festival

On Thursday, Barcelona’s L’Auditori concert hall has hosted the opening concert of the Barnasants festival for independent singer-songwriters. This year around, Dani Flaco set things in motion with a performance that spiked interest in the festival. The Catalan singer is scheduled to give two further concerts: one on Friday and one on Saturday. In his latest album, Flaco shifted away from his rockiest side to quieter and more intimate airs of acoustic folk. The 19^th edition of Barnasants’s music festival, epitomised by the slogan ‘La pàtria és el poble’(The motherland is the people), will address Catalan resistance, by offering over a hundred concerts to the audience, from both old and new generations of songwriters.

Since it was named Mobile World Capital for a 7-year period in 2011, Barcelona has worked on becoming a world leader in the mobile phone industry. Since 2006, it is hosting the world’s main event of the sector, the Mobile World Congress, but on top of this it is also developing manifold parallel initiatives. Some of them focus on Education and the younger generation. Among such measures there is a new secondary school course, ‘Mobilitzem la informàtica’ (Mobilising IT), dedicated to creating and designing applications for mobile phones. During the first stage of the course, 5,965 pupils from 196 high-schools have studied the subject in a theoretical way. Now they are about to start the practical stage, devoted to designing and developing mobile applications to be released on the market. Pupils will be mentored by trained teachers as well as leading professionals in the sector.

Catalan Director Albert Serra’s latest film, Història de la meva mort (The story of my death), which won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, is now screening in Barcelona cinemas. The Catalan Director has been praised internationally for his creativity and innovative style. In this film, Serra has reflected on the transition from rationalism to romanticism by focusing on two emblematic figures: Casanova and Dracula. Serra has linked two different imaginaries: first addressing the rationalism of the eighteenth-century, embodied by a “sensual” Casanova, “communication and command, which will succumb to the world of romance where everything is metaphysical, esoteric and violent”. Dracula will epitomise nineteenth-century romanticism.

Barcelona’s next Mobile World Congress, which will take place from the 24^th to the 27^th of February, should be the “best edition ever”, according to the CEO of GSMA and Director of the event, John Hoffman. Indeed, 75,000 visitors are expected to attend the world’s most important fair in the mobile industry, meaning 3,000 more than in February 2013. Besides, so far, five weeks ahead of the opening, the number of online registrations is already 15% higher than last year. The economic impact on the Catalan capital will be an additional income of €356 million and the creation of 7,220 jobs. One of the highlights of this year’s edition will be the participation of Facebook-inventor Mark Zuckerberg, who will give a conference on the 24^th of February.

Next February, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s most important event in the mobile industry, will open its doors in Barcelona for the 9^th consecutive year. The major companies in the sector will introduce new products or give conferences on applications designed for many innovative uses. By hosting the fair each year at least until 2018, Barcelona, named Mobile World Capital, is looking to become an international leader in this industry. The city has also created a HUB to develop the sector even further. The 2014 edition of the fair expects to break all records. The Director of the MWC, John Hoffman, stated that 75,000 visitors were expected, meaning 3,000 more than last year. Besides, once the fair will be over, it is estimated the local economy could have gained €340 million from it.

As many other cities around the globe, the Catalan capital will end the year with a vibrant street party for the first time ever. The tradition will start in 2013 and it is aiming to become a significant tourist attraction. New Year’s Eve celebrations will be “out of the ordinary”, stated the President of Barcelona’s Tourism Board, Joan Gaspart, during the presentation of the event. “Barcelona deserves, along with the numerous events it hosts each year, to hold something special for the last day of the year, just like many other cities in the world”, he added. The celebrations will be held at Maria Cristina Avenue, in front of Montjuïc’s Magic Fountain. Catalan theatre group ‘La Fura dels Baus’ will be in charge of the staging, featuring an impressive 15-meter-tall human figure.

The Temporada Alta Theatre Festival, held each year in Girona and Salt (Northern Catalonia), welcomes back one of its most loyal international companies: Propeller, which is indeed back on stage at the Municipal Theatre of Girona. It is the 6^th time the English troop is performing in this northern Catalan city, and they have claimed to have fallen in love with it. In the past 16 years, Propeller has staged Shakespeare plays in over 22 countries, attracting thousands of people. This year, they are presenting their reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in both Girona and other cities across Spain. The company is formed only of male actors, in a similar fashion to Elizabethan era theatre troops. Their staging of the play is full of magic and surrealism, creating a variety of different atmospheres and leading to many smiles in the audience.

Catalonia’s music is one of the highlights of this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival with a specific programme called ‘Catalan Series’. Barcelona’s Hèctor Parra, who achieved international recognition with pieces performed by KNM Berlin, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, or the National Orchestra of Ile-de-France, is the resident composer. The festival will feature several of Parra’s pieces, notably the world premiere of his latest work, FREC, performed by the composer himself alongside famous Catalan pianist Agustí Fernández. The well-known BCN216 Ensemble will also give a concert within the ‘Catalan Series’ in this year’s festival, which opens this Friday and will run until the 24^th of November.

The 46^th edition of the International Festival of Fantastic Film of Catalonia ended on 20^th of October in Sitges (Greater Barcelona) on a very successful note. Ticket sales and public interest reached new highs while supernatural thriller Borgman was awarded ‘Best Film’. Fan favourite Charles Dance received ‘Time Machine Award’, Israeli directors Aharon and Navot Papushado Keshales won ‘Best Director’ and British actress Juno Temple and Chinese actor Andy Lau were also distinguished.

The Plague (‘La Plaga’), directed by Neús Ballús, is one of the 5 nominees in the ‘European Discovery’ category of the European Film Awards. In an exclusive interview with the Catalan News Agency from the BFI London Film Festival – in which Ballús is participating – , the film-maker explained that her movie’s nomination was totally “unexpected”. Ballús is very “impressed” by this decision, which she considers is “a recognition of movies made in a smaller and more humble dimension”.  She stressed that many Catalan movies have this dimension, which also gives them greater freedom to experiment.

This weekend, the city of Tàrrega will be transformed as its annual arts festival kicks-off with over 400 performers entertaining crowds. The event, in its 33rd year, will have 24 venues and a total 300 shows. It prides itself on showcasing the best up-and-coming artists as well as placing an emphasis on more unconventional performances. There are numerous shows on offer including theatre, dance and music as well as events for children such as puppet acts and circus performances. The festival attracted 147,000 visitors in 2012 and is located in central Catalonia in the village of Tàrrega.

The 12th edition of the Acústica music festival has broken records with the highest amount of spectators ever. The five day music event, located in the town of Figueres in the north-east region of Girona, saw a total of 80,000 spectators – an increase of 25% on last years edition. The annual festival showcased the best of Catalan music and for its duration the centre of Figueres was transformed into a pedestrainised zone with open air stages in the streets. The most popular concerts were those of the groups Chambao, La Pegatina and the municipal band of Figueres and Delafé y las Flores Azules. The director of the event, Xavier Pascual, stated the attendance figures illustrate the “good health” of Catalan music and culture.

The 51^st edition of the International Festival of Porta Ferrada, located in the Costa Brava town of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, closed its doors with an average attendance of 91%. The event contained 21 music, theatre and dance performances, which had a total attendance of 11,105 people, 10,296 who paid for tickets and 890 going to the free events on offer. 6 shows were complete sell-outs: 5 of the 10 in the Espai Port (the main stage of the festival), and the ‘Concerts per a nadons’ (Concerts for babies). Albert Mallol, Artistic Director of the Porta Ferrada festival, told the CNA that it is important try to find new venues to be added to the iconic locations that already exist in order to increase the amount of musical and theatre performances.

Held in UNESCO’s World Heritage Poblet Monastery, the first edition of the Festival of Ancient Music was a sell-out, and will have a second edition next year, according to the organisers. The Festival was launched by the Catalan conductor, interpreter, composer and researcher Jordi Savall, who in 2012 received the Léonie Sonning Prize, considered Music’s equivalent of the ‘Nobel Prize’. The event aimed “to compensate” for the lack of such music festivals in southern Catalonia and also to honour the memory of soprano Montserrat Figueras, who died in November 2011. Figueras was one of the greatest vocalists and experts in Early Music and Savall’s life partner. The first edition of Poblet Festival included 3 concerts by Jordi Savall, all played within the monastery’s church, which is the location of the most of the tombs of the old Catalan kings.

Barcelona’s famous annual street festival, ‘Festa Major de Gràcia’ kicked-off on Wednesday evening with streets intricately decorated by neighbours and live music being played well in to the night. The event, in its 197^th year, draws an estimated 1.5 million visitors and has activities for all ages including: firework displays, ‘castellers’ - Catalan human towers, decorated streets and open air concerts taking place in 47 stages. It was traditionally a religious festival for locals of the neighbourhood, but for the last five decades it has become popular with Catalonians. Furthermore, in recent years, foreigners have also discovered it. Each year the festival begins on the 15^th of August and lasts for six days.