Fourth and final concert of the Bellver Festival with the Orquestra Simfònica Illes Balears as the protagonist of this now consolidated event. Like an encore of the season, even though it is a different audience, this circumstance arises depending on where the activities take place. In any case, the four concerts by the ensemble at the emblematic castle are already a tradition and the venue is filled day after day. The last one was no exception and, while soloists had been the protagonists until now, for this occasion it was the British conductor Michael Francis who was in charge of putting his stamp on the concert. A British stamp, as was that of the program, made up of three composers of the same nationality and almost the same generation, such as Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The chosen pieces were performed in chronological order, so that one could discern a small evolution of classical music in the former empire in a short period of time.

Now that we have finished the course, teachers and families have more time for reflection. It is necessary, because many of us teachers think we are living a great lie. It seems that the Administration has chosen to hide the true level of the institutes. Over time, and more by omission than by direct action, a standard has been set that the teaching staff unanimously consider "lowered", which devalues the degrees obtained. While school should mitigate inequalities and offer opportunities, different governments have opted to turn it into a curtain that hides reality. A fiction that covers up, especially in places like Ibiza, the drama of precarious employment and an impossible housing market; a context of growing individualism, which leads families to uprooting and disconnection from their towns and neighborhoods, as well as from their own language and culture.

Second concert in Bellver. Unusual. Special. Affectionate. For various reasons. The first we find in the soloist, Josep Colom, the one in charge of interpreting the Piano Concerto No. 27 K. 595, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. An extraordinary musician in many ways, who is not legend, but history of music in print. An excellent and peculiar pianist, so much so that each of his interpretations has its own seal without betraying the original. Thursday evening was no exception, with a trademark cadence. Tireless. He would never stop playing. But, in addition, he has been a teacher about whom all his students speak wonders, with both affection and admiration. Pablo Mielgo, from the podium, explained that at 11 years old he had played in front of him and that, therefore, it was an honor to be able to accompany him. His interpretation of this late Mozart, although he was only 35 years old and had less than a year left to die, was careful, but when the best Colom emerged it was with the encore, the Rondo in A major K. 485, also by Mozart. It was as if the first intervention was a preparation. He certainly would have raised the level if he had continued playing. It is clear that seeing and hearing Josep Colom is always a luxury and, of course, a pleasure.Another of the reasons that the adjectives proclaim we find in the formation. Some members of the Symphonic accompanied by others from the Little Symphonic, formed by students between 10 and 16 years old, to whom, in addition to the prize of sharing the stage with the already professionals, Mielgo inoculated the first dose of the poison of applause. All of them showed that they were there on their own merits, with some solos that, with their eyes closed, we would not have figured out who was responsible. A success for Mielgo and an incentive for them, as in the second part the number of participants had increased. A second part that began with a selection of themes from La boutique Fantasque, by Ottorino Respighi, an orchestral suite from the ballet inspired by Rossini's music. Fun, cheerful, ideal. Next, a classic, The Moldau. Descriptive, suggestive, sweet. Everything in order, even a little surprising, the level of the concert. To end the party, rhythm, of quality, the Danzón No. 2, by Arturo Márquez. It goes without saying that the castle was once again full to the brim.

The Tchaikovsky-Dogadin tandem was in charge of inaugurating this new edition of the Bellver Festival, as an appendix to the season of the Illes Balears Symphony Orchestra, in the incomparable setting, which is a cliché, but undeniable. Pablo Mielgo conducted the performance, who once again showed good chemistry with the soloist of the day. Sergei Dogadin had already played with the same accompanists on two previous occasions. In the 23/24 season, he performed the Concerto for Violin, by Alexander Glazunov, and the following season he was in charge of opening the Symphony's season with the Concerto for Violin. In Memory of an Angel, by Alban Berg. On Thursday, I want to suppose that with the Domenico Montagnana, from 1721, he offered us a more recognized piece than those mentioned, but with a higher degree of difficulty, as immense as it is excellent, with the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the only one that the Russian, who often didn't seem like it, composed for this instrument.

Forty editions and sold out for many years is a good reason for joy and, of course, to crown the season with a Rigoletto is one of the best ways to do justice to the event. It also carries a certain risk. To achieve a good result, high-level voices are needed. Damiano Salerno as Rigoletto and Génesis Moreno as Gilda were in charge of doing so and solemnizing the anniversary. Undoubtedly, they shone far above the rest of a cast that was not bad at all. But the pivotal moments of the performance were generated when they were the great protagonists. Their duets were anthological. They began their recital with the emotional and delicate Figlia! Mio padre! They continued with the colossal Mio padre!…Tutte la feste al tempio. They elevated the tragedy with the final duet, V’ho ingannato, colpevole fui and Lassú in cielo. These three moments alone would have been enough to satisfy an audience that bid farewell to the protagonists standing, after Rigoletto's desperate lament, 'La maledizione'. This was the title Giuseppe Verdi wanted. A detail of no importance for an impeccable and implacable piece. Structurally perfect, which forces both protagonists into a detailed, meticulous, and, of course, very demanding existential metamorphosis. Both Rigoletto and Gilda, the hunchback and the daughter, evolve, both vocally and dramatically, as circumstances arise and change. Salerno and Moreno more than fulfilled their task. Génesis Moreno, two seasons ago, had already shown many of her virtues at the Teatre Principal, playing Gounod's Juliet. Therefore, her choice to star as Gilda could not have been more fitting. If the entire performance was memorable, a tremendous and colossal display of warmth, expressiveness, coloratura, breath... it left everyone more or less stunned with an unforgettable Caro nome. Nothing to say, but quite the opposite, about the interventions of Damiano Salerno, with a resounding and full voice, who with an emotional and powerful Cortigiani, vil razza dannata, rich in nuances and full of difficulties, did not make us miss any of the great singers who have interpreted the most convoluted and complex character in Verdi's production. His projection, the complicated alliance of virulence and subtlety, and impeccable diction and vocalization stand out.The diction was a small hindrance for Filip Filipovic as Duke of Mantua, considerable in volume, but uneven overall, leaving the canzonetta that has remained as the symbol of the piece, La donna è mobilie, as an anecdote. The complicated piece is, always and much more so, Ella mi fu rapita! Filip Filipovic was correct, although regarding his character, I think he was too angry in the conception of a seducer, as if he were Gualtier Maldé. On another level, but adequate, was the local performance, with Begoña Gómez as Maddalena, Irene Mas as the Duchess's page, and Cristòfol Romaguera as Count Ceprano. On the other hand, Toni Marsol was an efficient and expeditious Monterone, while for Niall Anderson's Sparafucile, one did not need to go so far. The orchestra, conducted by Oliver Díaz, and the male choir of the Teatre Principal performed well, while Elena Barbalich's staging, in the production that arrives from Pavia, Como, Brescia, Cremona, Bergamo, and Toulon, combined period costumes with very contemporary metallic structures, aesthetically effective, but which above all served to delineate with great effectiveness each space where the action takes place at each moment. A great opera evening.

The Orbitans continue on their alternative theatrical path. If their usual haunt has been and is the bar counters of many city streets, they recently explored another territory for another type of dramaturgy and, undoubtedly, for their already consolidated audience. The first test took place in a hotel room, the Ars Magna, with the title Píccolo. A success. Hence a second rehearsal, in the same place and with no few guarantees, which with the title Estranyes visites written and directed by Javier Gato Matesanz, starring Mariona Hauf and Joan Manel Vadell.

Los Estunmen arrive at the Teatros del Canal after passing through the Lliure de Barcelona with all the blessings and approval of the Liceu and the Real, but with reticences as if a product of these characteristics did not yet have enough guarantees to be performed in the ancestral homes. Perhaps they are only prejudices, which is not understood after having seen in the grand house, in both and in many more, some operatic creation that was “amazing”. It is clear that the progenitors of the creature, Nao Albet and Marcel Borràs, have played the role - which is also a game that fits perfectly with this baby - of transgression and they announce it from the title. Els estunmen is nothing more than the pronunciation of the stuntmen, the specialists, the doubles of the protagonists, those who are there and pretend to be. The capos, Albet and Borràs, say it is an opera and they are surely right and have reasons to classify it within this genre, where contemporaneity always finds almost insurmountable barriers. The music is by Fernando Velázquez, who instead of transgressing creates a precise and fitting alloy of quite a few operatic eras, although if the story speaks, among many other things, of heroes, who better than Wagner as a great source of inspiration. For this, and for many other things, we are facing a guesamcunstverq, which is how the total work of art preached by the gentleman of Bayreuth is pronounced.

Although it has been fifteen years since Alexandre Ballester passed away, he will always be present in the memory of those of us who enjoyed his talent, grace, and insight. That the Teatre Principal Palma decides to make him accessible to all those who did not have our good fortune is, without a doubt, not only a success but also a well-deserved tribute. The production, on the other hand, is a top-tier one, with a grandiose set design, with the drawback of mobility so it can go to other stages on the island, and a stellar cast, led by Miquel Àngel Torrens, along with Luca Bonadei, Mariona Hauf, Sofía Muñiz, Maria Rosselló Josep Orfila, and Patxi Arostegui. The play, Un baül groc per a Nofre Taylor, which Joan Lluís Bozzo once put on the Catalan alternative stages, a little before the creation of Dagoll Dagom, had been left at the bottom of the trunk of forgotten plays. Marga López has been in charge of this rescue, of this hyperrealistic portrait of the human condition, because that is what Ballester's play is, and nothing else. All the traits of the rich and powerful have not changed a bit, because they were already like that since time immemorial. This would be a careful, but simple, reading, because the subjects of the emperors/businessmen also play the same role as always, that of submission. Even more so, we could give all and each of the characters who appear the first and last names of someone known, so well-known that perhaps they are our own. Ballester's brush never left any corner unpainted.

The program notes of Calidoscopi, the latest creation by Estudi Zero, state that “characters are moved by absurd, violent, or profoundly human situations”. True, but it would be even more so if the conjunction were copulative instead of disjunctive. If the situations are absurd and violent, it is clear that they are undeniably very human. The caricature does not distort reality but accentuates it, so that this bold, irrational, and bizarre point makes the metaphorical drawing of the human condition arrive with more effectiveness. That the performance is composed of different small stories brings the Sans seal, in such a way that it transports us to that journey that Karl Valentin was piloting in this very room. For the occasion, several authors are listed in the roster of Calidoscopi –Esteve Soler, Juan Mayorga and Joël Pommerat–, which makes the mood of the different sketches raise the heat of each one considerably. There is no white humor. All contain a high dose of venom, in the same proportion as causticity and sarcasm, and without fear of crossing red lines.The first story, that of the man run over by a bus, about which I will say no more because it would be a spoiler, sets the tone of the performance. Black humor in its purest form. Human cruelty or lack of humanity, which in this case is the same, shines with all its splendor. That of the couple who confess to their twenty-year-old son that he was not a desired child, exponentially increases the portion of inhumanity. That of the seller of anything you can imagine is a mirror directed towards the stalls. And so on. All in all, rounded off with a musical number performed by Dominic Hull, a My way in the purest crooner style, accompanied by the rest of the cast and dressed as Fortunio Bonanova and the Glamouramas were in their glorious American years. Naturally, in such a diverse ensemble it is not easy to find the ideal point of homogeneity, but, even so, the performance treasures enough uniformity, both in the different stories and in the interpretation of the seven protagonists, who in such a marathon performance become an immense crowd of characters, always dressed very differently. Only a small caveat, the wigs are not very necessary. With the different changes of register, which are there, it is enough.

The imposing cloister of Sant Bonaventura hosted the Ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes, organized by the Toni Catany Foundation, who, as the program states, was a lover of the cultures of the Mediterranean, which he traveled and of which he left artistic testimony in countless photographic series. It is not a spectacle, it isa whole liturgical experience, as Halil Bárcena, the director of the Institute of Sufi Studies of Barcelona, explained very well shortly before initiating this Sêma: The Sufi Journey, performed by the Neva Sufi Ensemble. A group composed, on the one hand, by four musicians with their traditional instruments, the ney, the qanun, the ud, and the bendir —more or less, a flute, a trapezoidal zither, an Arabic lute, and a drum— also responsible for voicing the selam, the greeting in Turkish. On the other hand, the semazens, dancing dervishes, another four, who repeat the turns, always from left to right, with their right hand turned towards the sky and the left towards the ground, the way to establish a link between the soul and the body, between the divine and the human.Robert Graves said in the preface toThe Sufis, by the foundational thinker Idries Shah, that “Sufism represented a current of inner illumination centered on love and self-knowledge, free from oppressive dogmas”. All this was evident in this representation of the music and dances of the classical Mevlevi Sufi tradition. The venue, full; the silence, absolute, reverential. As if it were a service with all its mystical weight. The ascetic movements of the dervishes were responsible for marking the spiritual idiosyncrasy of the performance, while at the same time exhibiting a cadence that was both aesthetic and sober and cenobitic.The music, emotional and profound, with the traditional melodic phrases of the maqamat, which, as the voices chanted the names of the prophets, brought to the performance the pure and transcendent alloy between one and another. It was the feeling that it was all much more than our senses could grasp at first instance. It was a fitting and emotional tribute, but also an open door to another way of seeing and living.

The challenge was very risky. The liaison between the Principal Theatre of Inca and the Orquestra de Cambra de Mallorca is yielding increasingly tasty fruits. That said, it is worth praising this latest achievement, which surely will not be the last, nor by a long shot, such as the complete staging of Mozart's Così fan tutte, with only small and not at all significant plot cuts which, on the other hand, have managed to give great fluidity to the narrative and make everything flow with maximum naturalness for a story that, like almost all farcical comedies, does not aim for any semblance or credibility. The intention lies in the background of the plot, which, in this case, is well-filled with readings. So much so that Miquel Àngel Raió, the artistic director of this success, has changed the discourse as much as possible, saving a bit of what "all" do. It was not easy to win a tug-of-war against Lorenzo da Ponte. We'll leave it at that. Raió, where he has undoubtedly been fundamental has been in the staging and everything related to the setting –appropriate, simple, and efficient–, in the very careful direction of actors and all other elements that, with the scenographic and stylistic collaboration of Adema, make everything run smoothly without hitches or delays. He even derives plot benefit from the incorporation of the three dancers.

Taking the classics and from here telling what you want to tell has been the plot gimmick with which Miquel Mas Fiol has put together this 'Millennial' Condition Trilogy. The author and director has not held back. The first victim was Voltaire; the second, Goethe, and the third, Victor Hugo. Candide or Optimism, The Sorrowsof Young Werther and this last one, Les Misérables, have been the MacGuffin for the author to launch his discourse, based on having a good time without leaving a single head on anyone's shoulders. Not a single cane standing, without exceptions. The first, his own, from before the show began, with two of the protagonists launching invectives against the author. From abuser to exploiter... while people entered the venue. This is his license, the safe-conduct that allows him to beat mercilessly, right and left, outside red lines.

Ninth concert of the season for the Illes Balears Symphony Orchestra at the Auditorium of Ciutat, which began with the peculiar Concert for Birds and Orchestra, by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, under the direction of a conductor of enormous presence in every sense, the Norwegian Rune Bergmann. He was undoubtedly the one who turned the concert into a spectacle of dimensions that corresponded to his own. Just after the ornithological composition, the first major highlight of the program arrived, with pianist Olga Kern as the great protagonist, to perform the Piano and Orchestra Concerto in A minor op. 54, by Robert Schumann. The first movement began, with a very solid, somewhat rocky style, and a very firm pulse, from the decisive entry of the piano, with a martial and powerful succession of descending chords, to reach the polyhedral cadence of the finale, from where the coloratura of the composition increased, with as much precision as elegance. Her performance was raising the level and delicacy, as for example, with the Andantino grazioso, a delightful dialogue between the orchestra and the piano that, little by little, turned into a tender and subtle monologue of the solo instrument. Kern made clear her mastery and ability to suggest all this series of variations and styles that Schumann incorporated into the score, in a very novel way for its time. The soloist, once again, resumed the energetic tone of the beginning, in an impetuous third movement, when, all of a sudden, she established a delightful new dialogue, this time with the oboe, as a prelude to the exceptional final coda that can only be described as exceptional and which served the protagonist to receive the enthusiastic applause of the audience. As it should be and as everyone expected, there was an encore, first a Prelude, by Claude Debussy, which never disappoints or leaves one indifferent. Impeccable. And in response to the plea in the form of an ovation, another little gem, by Nikolai Myaskovsky, a piano arrangement by Joseph Horovitz.

Ninth concert of the season for the Orquestra Simfònica Illes Balears at the Auditorium de Ciutat, which began with the peculiar , by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, under the baton of a conductor of enormous presence in every sense, the Norwegian Rune Bergmann. He was, without a doubt, the one who turned the concert into a spectacle of dimensions that correspond to his own. Immediately after the ornithological composition came the first main course of the program, with pianist Olga Kern as the great protagonist, to perform the Piano Concerto in A minor op. 54, by Robert Schumann. He began the first movement, with a very solid, somewhat rocky style, and a very firm pulse, from the decisive entry of the piano, with a martial and powerful succession of descending chords, until reaching the polyhedral cadence of the finale, from where the composition's coloratura increased, with as much precision as elegance. Her interpretation was raising the level and delicacy, as for example, with the Andantino grazioso, a fun dialogue between the orchestra and the piano that, little by little, turns into a tender and subtle monologue of the solo instrument. Kern made her mastery and ability to suggest all this series of variations and styles that Schumann incorporated into the score, in a very novel way at the time, clear. The soloist, once again, resumed the energetic tone of the beginning, in an impetuous third movement, when, suddenly, she established a delightful new dialogue, this time with the oboe, as an announcement of the exceptional final coda that can only be described as exceptional and which served the protagonist to receive the enthusiastic applause of the audience. As it should have been and as everyone expected, there was an encore, first a Prelude, by Claude Debussy, which never disappoints or leaves one indifferent. Impeccable. And before the ovation-like plea, another little gem, by Nikolai Myaskovsky, a piano arrangement by Joseph Horovitz.

Promoted by Celestí Alomar, Minister of Tourism of the first Pacte de Progrés (1999-2003), a tax on tourist stays, immediately known as the ‘ecotax’, was approved on April 10, 2001, twenty-five years ago. It levied, approximately one euro per night, the stay of tourists. With the revenue, some negative externalities of mass tourism in the Balearic Islands were to be corrected. It did not come into effect until May 2002 due to an appeal to the Constitutional Court, filed by the Aznar government. When the People's Party won the following elections in 2003, it repealed the tax, considering it a brake on tourist competitiveness. Those who defended the repeal of the tax said that it could not be classified as ecological or environmental, and that it was not even a tax, arguing: “It was nothing more than a symbol of a policy of negative messages towards what tourism represented”. And they related the application of the ecotax to the decrease in tourist arrivals and the problems the hotel sector had experienced. The Government of Jaume Matas wanted to replace it with so-called green cards or ‘sustainable’ foundations that only collected a pittance.

The question in the headline has no answer, but Verdi's biographer, Julian Budden, stated that it was in the Requiem that he showed the greatest concentration of his genius. Among so many requiems that inhabit the universe of music, it is not very difficult to think, with many elements of judgment, that this one we are discussing is the most complex, monumental, and anthological of all of them. It was not a genre that Giuseppe Verdi had cultivated much. It was his participation, with a Libera me Domine, which, along with twelve other composers, they dedicated to Gioachino Rossini, the "swan of Pesaro." A piece that was not even premiered when its first performance was planned, the commemoration of the first anniversary of the death of the person to whom it was dedicated. Verdi rescued it when he decided to dedicate his to Alessandro Manzoni. Thus began the history of this colossal musical skyscraper, which we enjoyed as the sixth concert of the season by the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, along with the UIB choir, conducted by Núria Cunillera, Mira Alkhovix, soprano; Sílvia Tro Santafé, mezzosoprano; Antoni Lliteres, tenor, and Simón Orfila, bass. Pablo Mielgo conducted the event.

A concert for those who cultivate a love for music. Perhaps for that reason, and because there were many children, students from the Conservatory, the Auditorium on the Passeig Marítim had a delightful atmosphere. The program was enticing, enticing from beginning to end. It began with theOpening No. 3, of Leonora, which Beethoven considered too important and imposing to lose relevance as the beginning of an opera, the only one he composed, Fideliowhich should first be said as the piece in question. And so, imposing, with lime and corresponding, sounded the prologue to the seventh concert of the season of the Illes Balears Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pablo Mielgo. A majestic presentation, I would even say with a special demeanor on the part of the conductor and the sixty musicians who accompanied him on this very special evening when interpreting such a precise musical synopsis of what would be the only operatic composition by the genius of Bonn. It was clear that there was a desire to please a little more than usual and they made that clear from the first bars.

Return to the Gran Teatre del Liceu Manon Lescaut, by Puccini, and it does so with a truly unbeatable headliner: the splendid Asmik Grigorian, whose production is directed by Àlex Ollé and conducted from the pit by Josep Pons. This is the second musical version of Antoine François Prévost's novel, which was originally titled The story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut, The maestro from Lucca achieved his first major public success. A success that the Ricordi management, apart from his boss and the boss, weren't entirely convinced about, since it was the same story that Jules Massenet had staged ten years earlier with considerable acclaim. Although there are still those who say that Manon There's only one, and they're not referring to the one we're discussing; undoubtedly, this one has already earned its place among those that haven't been left out of the major circuits. Manon The Grigorian chant is an added value, both in terms of the dramatic aspect, which is essential in this case, and the vocal aspect, with an excellent, flawless performance.

Ibiza has two operating commercial cinemas: the family-owned Regio cinema in San Antonio de Portmany, and the one known as the 'multicines' in Vila, owned by Aficine, the largest and practically only cinema exhibitor in the Balearic Islands. It's a meager showing, in line with the reduction in screens and seating capacities that has been occurring in Spain for years. Both companies are struggling to withstand the current mediocrity of Hollywood and the pressure from platforms like Netflix. On the other hand, if you start counting film festivals, you'd think Ibizans were true cinephiles: Ibicine, Ibizacinefest, Ibiza Halloween Festival, Festival Dolor de Cabeza (Headache Festival), Muestra de cortos de las fiestas de San Bartolomé (Short Film Showcase of the San Bartolomé Festival)... not to mention other festivals originating outside the island, such as MECAL Air Ib MECAL.

There are two eternal things in the world: Rome and the Ibiza bus stop. The decision to build a bus stop in Dalt Vila was announced in 2004, the first stone was laid in 2008, work was halted in 2012 because archaeological remains were found – how? In Dalt Vila? Unbelievable! – the project was redone and resumed in 2019, and finally – 22 years and 47 million euros later – it will be inaugurated on Monday, February 23, 2026.