Barcelona Symphony Orchestra returns to Lyon after a decade

The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC) began their European tour on Friday night with a performance in the French city of Lyon, a decade after their three successful performances.

With almost all more than 2,000 tickets sold out, the musicians conducted by Ludovic Morlot performed a variety of pieces, such as two works by Maurice Ravel and 'Quadres d'una exposició,' from Modest Mussorgski.

The musicians also premiered the 'Constel·lació de Joan Miró,' by Catalan composer Hèctor Parra. Meanwhile, the special guest, the French pianist Lucas Debargue, played George Gershwin's "Concerto in F."

Parra said that he was very happy to premier the 'Deux constellations pour orchestre d'après Joan Miró' in France, as he has been living in the territory for more than 20 years.

"It is very special as it unites my feet: the Catalan, where I was born and my nationality, and the French one, where I currently reside," he told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The concert was the first time Morlot, born in Lyon, visited his hometown conducting the OBC. Morlot praised the work of Barcelona's Auditori music hall in promoting and soliciting new compositions from Catalan artists, as this is the "identity" of the hall.

"As much as I like the large repertoire, I believe it has a lot of value for an orchestra to travel abroad and to play music to different audiences and different spaces," he told ACN.

Doing these concerts, "exposes what we feel and our identity as an orchestra," he added.

The concert ended with a five-minute ovation and 'Walking the Dog' by George Gershwin as the encore.

The OBC will perform in Aix-en-Provence on Saturday night.