Lluís Miñarro’s documentary film ‘Finisterrae’ scooped a top award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film is directed by the manager of the International Sònar Music Festival in Barcelona, Sergio Caballero. This was his first ever movie and it was actually the image of last year’s Sónar Festival. Rotterdam’s jury awarded ‘Finisterrae’ impressed for its riskiness.
The 2011 edition of the rock-pop festival Primavera Sound will be even bigger with 20,000 square meters more and a brand new bigger and stage. In total there will be 8 simultaneous stages, 2 of them for large concerts.
A tribute concert to the internationally renowned Catalan cellist and conductor Pau Casals took place in Washington DC. The memorable concert brought Marta Casals back to her husband’s performance in the White House in 1961, in front of President John F. Kennedy.
Representatives from the Mediterranean Fair of Manresa will take part in the world's largest winter music festival this year, Celtic Connections. Between the 27th and the 30th of January, a number of Catalans will be in the city of Glasgow taking part in the performance 'Showcase Scotland'.
According to the artistic director of the festival Josep Maria Dutra "this year has the best line in the history of the festival”. The festival combines a broad international representation with a small Catalan one.
After 50 years of performing, the Catalan opera soprano Montserrat Caballé said she will step down in two years with a farewell tour. The Catalan diva is considered one of the world’s greatest sopranos of the 20th century. Her popularity increased while singing with Freddy Mercury the song “Barcelona”.
Diverse Catalan singers, musicians and directors performed in Leipzig, Hamburg, Cologne and Weimar on Thursday. Tenor singer Josep Carreras teamed up with Andrea Bocelli and David Garret to raise funds and awareness for the fight against leukaemia in Leipzig. Jordi Savall played Jean-Philippe Rameau in Cologne and Montserrat Caballé sung in Hamburg.
Lluís Gavaldà, lead singer of Els Pets answers Lucy from Glasgow: “Catalonia has very extensive musical richness, with traditional, classic, jazz and pop music in Catalan”.
The Cuban pianist presented his new album ‘Chucho’s Steps’ at his performance during the Barcelona International Jazz Festival. He was accompanied by ‘The Afro-Cuban Messengers’.
‘Els Pets’ played at the Palau de la Música, Barcelona’s symphonic auditorium on Tueday night. The audience was enthusiastic about the band’s performance. ‘Els Pets’ did not play their classics from the last 25 years, but rather singles from their newer albums.
The famous English rock band Pulp is reuniting after a decade long hiatus to play Barcelona’s Primavera Sound.
The opera directed by Michael Boder and Olivier Py opens today at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. It was composed by Alban Berg, although his death prevented him from finishing it; Pierre Boulez did so. Py described the opera as a “joyous apocalypse”.
The most prestigious choirs of Catalonia will sing at the religious ceremony inside Antoni Gaudí’s temple. The Orféo Català, the Coral Sant Jordi and the children’s choir of Montserrat Abbey will be amongst the participants.
The famous saxophonist Sony Rollins will kick off the 42nd edition of the Barcelona Jazz Festival tomorrow. The musician is perfoming at the Auditori de Barcelona as part of his 80th Birthday tour.
The pop-rock music festival will use one of its previous locations, the Poble Espanyol in Barcelona’s Montjuïc hill. The most talked about performances from the first round of confirmed acts are Ariel Pink, the Fiery Furnaces, Broadcast and Half Japanese.