On November 30 and December 1 and 2, guitarist Juan Manuel Cañizares will perform the ‎Mediterranean Concert in memory of Joaquín Rodrigo at L’Auditori, which will mark the world ‎premiere of this work commissioned by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. The concert was ‎written by Cañizares himself and will feature music from the ballet Dante by Enrique ‎Granados and The Three-Cornered Hat by Manuel de Falla. Kazushi Ono, principal conductor ‎at the OBC, will direct the programme.‎

The premiere of the Mediterranean Concert will go hand in hand with the donation of a ‎Cañizares Model guitar, made by luthier Vicente Carrillo, to the Museu de la Música. This ‎instrument will become part of the Museu guitar collection, which is one of the most highly ‎regarded at an international level. ‎

‎Juan Manuel Cañizares and the OBC‎
The relationship between the OBC and Juan Manuel Cañizares is long-standing. The last time ‎he collaborated was in 2016, when he performed Joaquín Rodrigo´s Concierto de Aranjuez. ‎Apart from being one of the best flamenco guitarists on the contemporary scene, L’Auditori´s ‎commitment to promoting Catalan artistes is once again reaffirmed with their decision to ‎feature Juan Manuel Cañizares.‎

Born in Sabadell, Cañizares was awarded the National Guitar Prize (1982) and the Music Prize ‎for Best Classical Music Performer (2008). In 1989, he collaborated primarily with flamenco ‎and jazz musicians: Enrique Morente, Camarón de la Isla, María Pagés, Pepe de Lucía, Joan ‎Manuel Serrat, Alejandro Sanz, Rocío Jurado, Peter Gabriel, Al Di Meola, Mike Stern, Peter ‎Erskine, Vince Mendoza, Michael Brecker, Marc Almond, La Fura dels Baus and The Chieftains ‎among others. In 1989, he toured with the pop group El Último de la Fila.‎


In the same year, Cañizares joined Paco de Lucia’s group, where he stayed for ten years and ‎performed in several countries. He also participated in the recording of Paco de Lucia’s ‎Concierto de Aranjuez album. Cañizares has collaborated on a large number of recordings and ‎has released six solo albums.‎

In 2011, Cañizares performed the Concierto de Aranjuez under the direction of Sir Simon ‎Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in its European Concert held at the Teatro Real ‎in Madrid. Since 2003, he has been a flamenco guitar teacher at L’Escola Superior de Música ‎de Catalunya (Catalonia College of Music).‎