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, 8th April – Sunday, 14th April, 2019
Wednesday, 10th April at 20h at the Cinemes Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Streamed from the Gran Teatre del Liceu de Barcelona, La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli. Directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi and starring Anna Pirozzi (soprano), Dolora Zajick and Ketevan Kemoklidze (mezzos) Brian Jagde and Stefano La Colla (tenors) and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo and Carlo Colombara (basses). There will be 147 artists on stage and 91 musicians plus a large corps de ballet led by Alessandro Riga and Letizia Giuliani.
The opera includes the famous Dance of the Hours (used in Disney’s Fantasia.) The Story: The opera is based on the Victor Hugo play about the tribulations of the beautiful Gioconda. Barnaba, a spy of the Inquisition, lusts after La Gioconda. He decides that in order to win over Gioconda, he must prove her lover, Enzo, to be faithless. He then sets up a meeting with Enzo and his own former lover, Laura. He arranges for La Gioconda to also be present – and chaos ensues.
MUSIC
Monday, 8th April at 22h at Hotel Màgic, La Massana. Vibrand concert in Clau de Soul. On Mondays the week begins with the best vibrations, with live music and with the songs you like the most! We are waiting for you to enjoy a concert that is born of soul and goes through different styles such as funky, bag, jazz, reggae trip hop …, from the successes of current and evergreen performers such as Jamiroquai, Sting, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Joss Stone, Adele and Tom Jobim, Toquinho, among others. Also on Friday, 12th at 23h at Energy Andorra, Escaldes-Engordany, Saturday, 13th at 21.30h at Anyós Park, Anyós, La Massana.
Wednesday, 10th April at 21.30h at El Cabin, Arinsal. (Free) Concert of the band Shuffle Express. A traditional and contemporary blues night in different styles (swing, rock, shuffle, calypso …) versions of artists such as BB King, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Joe Bonamassa, Susan Tedeschi and Jr. Watson, among others, with some compositions of the band. Musicians: Pablo Villar (vocals and guitar); Virginia Yañez (keyboard and vocals); Marc Milian (bass and sound); Dante Falótico (percussion).
Friday, 12th April at 19h at the The Villager Tapas & Wine, Soldeu. (Free) The Swing Girls are three professional singers: Susanne, La Mar and Fanny, who make up this music band inspired by the 50s and 60s to the present day. With their own image and style, they pay tribute to the best songs of these decades, with a careful repertoire, elegant and dynamic. A selection of the best artists and hits of these decades, among which we can highlight: The Andrews Sisters, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Megan Trainor and Amy Winehouse. Music to listen and dance.
Friday, 12th April at 21.30h at the Hard Rock Cafe, Andorra la Vella. Hard Rock Cafe Concerts with Destemps
Friday, 12th April at 23h at the cafè teatre, La Fada Ignorant, Andorra la Vella (5€) Concerts a La Fada: Marco Rubiol with Buscando la esencia.
DANCE
Saturday 13th & Sunday, 14th April, around the parishes. FolkAND: Andorra Folk Festival, 2019. Based at the Claror Auditorium of Cultural Center Lauredià, Sant Julià de Lòria. L’Esbart Laurèdia of Sant Julià de Lòria is collaborating in the organization of FolkAND, an international folkloric festival that will take place in the Principality of Andorra and which aims to publicize Andorran and European culture.
SATURDAY: 17h A parade and performance along the Av. Meritxell, Andorra la Vella with the Gresca Gegantera (the giant papier-mâché statues of King Carlemany and Ermessenda, countess of Foix and feudal mistress of Andorra) who will dance and pirouette along the route. They will return via the Carre de la Unió ending at la Rotonda. 18h followed by Human Castelling performance by the Castellers d’Andorra and the Bordegassos de Vilanova. 22h A folkdance performance in the Centre Cultural of Sant Julià de Lòria. (5€ tickets can be bought at the centre.)
SUNDAY: 11h Parade and dance performance along the Av. Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Returning from the Plaça Coprínceps to the Centre Illa Carlemany. 12h A folk dance performance in the Illa. Groups taking part: Sofistik Jivo, (Bulgaria), Sveta Nedelja, (Croatia), Group of Folklore House of Portugal, Esbart Laurèdia and Esbart Valls del Nord, (Andorra) Castellers d’Andorra, Bordegassos de Vilanova, Gresca Gegantera of Andorra la Vella. Batucada Tocat’els percussion band.
Saturday, 13th April at 23h at Prat del Roure, Escaldes-Engordany. (7€ or free for Balland Association members) An Evening of ballroom dancing accompanied by the guitarists Pep & M. José Musics.
CINEMA
Monday 8th to Thursday, 11th April at 19.45h at the Cinemas Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. SHAZAM! Directed by David F. Sandberg. Starring: Zachary Levi, Djimon Hounsou, Mark Strong. The Story: We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word – SHAZAM! – this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam. (Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb rate the film quite highly.)
Tuesday, 9th April at 20.15h at the Cinemas Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Screening of the French comedy: ‘Un beau voyou’. Directed by Lucas Bernard, Starring: Charles Berling, Swann Arlaud, Jennifer Decker. The Story: Commissioner Beffrois waits for retirement with mixed enthusiasm when a theft of paintings catches his attention. Is it the elegance of the process? The audacity of the crime? The beauty of the stolen work? Beffrois set out in searh of an atypical thief who is an acrobat in his spare time.
CHILDREN (All events are in Catalan unless stated otherwise.)
PARENTS: note for your diaries. Easter school holidays activities for children aged 6 – 12 arranged by the Encamp Comú.
Open registrations for Easter activities in the areas of Jovent d’Encamp and Pas de la Casa. Places limited. Reservations at the two sports centres or phone 834 972 or 732 700.
ENCAMP: 15th – 18th April & 23rd – 26th April. (Cost: 77€ for four days with a10% discount for regular users of the area and members of the Piolet Club, and 20% discount for second sibling.) The Encamp activities will take place during Week One in the Alberg de la Baronia and in Week Two in the Area de Jovent. Both spaces will be transformed into Hogwarts’ School of Magic and Spells where children will be distributed every day between the houses of Gryffindor, Slytheryn, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and will have to complete a program of activities and magical missions that will awaken the their creativity and help them develop their imagination.
PAS DE LA CASA: 15th – 19th April and 22nd – 26th April. (Cost: 88€ for five days with a10% discount for regular users of the area and members of the Piolet Club and 20% discount for second sibling.) The Youth Department has prepared a series of activities with the theme of Easter as a thread. Children will do workshops, go on outings and play themed games. In addition, in Pas, the events will be open on the bank holidays of Friday 19th and Monday 22nd April.
Saturday, 13th April at 17h and at 18.30h at La Llacuna Cultural Centre, Andorra la Vella. (4€ adults. Children free but need tickets https://www.4tickets.es/andorralavella/public/janto/) Children’s circus show with the Clown, Tastacirc. Tastacirc is a juggler, tightrope-walker, a real king of the track full of fun and laughter.
SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS: KILOMETRE WORLD CUP LAUNCHED 2019
Wednesday 10th – Saturday, 13th April at Grandvalira – Sector Grau Roig, Encamp. Extreme Speed returns to the Riberal track, in the Grau Roig de Grandvalira sector, with the celebration of the last two tests of this year’s FIS World Cup Kilometer Launched. The top world experts in this spectacular specialty, both male and female, will fight to win, at the same time trying to beat the speed record of the track, which
Swiss Philippe May set at 199.56 km / h in 2017 . The Riberal track, the only one in Southern Europe certified by the FIS for pure speed, is 900 meters long, with 200 meters of slope plus 10 meters of spectacular tower, with a maximum slope of 74% and a braking zone of 450 m. Come see it yourself!
OTHER
Thursday, 11th April 11 at 20.30h at the Public Library, Canillo. Healthy cooking workshop – Part 2 with dietician Marta Pons. (5€. Places limited. Inscriptions at the library or by phone 753 623) 2nd part of the Healthy Cooking Workshop.
Culturally yours,
Clare.
_____________
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
