Barcelona 8 – The Other Architect (2)

Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s other masterpiece is the Palau de la Música Catalana, located on a side street off Via Laietana (map here) – and that’s the problem.  You can’t get far enough back to properly appreciate or photograph it.

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And where they have removed a building to create a small plaza and some breathing room, there’s a glass wall to protect the facade and provide some sound proofing:

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Fortunately, the space has provided more room for the lobby, bar and small café – free to access during the day, where you’ll see the elements of Montaner’s extraordinary work:

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The vaulting, tiling, brickwork, ceramics, stained glass and sculpture – all playfully integrated into a joyful experience for the eyes.

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And you haven’t even reached the concert hall.  Here it’s true that photography simply won’t do it justice: there is so much to take in, from the stunning effect of the stained-glass skylight to the surprising detail of leather straps and spears for the Valkyries that frame the arch.

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So rich is the decoration that it’s easy to miss that point that this 1905-08 building, from the point of view of Modernisme, is a rational expression of structure, expressed in brick and iron, inside a steel frame.  It’s even one of the first examples of curtain-wall construction.

But if it’s all too much, you can retire to the lobby for, of course, tapas.