Tribute to the poet Joan Margarit

Tribute to the to the poet J. Margarit

Works by J. Brahms, J. Marx, F. Bridge, J. Domènech, S. Brotons, and A. Guinovart

On February 16, 2021, the poet and writer Joan Margarit passed away in Sant Just Desvern, having completed a life filled with the architecture of words, poetry, and writing. After receiving the Cervantes Prize for Literature in 2019, he became one of the most prominent writers in recent Catalan literature, as well as across Spain.

In 2026, as a tribute and remembrance of his Word, we present this commemorative project through music, captured in a recording that includes the work premiered at the Schubertiade of Vilabertran in 2023, the “Margarit Cycle,” alongside pieces by renowned European composers such as Johannes Brahms.

Margarit’s firm belief that poetry is an act of resistance leads us to bring together, in a single CD, the written word with the music of both contemporary Iberian and European composers, seeking a final result where a chamber trio instruments: piano, cello, and voice—merge in a unique sonic experience.

The selected works aim to showcase the versatility and beauty of this musical ensemble through newly composed pieces, as well as lesser-known works by composers like Marx and Bridge.

This instrumental combination not only highlights the beauty of each member of the group, but also creates an intimate and profound dialogue between them, allowing the words to flow and intertwine with each note.

Margarit Cycle

The Rationale

The work we present in tribute to Joan Margarit began its journey four years ago from a fragile yet determined idea, born from my personal connection with all the elements that converge in the Margarit Cycle.

Everyone around me knows about my bond with the cello, an instrument I’ve studied since the age of three: since then, it has accompanied me in my musical understanding. In fact, it was during my five years as a student of Maestro Lluís Claret that I came to know and converse on several occasions with the poet Joan Margarit, a friend and great admirer of this instrument, especially Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello.

Years later, during the summer of the pandemic, following a series of circumstances that forced me to leave my professional life as a cellist but opened the doors to singing, an idea was born in the intimacy of my studio. It aimed to bring together these three elements—cello, voice, and Margarit’s poems—through poetic song. It seemed not only a perfect formula to unite the instruments that shaped my musical education, but also a way to include the poems of a great master in a genre where I’ve felt most at home from the start: the poetic song.

This project came to light, with great success, in August 2023 at the Schubertiade of Vilabertran. Despite the poet’s passing in 2021, it has had the unwavering support of Margarit’s family, Lluís Claret, and especially Víctor Médem, Martina Ribalta, and the Franz Schubert Foundation of Barcelona.

Thus, within this CD—paying homage to the poet Joan Margarit—you will find as the main work the Margarit Cycle, made up of six songs set to music by Catalan composers Salvador Brotons, Albert Guinovart, and Jordi Domènech, along with significant works written for the same musical ensemble by J. Brahms, F. Bridge, and J. Marx.

Selected Works for the CD

Margarit Cycle(2023) – Poems by Joan Margarit (1938–2019)

Albert Guinovart (1962)

• La Casa (2:25 min)

Salvador Brotons (1959)

• En un petit port (3:16 min)

• Experiència d’una pàtria (8:25 min)

Albert Guinovart (1962)

• Poble perdut (4:50 min)

• Record d’un camp (3:30 min)

Jordi Domènech (1970)

• Autopista (4:30 min)

• Els morts (6:40 min)

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) / Friedrich Rückert

• Gesänge No. 1 Op. 91 (6 min)
  • Gestillte Sehnsucht

Joseph Marx (1882–1964) / A. Wildgans

• Durch Einsamkeiten (3:15 min)

• Adagio (4 min)

Frank Bridge (1879–1941)

• Far, far from each other (M. Arnold, 3:50 min)

• Where is it that our soul doth go? (K. Freiligrath, 3:40 min)

• Music when soft voices die (P.B. Shelley, 2:30 min)

Get Exclusive Rewards

By joining this Verkami campaign, you become part of a project that began over four years ago.

The best possible tribute to one of the most important poets of Catalan and Spanish literature of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Beyond receiving rewards, the physical CD, and an invitation to the presentation at L'Atlàntida in Vic, you will be a key part of the success of an original, innovative project that promotes Iberian culture.

Who am I / Who are we?

Ausa Trio

Formed in 2022, the Ausa Trio is a rare chamber music ensemble made up of Victoria Guerrero (pianist), Oriol Prat (cello), and Ferran Albrich (baritone). Their work focuses both on bringing the voice into instrumental chamber music and on promoting lesser-known or even forgotten repertoires, in combination with newly composed works.

Their debut at the Schubertiade of Vilabertran in the summer of 2022 was followed by recitals at festivals and venues throughout Spain, as well as in other European countries such as Munich (Germany), in collaboration with cultural institutions such as the Cervantes Institute.

Ferran Albrich

Born in 1990, Ferran began his musical studies as a cellist and graduated from the Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Germany), after training with Eulàlia Subirà, Lluís Claret, and María de Macedo. He received international awards in this discipline, such as the Pau Casals Scholarship. In 2013, he was accepted at the same university to begin his vocal studies, and later graduated summa cum laude from the Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona under Dolors Aldea. He has attended masterclasses with Dalton Baldwin, Matthias Goerne, Thomas Hampson, Wolfgang Rieger, and Furio Zanasi.

Albrich has won several vocal competitions, including the Juventudes Musicales de España Permanent Competition (2019), and was a finalist in the Cavalli-Monteverdi Competition (2023). Following his participation in the Primer Palau Competition (2019), and especially in the Lied the Future program of the Schubertiade of Vilabertran, he launched a lyrical career that has already earned him significant recognition.

Since 2019, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y León, the Asturias Prince Orchestra in Oviedo, the Vallès Symphony, the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the RTVE Orchestra, and historically informed ensembles such as La Ritirata or Cremona Antiqua. He has performed at venues including Theater an der Wien, Palau de la Música Catalana, L’Auditori in Barcelona, Teatro Monumental in Madrid, the Prince of Asturias Auditorium in Oviedo, and Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao, under the baton of conductors like Carlos Mena, Christoph König, Manel Valdivieso, and Andrés Salado.

What will your contributions be used for?

All proceeds from this Verkami campaign will go entirely toward the production of the project. Beyond the funding received from other institutions and foundations, the need to reach the planned budget—as well as the desire for the project to be as inclusive as possible—make this Verkami campaign essential.

We have currently raised half of the necessary budget to make the project a reality, so we just need your help to make it happen!

Planned Timeline

The timeline agreed upon with all companies, institutions, and musicians involved is as follows:

Recording sessions: November 17–19, 2026

Postproduction: November 2025 to February 2026

CD manufacturing and design: February to April 2026

This schedule sets the delivery of rewards, including the physical CD and invitation to the presentation event, for May 2026.

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