“We have L'Auditori, the TNC, the Disseny Hub... let's unite them, let's make the Plaça des Arts!”

Robert Brufau will have spent seven years at the helm of L'Auditori de Barcelona—18 at the venue—when in two weeks he packs up with his family to artistically direct Konserthuset, the home of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and the Nobel Prize ceremonies. His nine-year-old twins reacted differently to the news they were moving—"one was delighted, the other not, but he's pragmatic and started looking into what they ate in Sweden"—although everyone at home is learning the language. The musician, manager, and programmer born in Mollerussa gives a positive assessment of his time in charge of the facility: the renovation of the OBC (Occupational Bidding System), the improved acoustics of the hall, gender equality on the podium...

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What are you most proud of?

On the one hand, the artistic personality of the facility. We've given it a certain unity, we've managed to make L'Auditori a reflection of the country's musical richness and complexity, clearly projected on the international scene. And we've coexisted well with the city's ecosystem (Palau and Liceu), contributing the value of modernity and diversity. A public classical music facility today must embrace diversity, promote creation, and approach minority music: we've ventured into new music and managed to become a player in modern music, without entering into unfair competition with the private sector. And that, until we started talking about Sit Back, wasn't the case: it was often worked from a rental perspective, which we also have, but it's increasingly a co-curatorship or co-production. Ultimately, diversity is in L'Auditori's bylaws; that's why it has four halls and why it was reflected in the Cité de la Musique.

Doesn't it look like a bunker anymore?

It could have been more open to the neighborhood, more permeable to the social fabric. But we've turned it into a public house dedicated to female musicians.

Can you pay a composer more for a commission in Sweden?

No, these markets are highly standardized. The publishers are transparent: they tell you what the main promoter will pay and when the other orchestras are playing.

I'm leaving at a good time. We've clearly grown the OBC; it's time for someone else to come in and pursue their project."

What is your assessment of the OBC?

It's the most difficult and sophisticated part. In those seven years, we've renewed it by 30%. The 2008 law that prohibited public sector hiring—you couldn't even replace retirements if you weren't an essential service—was reducing the entire instrument. I started with 74 musicians; we needed to set up a reconstruction plan and find funding. Adding renewals and early retirements, we've added 23. And that's exhausting, because when you're adding people and changing things, you generate pressure, ambition: they go on tour, they record... In that sense, I'm leaving at a very good time: we've clearly grown, and it's time for someone else to come along with their project.

If you used to give three concerts a week and now you give two, has the orchestra lost audiences?

It's a good question. The budget balance is good, because when you do more activity, you earn more but spend more, so we've adjusted here. I don't know many cities the size and offerings of Barcelona where the orchestra gives three concerts. In Stockholm, they do two, and they're two large orchestras. So I think it's well-balanced. In some programs, the OBC gives three, but fewer and fewer, as the workloads are excessive: before, there was burnout and accidents; there are far fewer absences.

Two concerts are great if the venues are packed. Are they packed?

No, but the Pau Casals is excessively large for this city. If a successful concert attracts 1,600 people and your capacity is 2,200... What's clear is that season tickets are declining, and this model will change. In terms of revenue, we've done better: everything that isn't season tickets is tickets. You suffer because you don't know what occupancy will be until the last minute, but there's a noticeable increase in revenue compared to before the pandemic. There were 8,000 season ticket holders, and we're down to 5,000; 7,000 if we count those for Antiga, Cambra, and La Banda.

I don't know if Ludovic Morlot will renew his contract; the next few years and the relationship he establishes with the new management are important."

Ludovic Morlot 's OBC starting spot is coming to an end for the 2027-28 season. Do you think he'll renew?

I don't know. The coming years and the relationship established with the new leadership are important. And we'll see how the orchestra's current momentum continues. Those six years of hard work with Morlot would be enough to develop a project. And there's a very good team in the house.

Do you still think that after the acoustic improvements, the Pau Casals Hall is the best symphony hall in Spain ?

I'm very clear about it. The other day we were at the National Auditorium in Madrid, for the exchange concert we did between the ONE and the OBC, and everyone who was with me, who are very discerning, agreed. Now, if you ask the musicians, they're in love with the National Auditorium. At that time, they really enjoyed the experience.

Have you faced a lot of criticism for aiming to achieve parity among the guest conductors on the OBC podium?

At first, there was a bit... from some musicians, yes. It came more from within the company. We've taken risks along the way. When we set the goal to change the situation, we were in the midst of a transformation in the sector and the market. We signed up, but it wasn't a forged path. Having a woman leading and being the highest authority for the orchestra that week was unusual. We had Simone Young and little else. We started talking to agencies, we started researching, and we saw it was a market worth exploring. Now, for some time now, we've reached a 50/50 ratio of women and men on the podium. They are more of a younger profile, logically, but we've done it. Always starting with quality, obviously.

Is it operational to be a public consortium?

It has advantages, you're well equipped, but it's ineffective; the system doesn't adapt to the business. These times force us to consider whether we shouldn't change our legal status to be more agile and flexible.

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When he took over the management of L'Auditori, his goal was to build the Les Arts square.

And nothing has changed. The closest we came was with the superislands. I know the current government is very aware, and there are proposals from important architectural groups. Because in the end, the difficult thing is to generate benchmark facilities: L'Auditori, the TNC, the Disseny Hub. They already have that. Let's unite them, let's finish building the Les Arts square! Spaces for shared use can be generated: imagine a publicly owned open-air Greek-style theater where the Auditori and TNC could program projects. And we'll be able to think about the restoration that Moneo already envisioned, in the space that extends all the way to the Meridiana.