Grec ´08 in Barcelona
Barcelona Aparments: Dance, Music, Theatre, and Circus during Grec ´08 in Barcelona
Summer is back in Barcelona and so it is Grec ´08. The Barcelona Festival will run from June 25th through August 2nd. Here are my recommendations:
Theatre
Historia del Soldat
Significantly, a fable has been chosen to open the 2008 Grec Festival: a contemporary reworking of Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale. This special inaugural production of the 20th-century musical theatre classic is directed by Nigel Lowery and Amir Hosseinpour, guaranteeing a subtly ironic, powerful and highly visual spectacle. Actor and singer Mísia plays the narrator, our beloved, many-talented Pavlovsky is the soldier, and Marilu Marini, a leading voice in the Parisian theatre, appears as the Devil. Musical accompaniment will be provided by a well-known contemporary music ensemble: Barcelona 216. Stravinsky wrote his Soldier’s Tale in exile, in the company of his friend and neighbour Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz. Due to the difficult times in which he composed the work (it was first performed in 1918), the piece is austere in its use of resources. Nonetheless, Stravinsky masterfully constructs the simple story of a soldier who sells his soul to the Devil, in the shape of his fiddle
El Ángel Exterminador
After a night at the opera, a group of wealthy aristocrats meets for dinner. As the evening draws to a close, none of the guests are able to leave the dining room. There is no reason for this; they simply find themselves trapped. The days wear on, and etiquette is gradually forgotten. Food becomes short, and the filth begins to pile up. Conflicts begin to appear amongst the trapped partygoers. According to Julie Sermon, who adapted the work for the stage, The Exterminating Angel explores the limits to freedom, how we negotiate with others and how we face adversity. Another way of illustrating Sartre’s famous adage that “Hell is other people.” Surrealism and existentialism, two crucial forces behind 20th- century thought that Joan Ollé updates and reinterprets for today’s audiences
Andrómaca
This version of Andromache is not merely an adaptation of Euripides’ play; the production focuses, above all, on the conflict that has raged for centuries between the two sides of the Mediterranean. Whilst in the classical tragedy the warring factions are Greece and Troy, in this version the conflict is between East and West, Europe and Islam, us and them. The young French director Jean-Christophe Saïs turns his creative genius on the interplay between attraction and rejection, fascination and incomprehension in a production of Andromache that brings the myth up to date, accentuating differences and emphasising conflicts in order to seek ways of overcoming them. In a cast led by the actress Hala Omran, the Greeks speak in French and the Trojans in Arabic
Las Troyanas
The vanquisher will have no mercy on the vanquished. There will be no pity for the children of the survivors, nor respect for the fallen gods. The Trojan Women takes us to the last day of Troy, a defeated city, and tells the story of its women, condemned to fall into the arms of the victorious generals. Mario Gas directs this adaptation of a work in which women are the leading characters: Andromache, Hector’s widow; Hecuba, deposed queen of Troy; Cassandra, whose prophecies are ignored; Helen, over whom the war was fought…
Music
Buika - Niña de Fuego
Born in Palma de Mallorca in 1972, Buika’s career to date has been eclectic and multi-faceted. Recognition came with her second album, Mi niña Lola (2006), since when Concha Buika has travelled all over the world, earning countless accolades. She recently released Niña de fuego. No doubt about it, a star is born: “An artist is not someone who sings or paints, but someone who makes their life an art”, she says. Drinking from the wells of flamenco and jazz, Buika infuses these sounds into her own coplas and rancheras, her unique singing style breathing new life into classic numbers. Not only that, but she also sings self-penned lyrics, as well as interpreting songs written for her by the likes of David Trueba and Javier Limón.
Summer Nights at Caixaforumn
Triada
Using extraordinary, age-old techniques, the Bulgarian voices of Tríada are capable of generating the most unusual and surprising vocal tones. An ancient tradition, conserved and passed down by women for generation after generation.
Sitjazz Band
Founded in 2000 by a group of young musicians in Sitges, the Sitjazz Band revives the spirit of Dixieland jazz in turn-of-the-century New Orleans, where music was everywhere, part of all celebrations of everyday life.
Miguel Marín + Frozen Radio
Session combining electronic and traditional Chinese music, using computers and small Chinese electronic instruments such as the FM3.
Binomis
A two-fold event featuring Balago, collectors of dark, desolate atmospheres woven into electronic and acoustic sound landscapes, and the group Erre que Erre, who create and experiment with new forms and ideas about movement and dance.
Asikides
Asikides is the name given to travelling musicians in Greece. Asíkides blend European, Arabic, Balkan and Turkish influences together to create their spontaneous, natural sound.
Divine Gospel Reunion
Three exceptional soloists finally come together onstage. In a unique show, full of power and energy, their voices share all the spiritual emotion and love that the most authentic gospel music inspires.
Dance
Mujeres
Merche Esmeralda, Belén Maya, Rocío Molina and Diana Navarro
In Mujeres, the three women are Merche Esmeralda, Belén Maya and Rocío Molina. Merche Esmeralda is practically an institution in the world of flamenco. Belén Maya, an artist capable of fusing the finest flamenco sounds with her classical, jazz and contemporary music origins, made her debut at the Grec in 1997, accompanying Mayte Martín. The youngest of the three is Rocío Molina (Málaga, 1984), whose mixture of innocence and passion has won generous praise at festivals all over. The voice of Diana Navarro rounds off a show that has been acclaimed in New York, Miami and London. Now it’s Barcelona’s turn.
Sutra
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley, Szymon Brzóska and the monks from the Shaolin Temple
The sutras are teachings pronounced by the Buddha. By extension, the word is also used to describe the aphorisms and rules that govern our lives. Acclaimed choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui takes up the challenge of revealing the spiritual nature behind the millenary Kung-Fu tradition. Dwelling for a time amongst the monks at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng enabled Cherkaoui to delve into the context that surrounds this martial art and to discover the philosophy behind it. The sculptor Antony Gormley designed the constructed environment in which the monks perform, whilst Szymon Brzóska composed various musical pieces inspired by the ambience at the temple. This is a journey, not into the past, but into the spirit, in which the distances between East and West are not as great as we might imagine.
The circus and more …
Nit de Circ
The excellent response to the first Circus Night last year was an invitation to repeat the experience. Once again, then, the magic of the circus calls you to Montjuïc. The evening will begin informally, in the Teatre Grec gardens, which will be converted into an open- air big top with music, tightrope walkers, jugglers… and many more surprises. Later, the show will move to the main venue, where the Taoub group will take the stage to perform a fusion of spectacular traditional Moroccan acrobatics and contemporary circus
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