The House Where the Brontës Still Sing
Chronicle of Guiem Soldevila's Brontë concert
Fosquets Lithica Festival, 2 July 2026 (Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain)
Guiem Soldevila's sold outinaugural concert, dedicated to the Brontë sisters, captured the spirit of the festival like few others could. The Fosquets Lithica festival is fast becoming an international reference point among world-music festivals in Menorca, and there could be no better fit than a concert by a composer born in Menorca who reaches for the world to prove it.
Edition after edition, a carefully curated programme has revealed its identity in an offering that is culture in the fullest sense — not only theatrical, but communal. It is not just the space itself, but how the people who work there inhabit it. From the stonecutters of the past to today's programmers, an unbroken lineage of effort, love and craft. Guiem Soldevila and his group of nine artists joined the expanding ripple of creative energy that was born in the Brontë sisters' house in England in 1845, and which reached us last night in the form of an emotional, vibrant, serene concert.
Throughout the concert, writer Carme Cloquells acted as our guide, reading from her logbook of the sea of emotions, painting a literary portrait of each of the sisters. Through thirteen musical settings of poems by the three sisters, we experienced a complete emotional journey. The composition was, without doubt, rich in symbolism. The a cappella trio of voices that opened the concert represented the voices of the three sisters.
With Emily Brontë, the music was predominantly built on irregular time signatures, gentle melodies and deep expression. The orchestration, superbly judged, culminated in a small cello-and-flute duet performed by Clara Gorrias and Pau Cardona, evoking the sound of an English Renaissance romance.
Anne Brontë, with her soft, clear and committed voice, was represented by a duduk played by Pep Eroles, accompanied throughout by Andreu Marquès's evocative percussion. Perhaps one of the most magical moments of the concert, paired with dance. And yes, magic does exist, and its name is Gêliah. Few people can command the magnetism of attention simply by walking on stage. The cadence of her walk, the lightness of her arms, the intensity of her gaze… Then she dances, yes, or even makes a handkerchief dance, but what she really does is enchant us with her simplicity.
When it came to representing Charlotte Brontë, the eldest sister, the music grew more angular, with insistent rhythms, while still finding, amid so much strength, moments of serenity. I found the setting of the poem “On the Death of Anne Brontë” especially inspired, with a deep lament performed by Lluís Gener — perhaps a nod to the laments of Purcell and Dowland — over which the elegiac voices of Guiem, Neus and Clara rested.
This was a concert to be praised not only for the quality of its compositions, but also for the quality of its performers. At the imaginary dinner table ofthe Brontë house sit Clara Gorrias, Neus Ferri, Pau Cardona, Elena Armenteros, Lluís Gener, Andreu Marquès, Pep Eroles, Gêliah and Carme Cloquells. The Brontës are no longer just Guiem's project; for an hour, they also become the home of these nine artists.
In a conversation between friends, while the Brontë project was still taking shape, Clara Gorrias confided in me: “I never thought I would immerse myself so deeply in this world, partly drawn in by Guiem's enthusiasm. I had also never seen myself working under the leadership of a man who does it with such care, listening, respect and openness.”
Perhaps it is no coincidence that a concert dedicated to three women who wrote from freedom was born from a way of creating rooted in listening. The way we work, too, ends up making its own sound.
Pau Marquès i Oleo
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