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
MUSIC
Saturday, 16th October from 17h – 19.30h at the Claror Auditorium of the Lauredià Cultural and Congress Centre, Sant Julià de Lòria. Final of the Lauredià Musical Grand Prix. An International Music competition open to musicians under 35.
Saturday, 16th October at 18h & Sunday, 17th October at 17h at La Fada Ignorant, Andorra la Vella. (Book your entry ticket at +376 821 815.) Preliminary of the 5th La Fi Competition for music/ song writers.
Saturday, 16th October at 19h at the Santuari Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Canillo. (5€) Inaugural concert of the VI Cycle of Romanesque Chamber Music. Return to the past – The twentieth century transforms the music of the past. With the Andorran National Classical Orchestra directed by Raúl García.
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) – Antiche danze et arie per liuto de la
tercera suite
Herbert Murrill (1909-1952) – A set of country dances
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) – Simple symphony
Saturday, 16th October at 21.30h in the National Auditorium of Andorra, Ordino. (General tickets: 15€. Balcony seats: 10€. Admission with a youth card: 15% discount.) 2021 Season: Trois Cafés Gourmands. Made up of three childhood friends: Mylène Madrias, Sébastien Gourseyrol and Jérémy Pauly, Trois Cafés Gourmands was born in the summer of 2013. In 2018 Trois Cafés Gourmands achieved state resonance thanks to the song À nos souvenirs; the album, Un air de rien went to #1 in the French charts producing three platinum records. After a very successful 2019 tour of more than 80 concerts in 2020 the group returned to the studio to record their new work: Comme des Enfants Trois Cafés Gourmands will be performing for the first time in the Principality.
Saturday, 16th October at 21.30h in IQOS Lounge, Andorra la Vella. Richy Vuelcom with organic house & house that you will never want to end. We look forward to seeing you at the IQOS Lounge, a place full of flameproof artists and unique experiences..
Sunday, 17th October at 11h in the Claror Auditorium of the Lauredià Cultural and Congress Center, Sant Julià de Lòria. Award ceremony of the Lauredià Musical Grand Prix, 2021..
Thursday, 21st October at 21.30h in the Sala Prat del Roure, Escaldes-Engordany. (10€ Registrations at the Escaldes-Engordany Tourist Office, Tel. 890 881 or [email protected]) Concert by The Eva Fernández Quartet. Saxophonist and singer, Eva Fernández was, until 2016, a soloist in the Sant Andreu Jazz Band. She has performed with great figures such as Perico Sambeat, Dick Oatts, Ken Peplowski, Ignasi Terraza, Bobby Gordon and Jesse Davis, among others. She has also participated in several projects with the group Andrea Motis & Joan Chamorro and the Sant Andreu Jazz Band. She has also participated in the jazz festivals of Barcelona, Terrassa, Porta Ferrada, Menorca, Roses, Vic and Xàbia (Valencia).
After publishing her first record, That Darkness, today Eva Fernádez presents herself in a much more intimate format to delight us with a fresh, contemporary and elegant Jazz.
Note for your musical diary.
Saturday, 23rd October at 17h at the Church of San Serni, Canillo. (Free but reservations are mandatory from https://amicscambraromanica.ad/entrades.php, and the audience also have to comply with Covid health regulations – proof of complete Covid vaccination/recently overcome illness or TMA test in the last 48 hours). Romanesque Chamber Concert Series: Vivancos Quartet.
The Vivancos Quartet is a young quartet formed by four students from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in 2018, under the supervision of the prestigious and world-renowned Casals Quartet. With an extensive curriculum, despite their youth, they have achieved cohesion and musicality at the level of established groups. They were the winners of the 2021 edition of the III International Romanesque Chamber Competition.
In this concert we are presented with a programme with one of Beethoven’s string quartets, number 1, a piece by Webern full of emotions which will honour his name and with the absolute premiere of a work by Bernat Vivancos: Oratio, written by the Catalan composer in the form of a prayer.
Tuesday, 19th October at 21.30h at the Sala Prat del Roure, Escaldes-Engordany. (Admission: 15€. Registration at Escaldes-Engordany Tourist Office, Tel 890 881 or [email protected]) TRANSVERSAL: Dance show Perspectives with the Barcelona Ballet. A series of lectures in which culture is crossed by various disciplines and fields of knowledge to become the seed of ideas and new approaches. It is at the confluence of disciplines and people from diverse backgrounds that an interesting space for transformation and learning is generated. Dance show Perspectives. The Barcelona Ballet presents a show based on the figure of its artistic director, Chase Johnsey, an artist who has broken moulds. It will bring us closer to some of the stereotypes that dancers, as well as the rest of humans, are often forced not to question in order to continue to fit into our society. With 20 main dancers and a dance troupe from the Barcelona Ballet, Perspectives invites us to embark on a journey into a world of struggle, dreams and transformation, based on the iconic figure of the swan and Tchaikovsky’s music.
Chase Johnsey. Is a dancer, artistic director and a founder of the Barcelona Ballet in 2021. He is also a pioneer in the world of ballet for the conquest of gender roles. Awarded the Best Dancer Award at the 2017 National Dance Awards, in 2018 he joined the English National Ballet as a premier artist where he has danced female roles.
VIDE DRESSING IN LES FONTETES, LA MASSANA
Until Sunday, 17th October.
After a hiatus of two years, due to the coronavirus, the Vide Dressing de la Massana, the market for second-hand clothes and accessories, returns. This eighth edition will have more participation than ever: about sixty stands will bring products of all styles, sizes and brands.
“Vide Dressing has a clear goal of revitalizing the parish, as it attracts a large volume of visitors who come to buy and spend the day,” says the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Revitalization, Josep Maria Garrallà, who remarks that to accommodate the high demand for registrations to set up a stall, we have decided to move the Closeta market to Les Fontetes. ” A ‘one-way street’ has been set up for the Vide Dressing. Visitors have to enter the Tourist Office building, go up to the different floors, cross the catwalk and go down by the gondola building.
Within this component to revitalize the parish, buyers of Vide Dressing will get a 10% discount voucher on the menus of the La Massana Fogons Autumn Cooking Days.
Another goal of Vide Dressing is to encourage responsible consumption. “Second-hand clothes and accessories are in fashion and this is very positive, because they are items that can be reused many times,” explains fashion expert and coordinator of Vide Dressing, Mercè Miguel. In addition, it also states that increasing the number of stalls will make buyers find a more varied offer.
The solidarity component of Vide Dressing must also be taken into account, as there are always stands reserved for charities.
The Department of Tourism is also preparing a sports-focused edition of Vide Dressing for November.
EXHIBITIONS
NEW
Until Friday, 5th November at the Art al Set Galeria, Escaldes-Engordany. For this autumn, the gallery offers you an exhibition displaying the work of its artists: Autumn Exhibition at the Art al Set Gallery. The selected works include Japanese inspired creations on paper, canvas or wood by Jaume Amigó; Carrara marble sculptures, bronze and woodcuts by Àngel Camino; colourful engravings on handmade paper and Murano glass inlays by Juan Ripollès; vegetable-themed watercolours with autumn tones by Lola Abellán, and, for the first time, a collection of the 10 versions of the “Chair of Peace”, a symbol of coexistence, democracy and peace, by Colombian artist Duvan! Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 11h – 13.30h and from 15.30h – 19h. Saturday times by agreement.
Until Thursday, 18th November at the Edifici l’Estudi, Ordino. (For a prior reservation for a meeting with the artist call 324 558.)
Exhibition: “4 landings” by Alfons Valdés. An exhibition of paintings and objects displayed on the stairs and landings of the five storeys of the Sociocultural Building the Study of Ordino, and speaks of the passage of time. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8h – 20h.
Saturday from 9h – 13h.
Meeting with the artist, Alfons Valdés
Monday 18/10, 18 h
Monday 25/10, 18 h
Monday 1/11, 18 h
At least until Sunday, 31st October at the Taranmana Art Gallery, Passeig del Valira 7, Escaldes-Engordany, An Exhibition of works by the prominent artist: José Maria Guerrero Medina. Medina showed a retrospective of his works in Barcelona in l’Espai Volart (1500 m2) belonging to the Fundació Vila Casas. Although the exhibition was shortened because of Covid it was an immense success in visits as he is one of the Spanish representatives of expressive figuration from the second half of the 20th century. Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10h – 13h and from 16h and 20h. Saturday from 10.30h – 13h.
Until Sunday, 31st October at La Peixera, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free Admission. Limited capacity) An Exhibition by Daniela Martins. The series that Daniela Martins exhibits at La Peixera revolves around the figure of Serge Gainsbourg, French singer, writer and film director. 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of his death. Serge Gainsbourg happens to be one of the artists Daniela Martins admires. It is for this reason that Daniela, who is also a mythomaniac, has wanted to pay her particular homage to Serge Gainsbourg and carry out a series of pictorial portraits inspired by her life and work.
The portraits that we can see in the exhibition of La Peixera were made between March 2nd and April, 2nd 2021. In the artistic universe and mythomania of Daniela, the dates had to be these to include the day and month of Serge Gainsbourg’s date of birth as well as the day and month of his death. Opening: Saturday, October 2nd at 18h
Until Friday, 5th November at Galeria Alta, Chalet el Roure, above Anyós, La Massana 42º31’59.0″N1º31’38.9″E (Free admission by appointment. Limited capacity. [email protected] or www.galeriaalta.com or @galerialta) New Gallery. New exhibition. Vivian Maier: Black and White and Colour. The Galeria Alta opens its doors with a sample of the work of the acclaimed American photographer, Vivian Maier. The work of the enigmatic Vivian Maier is already inscribed in the history of twentieth-century photography, alongside big names in street photography, such as Helen Levitt, William Klein, Joel Meyerowitz and Garry Winogrand.
Vivian Maier (1926–2009), born in New York to a French mother and an Austro-Hungarian father, worked as a nanny for forty years. In her spare time, Maier took pictures, which she then jealously hid from the eyes of others. In many cases she did not see the result herself, although at times she was able to have a precarious darkroom mounted in the bathroom.
Her life is a mystery. She is said to have died in absolute poverty and to have lived on the streets for some time, until the children she had cared for in the 1950s bought her an apartment and paid her bills until the day of the her death in 2009.
Most of Maier’s work shows everyday scenes of the streets of Chicago and New York throughout the 1950s to 1980s. The photographs spontaneously capture the uniqueness of “urban America,” an everyday reality and characters whom the camera looks at on an equal footing, with an apparent sweetness that often contrasts with the harshness of the reality it reflects, with a great ability to communicate both humour and tragedy.
Vivian Maier is considered the forerunner of self-portrait long before the advent of Instagram. Maier took many self-portraits, and showed herself reflected in shop windows and mirrors, or in the shadows she cast on the floor, always with the camera hanging around her neck. In her photographs there is also a taste for more formal, almost abstract experiments that play with light, geometric lines and reflections.
When, in 2007, a young Chicago historian, John Maloof, bought Vivian Maier’s abandoned belongings at a small neighbourhood auction, he stumbled upon an immense and unknown photographic work of more than 100,000 negatives, homemade footage, and sound recordings.
Maloof then began a thorough investigation of Maier’s life and the recovery and protection of the archive of her work, which culminated in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” (2014 Available on Netflix).
Maier’s photographs have been the subject of several publications and have been exhibited in the world’s leading cultural institutions.
Until Saturday, 6th November at the Plaça de les Fontetes, Museu del Còmic, La Massana. (Free activity. Number of places limited depending on the health situation.) Exhibition: Al Centro de la Tierra (In the Centre of the Earth) displaying the original illustrations by famous cartoonist, JAN. A review of Verne’s book, Journey to the Centre of the Earth from the characteristically humorous point of view of the cartoonist and his best known character: Superlopez.
OPENING HOURS
Monday: 15h to 19h.
Tuesday: 15h to 19h.
Wednesday: 10h to 14h.
Thursday: 15h to 19h.
Friday: 15h to 19h..
Saturday: 10h to 14h and 15h to 21h
Until Sunday, 9th January, 2022 at the Thyssen Museum, Escaldes-Engordany. Talents with similar origins: from Rigalt to Puigdengolas. The exhibition, Talents with similar origins: from Rigalt to Puigdengolas, features a selection of paintings by Catalan artists that the Crèdit Andorrà art collection has been forging since 1989. Casas, Urgell, Mir or Meifrè are some of the protagonists of the show.
The exhibition is complemented by some works from the Carmen Thyssen collection shared by the owner. Among the selected paintings, we will learn about the work of artists specializing in different types of landscape and portraiture, and other versatile people who reflect their expertise on canvas.
The exhibition takes a look at the work of Catalan artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, painters who agreed together on their training or who created their own school. The selection of exhibited works aims to show the similarities and divergences between Catalan painters of this period, the most unique styles and affinities in their work.
Until Saturday, 8th January 2022 at the Espai Caldes, Escaldes-Engordany. Les Escaldes: Pioneers of the hotel industry 1900 – 1960. (Free entrance. Reservations on tel .: 890 879 or [email protected]) An historic walk through the most emblematic hotels in Escaldes that remind us of times past when the benefits of thermal water became a claim to attract a tourism of bathers. The exhibition, with nostalgia, recalls the history of these establishments but also that of their owners. Les Escaldes: pioneers of the hotel industry 1900-1960 is presented with various areas consisting of photographic reproductions, images, objects and memories provided by individuals. The exhibition is complemented by a tour of the streets of the Upper Part, from the CAEE to the Espai Caldes with several photographic panels that testify to the many commercial activities that transformed the economy of Les Escaldes and the country.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9.30h – 13.30h and from 15h – 19h
Activities
• Guided tours for schoolchildren, individuals and groups round the exhibition.
• Routes: on Saturday, 2nd October at 17h: Water Itinerary trade route and on Saturday, 6th November at 17h: the pioneer route.
• In autumn, menus from the past with the touch of today’s chefs in the restaurants of Escaldes-Engordany.
Until Sunday, 27th August 2023 at the Casa d’Areny-Plandolit Museum, Ordino. (Admission: 2.5€. Free on September 25th and 26th.) Abracadabra: Illusionism and magic in Cal Plandolit. Discover one of the least known facets of the Areny-Plandolit family: the connection between some of its members with the world of magic, a field in which they stood out prominently on a Spanish and international scale during the first half of the twentieth century.
CINEMA
Saturday 16th & Sunday, 17th October at 19.45h; Monday 18th – Wednesday, 20th October at 19.30h and Thursday, 21st October at 20.15h at les Cinemes Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Venom: Let There Be Carnage. (in English with Spanish subtitles.) Directed by Andy Serkis. Starring: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams. The Story: Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extra-terrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror.
CONFERENCES Remember conferences are in Catalan unless otherwise stated.
Monday 18th & Tuesday, 19th October at MoraBanc Assembly Hall, Andorra la Vella (No time provided so check when you make your reservation at: [email protected] Tel 829 729) 14th Research Debates: New Technologies and Scientific Research
The main objective of the Debates is to disseminate research related to Andorra carried out by researchers from the country or other expert scientists and to create a forum in which to reflect on the state of research in the Principality.
The subject chosen in this edition is new technologies and their use in a variety of research areas. Thus, the aim of the Research Debates is to address and disseminate historical research carried out in Andorra and on Andorra.
MONDAY: On the first day, after the inauguration, a plenary conference will be offered, which this year will be given by Dr. Jordi Ojeda and will address the issue of social media, cybernetics and research during the pandemic. Then there will be two short presentations of 20 minutes each by Virginia Larraz: The use of technology in education and Ferran Gras Advanced rehabilitation of a drinking water pipe using composite materials.
TUESDAY: there will be more face-to-face presentations: by Laura Trapero and Marc Pons The use and potential of emerging technologies in the field of meteorology and climatology; Guillem Martín Optics as by means of obtaining meteorological data; Cerni Escalé, Increasing the legislative efficiency in Andorra by means of technologies of collective intelligence; and Eva Baillès, Mindfulness, virtual reality and cancer. What can we say about it? There will also be two written presentations: by Francesc Garcia: Linkable anonymous credentials: how to apply self-managed identity to electronic voting with Blockchain and Smart Contracts – and Winona Oliveros: Epigenetic characterization of cholangiocarcinomas. Each day will end with a debate.
Thursday, 21st October at 19.30h in the University Communal Library, Sant Julià de Lòria. (Free. Limited places. Small group. Registration: 744 044 or [email protected]. Gongfucha Mindfulness tea ceremony workshop. Led by Qiang Wang and aimed at those who want to take part in a Gongfu-style tea ceremony. Information about the world of tea will be provided in a pragmatic way, which adapts to the new trend in which the consumer wants to try new experiences while enjoying a healthy lifestyle.
GASTRONOMY
Until Sunday, 31st October throughout the parish of La Massana. Gastronomic days: La Massana Fogons (ovens) once again present the Cuina de tardor (Autumn cuisine). Come and discover the exciting culinary proposals that the restaurateurs of La Massana have prepared for this edition. Once again, seasonal products are the hallmark of dishes and menus that fans of good food can enjoy, whether for lunch or dinner. Consulteu els menús, aquí.
FAIRS AND MARKETS
Canillo Cattle and Handicraft Fair
Sunday, 17th October from 9h – 14h in the Aparcament dels Refugis, Canillo. On Sunday we will be waiting for you all at our traditional Cattle and Crafts Fair in Canillo. You will be able to enjoy the exhibition of native cattle of our parish and also of a sample of traditional crafts and a lot of stalls selling products
PROGRAMME
• 9h Opening of product stalls on Passeig Carlemany.
• 10h – 14h Free visit to the Motorcycle Museum on the second floor of the Telecabina building.
• 10.30h Concert by Pigmalión Effect. Piano and voice duet offering a repertoire of pop, indie, soul, country, etc. themes, with touches of melancholy, which will make the audience feel at ease.
• 11h Official opening of the Fair in the Aparcament dels Refugis.
• 11h – 14h. Open doors and promotions at the Ice Palace..
• 12.30h Concert by Quim Salvat, singer-songwriter born in Tarragona but established in Andorra. He describes himself as a person who, humbly tells, through his music, adventures and lived stories.
• 13h Award ceremony at the participating houses with livestock in Aparcament dels Refugis
CHILDREN
Saturday, 16th October from 10.30h – 12.30h at the Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre, Escaldes-Engordany. (3€. Places Limited. Reservations by phone: 802 255 or [email protected].) Art Saturdays. Street Art or how Banksy gets the walls dirty. Humans since prehistory have painted their environment. We also do so inspired by the technique and social message of an artist who hides his identity under a mysterious and controversial name: Banksy.
Saturday, 16th October at 11h in the Lobby of the Lauredià Cultural and Congress Centre, Sant Julià de Lòria. (Free activity. Limited capacity. Prior registration at Tel 744 044 or [email protected]. For children from 3 years accompanied by an adult.) Storytelling in the library: Sopa de Carbassa (Pumpkin Soup.) It’s about friendship.
Made by the squirrel, which stirs the soup.
Made by the Duck, who takes care to put in the right amount of salt.
The Castle of Go and Not Return. A Folk tale collected from the tales of Mariacastanya. Twin brothers go out into the world, and their mother gives them each a bottle of clear and fragrant water that will warn them if one or the other is in danger.
The Lake Fairy. It is about loyalty. A lake fairy needs the help of the inhabitants to get rid of some evil beings.
Culturally yours,
Clare.
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Look for about the author of the blog Clare Allcard
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Look here for the whole blog “Cultural events in Andorra with Clare Allcard
See also Andorra travel guide
See also Pyrenees travel guide
See also France travel guide
See also Spain travel guide
