Category Archives: Videos

The Torrent des Pareis Concert

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The annual concert at the most impressive Torrent des Pareis setting will be given tomorrow, July 1st, 2012, by Cap Pela, a young Mallorcan rock band singing a capella, with voices only and no instruments. Cap Pela are quite popular and have a sizable following. They have toured Germany recently, giving concerts in Leipzig, as well as Cannes in France. Tomorrow’s concert will be free, franc and gratis, as it is being sponsored by Sa Nostra, the Mallorcan savings bank. Moltes gràcies.

If you can’t make tomorrow’s event, you can also hear Cap Pela in Sa Màniga (Cala Millor) on July 6th, as well as on July 28th at the Claustre de Santo Domingo (Pollença), but then you will have to pay between 12 € and 25 €. Here’s a sample of a performance of theirs, courtesy of YouTube:

The images were borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of enunclickclack.blogspot.com.es (top) and cappela.es (centre). The video was borrowed from YouTube, courtesy of CapPelaOficial.

Thank you very much, and

muchas gracias.

Protests and Caceroladas

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Over the last two to three months, a large number of protest activities have been staged all across Mallorca, in places such as Manacor, Alcúdia, Sa Pobla, Felanitx and Palma. The topic of contention was and still is public education or rather, the planned severe cut-backs in spending in the education sector. In all of Spain, budget cuts in education amount to 3,000,000,000 €; the figure given for the Balearic Islands is 30,000,000 €. Just to put things into perspective, may I remind you that the Spanish government has just bailed out Bankia (Spain’s third largest lending bank) to the tune of 4,000,000,000 €, after the conglomerate bank had already received 4,500,000,000 € from the Spanish government just over a year ago.

Yesterday, there were similar protests all over Palma. In the morning, 20 students occupied the office of the Conseller for the education sector, Rafael Bosch. In the afternoon, a few hundred protesters congregated outside the Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y Universidades and in the early hours of the evening, a few thousand protesters assembled in s’Escorxador (see photos). It is said that 100 schools all over Mallorca participated yesterday in protest demonstrations as well.

Often, political demonstrations in Spain and other Latin countries are accompanied by Caceroladas, where kitchen utensils are loudly banged to create a mind-numbing noise. The demonstration in s’Escorxador included such noisy beatings, as did a protest outside IES Ramon Llull in Palma, two weeks ago (see video below).

The photo (top) was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Spain. The date: May 22nd, 2012. The time was 19:35:54. The photo (centre) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, Bartolome Ramon. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and Barrumbo.

Thank you very much, and

muchas gracias.

The Morgan Plus 8

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When I spotted this beautiful Morgan Plus 8 on Palma’s Via de Cintura last Thursday, the Rally Clásico Isla Mallorca had just commenced. Even though this Roadster is a vintage car design, it was probably not old enough to classify for participating in the Mallorca rally. The UK-built Morgan Plus 8 was built between 1968 and 2004. This particular one was probably built after 2000 and thus, did not qualify for participation.

This year’s Rally Clásico Isla Mallorca finished last Saturday; the overall winning team was Dominik an der Heiden/co-driver Ottenburger in a 1979 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. Congratulations. The winner in the Female category was Bel Dezcallar in a Triumph TR3.

The photo was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 15th, 2012. The time was 19:57:46. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and SO911ST, showing last year’s winning team, Stefan Oberdörster and his co-driver, Olaf Heupel, in a 1976 Porsche 911 ST, in this year’s rally.

An Evening of Koto Music

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We were out in Palma the night before last to attend a concert at the CaixaForum. One of the regular features at the CaixaForum in Palma is the annual event of a series of concerts of Musíc del Mon, music from the far corners of the world, such as from Egypt, Mali, Turkey, Iran, Cuba, Brazil, Japan, Scotland, the Basque country, Alaska or Pakistan, you name it.

About a month ago, there was a concert of traditional Persian music, given by the Mezrab Ensemble. Delightful. It was so absorbing, I went twice, on two successive nights. The night before yesterday, it was Japanese Koto music, performed by the formidable Mieko Miyazaki. The Koto is probably the most Japanese of all instruments, a 13-string zither-type long body, looking back at a 1300 years old ancestry. Surprisingly, that night the Koto was paired with an Erhu, an even more ancient Chinese violin-type instrument of two strings, masterfully played by Chinese musician, Guo Gan (see photo). There will be another concert of Armenian music, performed by Vardan Grigoryan Duduk Quartet, on April 17th. Admission is 4 €.

If you would like to hear Guo Gan play the Erhu and Mieko Miyazaki play the Koto, here’s a video snippet (the same piece was played at Palma’s rendition as well, the other night):

The photo was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 13th, 2012. The time was 21:13:27.

Blood Wedding

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Here in Mallorca, we are lucky to have an enthusiastic audience of theatre goers. There are eight stages in Palma alone, ranging from the Teatre Principal to the Auditorium and from the Teatre Sanç to the Teatre del Mar. In the Part Forana, the hinterland, I know of not a single pueblo that does not have their own theatre or auditorium, from Inca to Pollença, from Santanyí to Andratx and from Manacor to Calvià. Tell me if I am wrong.

I’d like to share with you a magnificent night out at the theatre, last night in Palma. Eight Roma (gypsy) women were performing Federico García Lorca’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba. I had the pleasure of being invited to enjoy the all-female cast of real people without any professional background in theatre, some of them even without the ability to read or write, performing the last play that Federico García Lorca wrote in 1936, two months before he was brutally murdered during the Spanish Civil War. You probably know the plot involving Señora Alba ruling over her five daughters with domineering control. Inevitably, romance, love and death colluded to an ultimately fatal environment where people are not permitted to pursue their desires and passions.

Unfortunately, the performance by the Centro de Teatro TNT group from El Vacie near Sevilla was a one night only event. The house was packed, and rightly so.

In case you missed the occasion, here is a ten minutes snippet of the play, recorded in April 2011, with the same cast as last night’s performance.

The photo was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 29th, 2011. The time was 22:00:29.

Nit Sant and the Sibil·la Chant

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Last night, Mallorca celebrated Nit Sant (Christmas Eve). A special church service is held on the Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) called Matines de Nadal. These masses are probably the most important ones of the year here in Spain with the possible exception of the Easter liturgy.

There were three separate church services last night in Felanitx. I went to two of them because I had a reason. The attraction about the Matines de Nadal is the Cant de la Sibil·la (Chant of the Sybil), and I am attracted by this ancient chant with all its archaic and prophetic connotations. Why there were three separate Sibil·la performances last night in Felanitx I cannot say. I am not sure that there ever have been three concurrent ones in the past. I certainly enjoyed the opportunity and pleasure of being able to listen to two of them even though it was a bit of a rush. There were a few dozen Sibil·la performances all over Mallorca last night, from Palma to Inca, from Andratx to Pollença, from Binnissalem to Manacor. Perhaps you were eager enough yourself to go and take one in. Even though I have to say that I saw no foreigners attending any of the two services that I went to last night which surprised me quite a bit. It also made me a bit sad, really.

Let me remind you that the Cant de la Sibil·la was chosen by UNESCO in 2010 to be included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with an emphasis to the Need of Urgent Safeguarding. I think the Mallorcan Chant of the Sybil is a treasure to behold and an absolute treat to the eye and the ear, not to speak of the soul. In case you missed hearing one last night, try and earmark the occasion for this time next year.

The young woman in the photo and the video as well (2009) is Xisca from Cas Concos des Cavallers. She chanted at the Església de Sant Miquel, the Felanitx parish church, for the ninth year this year. She performed the Chant of the Sybil with an absolutely beautiful voice. It almost made me weep.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: December 24th, 2011. The time was 20:16:09. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and guingaia.

Thank you, and

moltes gràcies.

The XII Festival Internacional d’Orgue a la Seu

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We are privileged on this island with regard to organ music. There must be a few dozen historic organs in Palma and the pueblos, and some of them are of astounding class and impeccable pedigree. I guess there are some 50 or more of the magnificent instruments in Mallorcan churches, and probably ten of them can compete with the world’s best. I wish I knew how to play this instrument. Well, perhaps in my next life I’ll see to it.

Last night saw the first of four concerts given during this year’s XII Festival Internacional d’Orgue a la Seu, at Palma’s Cathedral. The concert was given by Wim Does (Netherland). Sadly, I could not attend.

There will be three more concerts, later in the month. Giampaolo di Rosa (Italy) will perform next Friday, October 9th, at 19h45, Susana G. Lastra (Spain) will entice us on Friday, October 16, and Hans Leitner (Germany) will complete the organ cycle on Friday, October 23rd, all at the same time. The concerts are given admission free. I hope I’ll be able to attend at least one of the three remaining events.

The organ at Palma’s Cathedral is one of the most remarkable on the island. It was last tuned and restored in 1993. Its sound is truly magnificent, or is the sound simply great thanks to the splendid acoustics of the Cathedral? You can judge for yourself by going to the Cathedral during one of the next three Fridays’ concerts, or by listening to the Video clip (below). Enjoy, whichever.

The photo (top) was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 1st, 2011. The time was 10:32:16. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and eliufus.

Muchas gracias.

The Catacombs at Palma’s Cemetery

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Sometimes you get lucky as a photo blogger when often you don’t. I find it quite frustrating when I go out with the aim to take a photograph of a given subject or a wished-for scene, and I don’t manage to get there on time, I am not allowed in, or I can’t capture the moment for whatever reason. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Other times, you stumble upon things or events or scenes that you had not planned for, or that you did not even know existed. Then you feel excited and even might thank your lucky stars.

Yesterday was such a lucky moment. I had gone to the cemetery in Palma to finally see the Mur de la Memòria after two previous unsuccessful attempts. Yes, I did now see the memorial for the victims of the Spanish Guerra Civil that were killed by fusillade between 1936 and 1939 at the very spot. I won’t show you the photo(s) as I covered the subject already a few weeks ago with a photo borrowed from the Internet, so there. But, I also stumbled across something quite unexpected: the catacombs of Palma’s cemetery. I had read about the underground tombs before but, I have never seen them for myself nor have I found them when I had been looking for them, before. Yesterday, I did not look for the catacombs but, stumbled across them, and quite by chance. They are somewhere quite different from where I would have expected to find them. Life is funny sometimes. You may or may not share my excitement but, as this is primarily my blog and only yours’ in the second instance, please see my photo (above) and judge for yourself. You are then free to decide if the cemetery in Palma is perhaps worthy of your visit or not.

Last April, a couple of nighttime outings at full moon were organised at Palma’s cemetery including recitals from poems and novels as well as short theatrical performances involving actors, torches and a brief visit to the catacombs. The itinerary involving the catacombs was accompanied by brief quotations from Dante’s Divine Comedy, symbolizing the time of transition. I did not manage to participate then but, I believe that the organizers plan to repeat such guided tours sometime in the future, full moon or otherwise. Below, there is a video extract of the outings last April. Enjoy.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 7th, 2011. The time was 18:07:14. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of vimeo and Fernando Muñoz.

Muchas gracias.

The Concert del Torrent de Pareis

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The beach of Sa Calobra and the bottom stretch of the Torrent de Pareis must be one of the most enchanting locations in Mallorca. It is tricky to get there without a boat or a yacht of one’s own but, the landscape is more than rewarding once you arrive. I like the place best when I am on my own, in the company of my family or with a few good friends but now, during July and August there is no chance of having the impressive scene without the crowds. March, April or May would be a good time to descend on Sa Calobra, or again, October or November. Then, it would be best to take the car and enjoy the adventurous drive down the serpentine road with its daring hairpin curves. Any other time, the train from Palma to Sóller, the onward tram to Port de Sóller and the connecting boat service to Sa Calobra would be the transport of choice.

Yesterday, as every year on the first Sunday of July, was a particularly busy day for Sa Calobra. On that Sunday, the Concert del Torrent de Pareis, an open-air concert is being staged under the patronage of Sa Nostra Caixa de Balears, the Mallorcan Savings Bank. Yesterday must have been the 48th such concert but, I have to admit that I did not manage to get there. The Diapaswing group was giving a performance, six a-cappella singers, as well as Alta Mar, a four members Habaneras group from Catalunya. Admission would have been free, as always. Not the transport, though.

Maybe I’ll make it next year.

Anyway, here is a video taken at last year’s event and borrowed from YouTube. Enjoy.

The photo (top) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, Manu Mielniezuk. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and canalsanostra.

Muchas gracias.

Safe Landings

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I do not often go to Puerto Portals but, I was in the area a few days ago and decided to see if I could take a photo. After all, I don’t want to exclude the very existence of that place from the pages of this Mallorca Daily Photo Blog just because I don’t much like its snazzy glamour. Puerto Portals appeared quite seemingly unaffected by La Crisis.

On closer inspection of the photo (above) you’ll find that the superyacht to the right of the harbour tower has a helicopter on board. The motor yacht is called White Cloud, a 65 m (213 ft) impressive steel ship built in 1983 by the Feadship Royal Van Lent Shipyard in the Netherlands. The ship is registered in George Town, Cayman Islands but is based somewhere in the Western Mediterranean. The helicopter is a Eurocopter, quite possibly a EC135, a light, multipurpose twin-engine helicopter. The yacht would quite probably set you back some 25,000,000 € should you want to buy one, not including the aircraft. More recent versions of this yacht type are built from aluminium at a higher cost, I suppose.

Allow me to direct you to an interesting video showing how to safely land a Eurocopter aircraft on a moving yacht of a similar type to the White Cloud. No mean feat by any measure, I would have thought.

The photos were taken in Puerto Portals, Calvià, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: June 10th, 2011. The time was 14:48:45 and 14:24:22, respectively. The video was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and rotoryacht.

Thank you very much.