PICK OF THE WEEK: Andorra (Pyrenees)
Main places:
Andorra la Vella, Escaldes-Engordany, San Julia de Loria, La Massana, Ordino, Encamp, Canillo, Pas de la Casa
PICK OF THE WEEK: Monday, 12th November – Sunday, 18th November, 2018
MUSIC
Thursday, 15th November at 21:30h at the Prat del Roure, Escaldes-Engordany. (Tickets 20€ from the first floor of the Comú building.) Sergio Dalma, in concert. Sergio Dalma returns to the Italian universe with a new episode in his successful Via Dalma He is one of Spain’s best-selling recording artists. He has topped Spain’s officialProductores de Música de España national album chart eight times, including an unbroken string of five number one albums between 2008 and 2013.
Friday, 16th November at 21h at the National Auditorium, Ordino. Entry: (20€). Jordi Savall: Andorra in Renaissance & European Baroque’A Solemn commemoration of the celebration of Andorra’s 600th anniversary of the founding of the Consell de la Terra. (See below) Jordi Savall is a Spanish conductor and viol One of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, he is largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of instruments in contemporary performance and recording. He has recorded over 100 discs starting off with EMI Classics.
Consell de la Terra. Deputy of the sovereignty of the people, the General Land Council is one of the oldest parliaments in Europe, created in 1419, in which the Co-princes of Andorra: the Bishop of Urgell and the Compte de Foix, gave Andorrans the right to choose representatives from each parish, who met once a year to solve the problems brought before them. As a representative institution of the Andorran people, it has maintained its continuity over time, at the same time as it has evolved to become a modern institution following the 1993 Constitution, for which it exercises the legislative power in a democratic and social State of Law with division of powers.
Saturday, 17th November a 17h in the Church of Sant Serni, Canillo. (Free but places limited, reservation essential on 753 624 or 753 623 or at the public library.) Only Jordi Albelda. Jordi Albelda Santamargarita (Born in 2002) plays cello. Programme: JS Bach: Suite number 1 in G Major, Suite number 2 in D Minor,Suite number 3 in C Major and Cassadó: Suite for solo cello.
Saturday, 17th November at 18h at FNAC in the basement of Pyrénées department store, Andorra la Vella. Los Pali at the FNAC Forum. Los Pali will present their new album, Mi plano privado, to the FNAC.
Saturday, 17th November at 20h at Hotel Plaza d’Andorra la Vella. (Free) Art i Torb & Friends in concert present a video clip of their latest musical offerings. Musicians: Art i Torb: Roser Palomero (accordion – previous European Accordion Champion);Sandra Couot (accordion); Lara Bautista (piano); Brigit Garcia (vocals); Dante Falótico (drums) Friends: Gisela Justes & Marta Mas.
BALLET
Tuesday, 13th November at 20:15h at the Cinemes Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Cinema Direct from the Royal Ballet Company, Covent Garden, London. La Bayadère. Choreography: Natalia Makarova. Music: Ludwig Minkus. Conductor: Boris Gruzin. Cast: Solor – Vadim Muntagirov, Gamzatti – Natalia Osipova, Nikiya – Marianela Nuñez. Orchestra: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. (2h 50m including 2 intervals.) The Story: Nikiya, a temple dancer, is in love with the warrior Solor. The High Brahmin also desires Nikiya, and when she rejects him, he plans to take revenge on Solor. When the High Brahmin tells the Rajah about Solor’s secret love, the Rajah decides that Nikiya, not Solor, should be killed. Princess Gamzatti is to be married to Solor. She overhears and tries to bribe Nikiya to give up Solor, but Nikiya refuses. The Rajah and Gamzatti arrange for Nikiya to be killed by a snake bite during the engagement festivities. Despondent, Solor is filled with remorse and haunted by visions of Nikiya. He cannot complete the wedding ceremony. The gods are angered and destroy the temple with all inside it. In the afterlife, Solor and Nikiya are finally united.
Thursday, 15th November at 21h a the Centre de Congressos, Andorra la Vella. Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with The Moscow Ballet. On their annual winter tour they are bringing with them the great soloists: Cristina Terentiev, Alexei Terentiev and Alexsandra Petrichenko accompanied by all the members of the Ballet de Moscow. First performed in St Petersburg in 1892 to little acclaim, today The Nutcracker is the world’s most popular ballet. Family-friendly and festive, it turns into box office gold every year at Christmas. The Story: Clara is given an enchanted Nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. As midnight strikes, she creeps downstairs to find a magical adventure awaiting her and her Nutcracker.The magician, Drosselmeyer, transforms the drawing room into a battle ground between mice and toy soldiers. During the battle, Clara saves the Nutcracker’s life – so breaking a magical spell that turned him from a boy to a toy – and the Mouse King is defeated. In celebration, Drosselmeyer sweeps Clara and the Nutcracker off to the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and take part in a wonderful display of dances. The next morning, Clara’s adventures seem to have been more than just a dream.
DANCE
Saturday, 17th November at 18h and 22h at the Sports Complex, Encamp. (The numbered tickets cost 3€) Vèrtex by Esbart Sant Romà folk dance group d’Encamp. The new show of the Sant Romà, which consists of five pieces, incorporates a re-reading of the Ossa that the musician Lluís Cartes has re-interpreted musically, and a very special premiere.Vèrtex , a composition in the form of a trip through the world of Habaneras to find the vertex where the travellers of the sea, regardless of their origins, feed on the wealth of dance as proof that dance is an art that comes from anywhere and leads to any other where. On this occasion, the Andorran musician Lluís Cartes has also commissioned the musical assembly of this piece, which incorporates two songs from the album En fresc of the group of Havaneras Les Anxovetes. (Havaneres are very popular Catalan sea shanties harking back to when there was a major sea trade between Barcelona and Havana, Cuba.) The adult Cos de dansa, the Esbart Juvenile and the Children’s Section will be in charge of performing the choreographies in a one-hour show. The spectators will be able to enjoy, besides the premiere of Vèrtex and the re-reading of Óssa, Intro plus, Fandango and Tic Tac with music by Miquel Gil, and Traces, where dancers perform with a more percussionist style with the “toc of batons”, also orchestrated by the Andorran musician Lluís Cartes. (The Esbart Sant Roma is one of the country’s best dance groups CA).
CINEMA
Monday 12th at 19.45h and Tuesday 13th and Thursday, 15th November at 20.10h at the Cinema Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. (thriller for over 12’s) The Girl in the Spider’s Web (a sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.) Directed by Fede Alvarez, Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield. The Story: Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.
CHILDREN (All events are in Catalan unless otherwise stated.)
Saturday, 17th November at 17h in the Conference Room of the Sports Centre, Pas de la Casa. Films for the family: The Adventures of Mark Twain. This is an animated film made with plasticine figures that tells a crazy story in which Tom Sawyer,Huck Finn and another girl from Twain’s books go on a ship, Fluvial, captained by Twain, to fly to encounter Halley’s Comet. The whole adventure is mixed with fragments of Twain’s stories. A great tale that will carry you away from reality for a while and make you live wonderful adventures!
Saturday, 17th November at 10:30h in the Llar de Jubilats de Prat Gran, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free for children 8 – 12. Reservations 802 255) Kitchen Saturdays – “Buon appetito: an Italian lunch. Prepare a plate of pasta and combine it with the most original Italian sauces.
OTHER
Thursday, 15th November at 19h at the Public Library, Sports Complex Encamp. (Register with the library or by phoning 732 704 .This was filed under ‘Children’ but I assume it is for adults.) Tea workshop run by Andrés and Wang Associates. The idea is to get to know the antioxidant and energy characteristics of four varieties of tea which attendees can sample and discuss.
Thursday, 15th November at 20h at the cafè teatre, La Fada Ignorant, Andorra la Vella. Veus (voices) with the writer, Richard Imberón & the poet, Nacho Mayo. After a year’s absence the Open Microphone returns to La Fada.
Saturday, 17th November at 11h in the Plaça de la Germandat, Sant Julià de Lòria. Day of the Castellera. Come and watch the great spectacle of the human castles, this time performed by Andorra’s own Castellers d’Andorra, plus three visiting groups: els Minyons de Santa Cristina, els Minyons de l’Arboç i els Xiquets de Vila-seca. Hold your breath as the tiniest member of the troupe (wearing a crash helmet) swarms up the backs of older members to climb right to the top of the human pyramid and there to stick her – sometimes ‘his’ – hand, very briefly in the air to show she’s made it to the top. Now all that the team has to do is climb down in orderly fashion for the ‘Castle’ to have been completed. Ours will be a fun family show. To see top Catalan competitors watch this video.
Culturally yours,
Clare.
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Look for about the author of the blog Clare Allcard
See also Andorra travel guide
See also Pyrenees travel guide
See also France travel guide
See also Spain travel guide
