The Carillon of the Palau

The Carillon of the Palau de la Generalitat has 49 bronze bells, weighs 4,898 kilos and covers a tonal extension of four chromatic octaves. The number of bells gives it the category of concert carillon. It was built by the Petit & Fritsen house, in Aarle-Rixtel (Netherlands), and was inaugurated in 1976, a few months before the restoration of the Generalitat de Catalunya. This new carillon replaced the small carillon from 1927. The Carillon of the Palau offers auditions to listen to in the streets of the Gothic Quarter, and concerts that can be heard from inside the Palau de la Generalitat and, of course, from the streets around the Palau.

Auditions and concerts of the Carillón del Palau

• Auditions: There are usually auditions every day from Monday to Friday, at 12:00 pm and at 6:00 pm. The works are performed by the Palau carillonist. Sometimes these auditions can also be heard on Saturdays at 12:00 pm.
• Concerts: The concerts can be heard from inside the Palau de la Generalitat, in the Patio de los Naranjos and in the Gothic Gallery. In the event of rain or other adverse circumstances, from the Gothic Gallery and the Carriage Court. In these spaces the audition is accompanied with live images of the keyboards of the instrument and each of the pieces of the program is presented. Entry is free, although prior registration is required. The concerts, which last 60 minutes, are held every first Sunday of the month (except in August and September), at 12:00 noon. The program includes both classical and popular works, as well as concerts by La Mercè and by San Esteban.

Barcelona International Carillon Festival July 2024

• Friday the 19th, Stefano Colletti, France
• Saturday 20, Isaac Wong, Australia
• Sunday 21, Abel Chaves, Portugal
• Friday the 26th, Dina Verheyden, Belgium
• Saturday 27, Richard de Waardt, Netherlands
• On Sunday the 28th, Anna Maria Reverté, carillon, and Sergi Marquillas, trumpet. Closing concert with carillon and trumpet: A movie night.

All festival concerts start at 9:00 p.m.