Queen Forever coming to Palma
Tolo Sanders, Adrián Pujadas, Juanjo Amengual, Haritz Caperochipi. They are, in order, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor - Queen Forever. Also referred to as Queen Tribute Spain, it is said of them that they are Spain’s best lookalike and soundalike of the original and legendary Queen. Perfectly embodying the spirit, appearance and live representation of Queen, this includes the same iconic Brian May guitar for the stunning solos and the same stage antics and vocal capabilities of Freddie Mercury.
They started touring their ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ show in 2019, taking in European as well as Spanish cities. Disrupted by Covid, the tour has continued and is now in Palma. Two hours of all the hits.
Friday, 9.30pm, Palma Auditorium, Paseo Marítimo 18, Palma.
From Barcelona, tenor Josep Bros made his debut aged 21 as soloist in Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ in Palma in 1987. His breakthrough came in 1992. At the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, he was given twelve-hours notice to substitute Mexican tenor Fernando de la Mora, who had been taken ill. It was the opening night of Donizetti’s ‘Anna Bolena’. His performance received high praise and an international career now beckoned.
He has since made several full-length opera recordings, including Donizetti’s ‘Roberto Devereux’ with the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Considered to be one of the world’s leading romantic belcanto tenors of recent years, he is the Balearic Symphony Orchestra’s invited soloist for a gala programme of nineteen songs from the likes of Charles Chaplin (’Eternally’), Spain’s Pablo Luna and Mexico’s Agustin Lara - “a vocal journey through zarzuela, song and musical”.
Thursday, 8pm, Palma Auditorium, Paseo Marítimo 18, Palma.
Friday, 7.30pm, Manacor Auditorium, Passeig Ferrocarril, Manacor.
An electic combination
‘Desirée Durán is a Mallorcan singer and composer whose career has seen her as part of the Madrid music scene as well as that of Majorca, where she has been part of notable acts such as Ses Bubotes, a one-time favourite of the fiestas’ scene in particular.
She crosses over various genres - soul, blues, rock and pop - and this eclectic combination is appropriate for the CaixaForum, which has a strong reputation for showcasing innovative performers from all kinds of musical background; some of them defy obvious categorisation.
Wojtek Sobolewski (bass, double bass and guitar) is perhaps best known in Majorca for jazz, as is guitarist Tolo Servera. Desirée Durán has teamed up with these two musicians for a concert that will highlight her compositions.
Thursday, 7pm, CaixaForum, Plaça Weyler 3, Palma.
Puerto Portals Christmas Market
The Puerto Portals Christmas Market is one of Mallorca’s most popular. Inspired by the Christmas markets of central Europe, there are some forty wooden stalls with garlands of lights and fir trees. On offer is a whole range of quality products - gifts, Christmas decorations and much more, including first-class food that is traditional for the time of the year.
From Thursday to January 6, Puerto Portals.
The Week of Popular and Traditional Culture
Save for one remaining concert for Christmas, the Palma Folk season comes to an end for 2021 with a rearranged, ten-hour day of folk dance and music that was originally scheduled for early November as part of the Week of Popular and Traditional Culture.
The line-up of acts are among the best known in Mallorca - Grup Es Raiguer, Roada, Terra Rotja, Sonadors Sonats, Esclafits i Castanyetes, Ballugall, Es Revetlers, Es Gall de sa Pastera. Over two sessions, they offer the perfect opportunity to enjoy island folk acts on the one line-up. Arguably the best known are Ballugall. From Pollensa, they formed in 2011. An eight-piece, they combine traditional instruments, such as the lute, with the contemporary - bass guitar.
Festival Antoni Lliteres - Recital
Antoni Lliteres was a composer of zarzuelas who was born in 1673 and died in 1747. He was also the Master of the Capilla Real in Madrid. An important figure, therefore, and an important person in the history of Arta. He was born there, and i his honour there is an annual Antoni Lliteres International Festival of Music. This is now in its 33rd edition.
Antoni Lliteres is also from Arta. A tenor, he has become increasingly well known throughout Spain. He was a soloist at Palma’s Teatre Principal and in 2019 was the first Majorcan to debut at the Teatro de La Zarzuela in Madrid in a leading role. It’s possible that some will remember that during lockdown he used to sing from his balcony in Palma, one of those selfless acts of the confinement to keep up people’s spirits.
At the festival which bears the same name as his, he will be performing with Marta Bauzà (soprano) and Andreu Riera (piano).
Saturday, 7pm, Arta Theatre, C. Ciutat 1, Arta.
Sunday, 11.30am / 4pm, Ses Voltes, Passeig Dalt Murada, Palma.
Angelic Voices
Christmas concerts are now coming thick and fast. There are few venues more suited to a Christmas concert than the Cathedral. A special occasion as always, the traditional concert features the Cathedral’s Escolania dels Vermells children’s choir and the choirs of the San José Obrero and Corpus Christi schools..
Angelic voices will herald the good news of Christmas.
Monday, 7pm, Palma Cathedral.