Pinchas Zukerman was 13 years old when he auditioned for Casals in Israel. Miklós Perényi was 15 when he won the Casals Competition in Budapest, and Richard Goode was 16 when he accompanied Casals on the piano in the Dvorák Concerto.

This is the first time Zukerman comes to Vendrell, Casals’ birthplace, and he has offered to perform two concerts: the opening one on July 7, with his trio partners, Shai Wosner and Amanda Forsyth, and a second one on the next day, where two outstanding young musicians (violist Sara Ferrández and violinist Yamen Saadi) will join them on stage.

Miklos Perényi, who can be considered Casals' last real student, will give the closing concert on July 22. Together with his favourite pianist, Dénes Varjon, he will give a special program that combines some key works of Casals' repertoire with an evocation of his friendly ties with Hungarian composers.

Richard Goode studied at Curtis with Serkin and Horszowski, two pianists closely associated with Casals. After meeting Casals in Puerto Rico, Goode spent many years along with him in Marlboro. As a tribute to Casals, Richard Goode will perform the ultimate Beethoven, tackling the Diabelli Variations on July 20.

Casals called Marlboro a ’Temple of Music’, a magical place where talented young musicians developed by rubbing shoulders with elder eminent performers. It was a great joy for Casals, like a fountain of youth, and he returned every summer until the very end of his life. This is the third time that the Pau Casals Festival revive this wonderful experience. Twelve outstanding young musicians, half Spanish, half from various European countries, have been selected. As for the seniors, Jonathan Brown, the violist of the Cuarteto Casals, and Erica Wise, who are the driving force of this project, will be joined by two Marlboro alumni (pianist Peter Nagy and David McCarroll, member of the Vienna Piano Trio and concert master of the Pittsburgh Symphony) and Erich Hobarth, distinguished disciple of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. They will give five concerts in various venues, from July 11 to July 15, with chamber and string orchestra music.

On July 17, the great Belgian organist Bernard Foccroulle will give a recital dedicated to Bach and his predecessors on the marvelous organ built by Ludwig Scherrer in 1776 for the parish church of El Vendrell, an instrument very dear to Casals’ heart. The next day he will give a master class on the works of Bach to the promising young Catalan organists.

Another amazing event of the Pau Casals Festival will be the ‘Carnival concert’ on July 21. Albert Guinovart, the eminent Catalan composer, took a liking to Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals, and composed a work for the same ensemble instruments with equal humour and tenderness. His work will be premiered in Vendrell (before to be performed again at Salon de Provence Festival) along with the famous Saint-Saëns masterwork. The composer and Eric Le Sage at the piano, famous wind players Magali Mosnier and Paul Meyer will be joined by first class young string players.

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