The Petit Palau is situated below street level, with audience seating for 538. The room is primarily used for recitals by choirs and chamber ensembles. On either side of the stage three SpekTrix enclosures are installed above a SpekTrix Sub. Power for the installation is via two Lab.Gruppen FP3400 and two FP6400 amplifiers, with two Adamson DX6000s used for processing. The sound system package, supplied by Lambda/2 of Barcelona, offers the possibility to extend the system further using additional enclosures. The contractor for the project was Barcelona-based FM2.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Palau de la Música Catalana is considered to be one of the world's most magnificent concert halls. Designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and completed in 1908, the ornate and highly decorative building is regarded as an outstanding example of Modernism in architecture.
The unadorned interior of Petit Palau is a departure from the extravagance of the building's spectacular main concert hall; but while the latter has never been highly regarded for its acoustics - the various decorative elements of its architecture, including a domed stained glass ceiling, being a detriment to great sound - Lambda/2 director Artur Alvarez described the sound quality within the Petit Palau as "exceptional".
(Jim Evans)
