his birth (1876) and his death (1973). Various stages of his life can be seen, starting with his childhood and youth. You can see the beach of Sant Salvador del Vendrell, the first cello he had known as the "carabasseta" (little pumpkin) and manufactured by his father, a postcard of the cafes where he began his musical career, his references such as the 6 Suites of Johann Sebastian Bach. Then begins the stage of his consolidation as a cellist, playing for Queen Maria Cristina, who has great admiration for him, traveling and living in Paris, giving concerts in London where he also meets Queen Victoria, and making several trips across Europe, such as in Vienna, where he made his debut at the Grand Hall of the Musikverein. He also crosses the Atlantic aboard the "Saint Paul" for a tour of the United States where he is invited by President Theodore Roosevelt to play at the White House. In this way, he carries out his journey offering his music and his talent all over the world. The next stage begins on the second page of the book, the world faces several war conflicts and, as a result of the Spanish Civil War, Pau Casals goes into exile in France. Despite this, he continues to offer charity concerts with his orchestra. And later he creates his work "El pessebre" (The crib). In 1945, he gave a concert at the BBC studios and, at the end, he delivered his famous speech that began with the "I am Catalan..." that so identifies him. Finally, in the final stage, he is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, awards him the Medal of Freedom and, later, after he composed the Anthem of the United Nations , he is also awarded the Peace medal. He spent his last days at his home in Puerto Rico, where he died in 1973. Six years later, in 1979, his remains were transferred to Catalonia where they currently rest in the Vendrell cemetery.
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