Culture and Historical heritage

Xico Castelló presents “Parlem de falutxos, balandres i pailebots”

Thursday, 27 May 2021 11:41

cartell 2021 xico castello Thursday 3 June, Formentera will welcome Xico Castelló Ribas for an 8.00pm presentation of Parlem de falutxos, balandres i pailebots–Un petit repàs d’una època no massa llunyana (Feluccas, sloops and sailboats–A short survey of a scarcely distant past; Mediterrànea). The presentation will be moderated by local heritage chief Raquel Guasch and attended by the author, publisher Miquel Costa and Marcos Marí, from Trasmapi. The event will be held at the restaurant La Bocana in the Port of La Savina.

In Parlem de falutxos..., Xico Castelló, a skipper for the Merchant Navy and captain of high-speed vessels on the Eivissa-Formentera line, offers a partial survey of the maritime history of the Pine Islands, including brief descriptions and personal drawings of varying types of boats that sailed the waters of Eivissa and Formentera from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century.

27 May 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

‘Palma Brass’ quintet plays Formentera

Wednesday, 26 May 2021 11:05

cartell 2021 palma brass The Formentera Department of Culture is pleased to report that from 8.00pm on Friday 4 June, Sant Francesc’s sa Senieta will welcome a performance from “Palma Brass” — an ensemble of seasoned professional brass musicians from the Balearic Symphonic Orchestra and the city of Palma’s municipal band that set about, in 2018, filling what they saw as a void in the musical scene.

Organisers say Palma Brass concerts span originals and new arrangements of the better-known entries in the classical and modern repertories. No reservations are required and admission is free. Capacity will be limited.

With their latest project, “Musical Journey from the Old World to the New”, the group underscore the versatility of the brass quintet format as they tackle classics from three of Italian music’s leading lights: Verdi, Puccini and Rossini. In “New World”, listeners are plunged into the stark contrast of the Wild West with a fanfare for brass by the American great, Eric Ewazen. The group bids farewell to the courtyard crowd at sa Senieta with a tribute to one of contemporary Latin music’s most celebrated figures. The group tackle plethoric Latin rhythms and Cuban jazz in what is perhaps the toughest four-piece adaptation of Grammy Award-winning Cuban composer Paquito de Rivera.

Palma Brass is Samuel García and Jaume Blázquez on trumpets, José Fortea on horn, Jean Christoph Brunet on trombone and Tobias Isern on tuba.

26 May 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

Formentera Film wraps 5 days of all-ages screenings

Monday, 17 May 2021 13:12

foto 2021 FF E After five days of festivities and three nights of official selections screened at Sant Francesc’s Plaça de la Constitució, islanders have bid farewell to the latest edition of Formentera Film. The festival featured 22 international entries (two from Balears) spanning fiction, documentary film and animation, before culminating with a ceremony and awards gala on Saturday 15 May to honour multiple winners. On the jury of four women and one man were Spanish and international filmmakers Àngela Bosch, Vicka Duran, Irene Moray, Cris Wiegandt and Carlos Bover.

Awards
Alexandre Siqueira's Purpleboy won Jury Selection for Best Short Film.
Thomas Woodroffe's Fiebre Austral and Álvaro Carmona's El Tratamiento won Special Jury Mention.
Carmen Córdoba González's Roberto won Youth Jury Award for Best Short Film.
Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe's Lost & Found won the Children’s Selection for Best Short Film.
Miguel Parra's (A)NORMAL won Audience Pick for Best Short Film. Parra attended the FF gala.
Bruno Collet's Memorable won Audience Pick for Best Animation.

FF prizes were crafted by artists Lorenzo Pepe, Simona Colzi, Andrés Rodríguez, Raquel Caramazana Bocanegra, Sol Courrèges Boné, Enric Majoral and Fran Lucas.

Organisers opted for an entirely in-person format even, as FF director Monica Timperi pointed out, “in times as tricky as these, when most other festivals have gone online”. But nightly screenings at the Sala de Cultura—Cinema never failed to draw enthusiastic, maximum-capacity crowds.

Child- and teen-friendly features ensured younger audiences enjoyed a place at the festival too — as did pleasant weather. The result? “Guests, filmmakers, the jury and the festival team were able to enjoy the complete artistic experience”, beamed Timpieri, noting that efforts were already under way to get the 2023 Formentera Film up and running.

17 May 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

Sant Ferran hosts Mostra de Músics last weekend in May

Thursday, 20 May 2021 10:12

cartell 2021 mostra musics The Department of Culture reports that from 6.00pm on Saturday and Sunday, 29 and 30 May, local musicians will take to the steps of the Sant Ferran church to offer Formentera’s very first Mostra de Músics.

The two-night programme starts Saturday with Pez Sonora + PerSona, Emi Bueno, Yakari & Marie Connery Quartet and DJ Gioele Brizio + DJ Clint Zero, closing Sunday with Óscar & Friends, Erik Doornweerd, Sur and Foc i Fum.

Culture chief Susana Labrador said the show, which was originally scheduled to take place in December, was presented by Formentera Musical, a cultural entity formed in 2020 with the aim of enriching the local music scene, protecting the role of artists and technicians and fostering inter-island cultural exchange. Labrador described the Consell’s backing for the initiative as the “latest example of local government’s longstanding support for homespun cultural initiatives” and “particularly relevant today given hard times brought on by the pandemic”.

Groups
Pez Sonora with PerSona
Singer-songwriter and multidisciplinary artist Paz Aguado will open the bill at 6.00pm, Saturday 29 May, with a unique combination of musical creation and visual arts. With Aguado’s guitar and voice and stage companions Juanjo Rodríguez (guitar, bass) and Dario Fusco (drums), Pez Sonora blend vital, intimate poetry and eclectic folk-rock, setting dot-connecting lyrics to magic that moves through the seasons of paradise.

Accompanying Pez Sonora is PerSona, a musical project enfolding the wide-ranging musical facets of multi-instrumentalist Paul Castejón. On his début studio effort, Castejón offers sounds oscillating between the organic and the eclectic, with an undercurrent of jazz, ethnic overtones and an ambient inebriation steeped in the exotic drone of progressive music. Incorporating instrumental pieces and songs in different languages which unravel the deep rhetoric of existence, PerSona represent the convergence of the philosophy of technological sound with the expression of mysticism.

Emi Bueno
Emi Bueno’s quartet leads listeners down a gurgling stream of Latin melodies with a subtlety and joy that will be well matched by local performers.

Yakari & Marie Connery Quartet
Greeting audiences from 8.00pm are Nuno Alvez on trumpet, Julien Cantonné on piano, Edgar Vilamajó on drums and Mariano Menteguiaga on bass. The band of hometown players got together last winter, intent on recreating the foundational moments of jazz-funk and resuscitating greats like Miles Davis, Billi Cobhan, Herbie Hancock. With a one-off lineup featuring Isaac Robles on electric guitar and the voice of Maya Porter to channel Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke, the group bring groove and raw talent to the people of Formentera.

DJ Gioele & DJ Clint Zero
Closing out the night on Saturday are DJ Gioele Brizio and DJ Clint Zero. A DJ since 1993, Gioele produced, together with Moba Sound, remixes for artists such as Milesart Orchestra (Look at you), Mystic Diversiones (Energy Production), Oscar P (Media Services Nyc), DNA (Cool: Division) and Dom Scott (Perception Music). Clint Zero is a New York City DJ based on Formentera, his style an eclectic blend.

Oscar & Friends
Opening duties on Sunday the 18th will be seen to by African percussion group Oscar & Friends.

Erik Doornweerd
Indonesian-born, Netherlands-raised and Formentera-based Erik Doornweerd will take the stage at 7.00pm. Doornweerd’s track record includes a gig aboard the legendary Joven Dolores and 25 years coordinating musicians, storytellers, jugglers, magicians, dancers and more for open-mic performances at the mercat in La Mola. On guitar, lap-slide, harmonicas and five-string banjo, Doornweerd will bring to life a repertoire of rock, folk, country and blues.

Sud
Next up it’s Formentera’s own “acoustic power” act, Sur. Dani Alcoba (vocals-guitar), Manu Velázquez (drums), Gustavo Moraes (lead guitar) and Maxi Ratton (bass) play a setlist of originals and covers.

Foc i Fum
Wrapping up the weekend are a rock ‘n’ roll outfit formed by Joan Garciolo Torres on bass, Fabian Mayans on drums, and Maya Porter and Isaac Robles on vocals.

20 May 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

Maribel Escandell’s “Atles Metafísic” opens Monday

Friday, 14 May 2021 09:32

cartell 2021 atles The Formentera Department of Culture reports that Monday 17 May marks the opening of Atles Metafísic. From the creative mind of Formentera’s own Maribel Escandell, the exhibition is a visual journey emanating from reflections on all that lies beyond our understanding and occupies the deepest layers of our existence. Escandell affirms the project was borne of the need to observe man’s relationship with the Universe.

The display comprises some twenty variously-sized pieces of acrylic on canvas. Language is an important part of the creative process of the artist, who also exhibits several poetic objects she considers conceptually essential.

Atles Metafísic can be seen at “Ajuntament Vell” exhibition space 11.00am to 2.00pm and 6.00pm to 8.00pm, Monday to Saturday (18-29 May 2021, Monday mornings closed). An opening will be held at 6.00pm on Monday 17 May.

14 May 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera