Tonight, Robert Wilson’s celebrated production of The Messiah will open for a limited run at the Liceu Opera House in Barcelona. It is the famous oratorio by G.F. Händel, but in the seldom-performed “classical” arrangement by W.A. Mozart. Performances are from March 16 through 26, 2024.

The run will be complemented by an exclusive exhibition of drawings that Robert Wilson made in Salzburg, while working on the original production. Galeria Senda will present these from March 20 through April 20, 2024 at their wonderful space on Trafalgar Street in Barcelona.

Incidentally, the beautiful Gran Teatre del Liceu was the very first opera house that Robert Wilson ever visited. He was hitchhiking through Europe - his first time on the continent - while he was still a student in Texas. Hear him talk about the experience in this interview with Victor García de Gomar:

Today, on September 12, 2023, Robert Wilson was honored, along with two other the recipients of the 34th Praemium Imperiale, Vija Celmins and Wynton Marsalis, in a ceremony at the White House hosted by First Lady Jill Biden, with remarks by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, David Rockefeller Jr., and Hisashi Hieda, Chairman of the Japan Art Association. Secretary Clinton introduced Wilson as a “true pioneer: he has created some of the most important and memorable works in contemporary theater and opera. With his stunning set designs, his arresting lighting, his innovative choreography, he helped reinvent a stage where time and space are redrawn, and the experience of narrative is reimagined.”

Watch the ceremony here:

The actual award ceremony of the prestigious Praemium Imperiale, which is often considered “the world’s most prestigious arts prize,” will take place in Tokyo on October 17 and 18. The Praemium Imperiale is awarded annually by the Japan Art Association in honor of Prince Takamatsu in five different fields: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Theater/Film. In addition to Celmins (Painting), Marsalis (Music), and Wilson (Theater), this year’s laureates will also include Olafur Eliasson (Sculpture) and Diébédo Francis Kéré (Architecture).

Some impressions from the White House event on September 12: