Subject of course to possible Covid disruption, the Kings parades are due to be taking place all over the island, the largest obviously being Palma’s. Some other Kings arrive, like in Palma, by boat, such as in Puerto Alcudia and Puerto Soller.
Some background - Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar are not named in the Bible. They acquired their names through legend and handed-down traditions. As for coming from the east, we really only have the Gospel of Matthew’s word for it.
In terms of recent tradition, the Kings parade is 150 or so years old. The first, it is said, was in 1866 in Alcoy in the Alicante province of Valencia. An alternative explanation is that it was the Spanish government who decided there should be parades - in 1885. Where Palma is concerned, it would appear that the first parades were in the 1920s.
Wednesday, from 6pm in Palma; times vary elsewhere.
A Christmas Classic
The Alabama Gospel Choir has become something of a Christmas “classic”, regularly coming to Spain and to Mallorca at this time of the year.
The choir consists of twenty artists who capture the history of Gospel through a journey to the roots of this music in spirituals of the nineteenth century and to protest songs and marches for freedom. The choir has been touring the US and Europe for many years as ambassadors for gospel music.
The repertoire includes ‘Oh Happy Day’ and the likes of ‘When the Saints Go Marching On’. Vitality and spirituality combine with funk and blues, and the choir’s songs convey messages of peace and solidarity, very much in keeping with the sentiments of the season.
The theatre company Taula Rodona has been staging ‘L’Adoració dels Tres Reis d’Orient’ (the Adoration of the Three Kings) in Palma since 1985. Based on a work by the Binissalem-born author, Llorenç Moyà (whose ‘Via Crucis’ is the inspiration for the Good Friday performance of this on the Cathedral steps), the adaptation has satirical elements. These are adapted to issues of the time and to those taking part in the production. They are all amateurs, drawn from various spheres of Majorcan life, including politics.
As a result, this year’s Caspar is the Council of Majorca’s councillor for tourism, Andreu Serra. Among others taking part are Gabriel Fiol and Carme Garí, who make up the duo Voicello, and their daughter Lida, who is the baby Jesus.
Thursday, 11.30am, Ses Voltes (by the Cathedral), Palma.
The Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna was founded in 1978. Since then, it has established itself as a leading orchestra that interprets Viennese music all over the world.
Consisting of members of large Viennese orchestras, the SFO has, since the start of the century, been performing New Year concerts in the Great Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus. These concerts are followed by a tour, the SFO having previously performed in Palma.
There are two conductors, both violinists, Willy Büchler and Peter Guth. It was the latter who founded the SFO, and he has been associated with numerous other top orchestras, such as London’s Royal Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony. Willy Büchler founded the highly regarded EOS Quartett in 1992 with colleagues from the Wiener Symphoniker.
In Palma, there are two concerts. The first is a tribute to two of the greats of cinema music - John Williams (’Star Wars’, for example) and Hans Zimmer (’The Lion King’, among others). The second takes you to the concert halls of Vienna and to the classical world of the waltz.
Saturday, 5.30pm and 9pm, Palma Auditorium, Paseo Marítimo 18, Palma.
A Blues-Rock Power Trio
Big Yuyu have been around since 2006. A three-piece blues-rock power trio, there are few frills to Big Yuyu. Much of their sound is true to that which first really broke out in the 1960s thanks to the likes of Eric Clapton and John Mayall, and they have been paying their dues over the years, playing clubs and festivals on the island and mainland as well as in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
Their fifth studio work, ‘Down South City’, has recently been released. For this, the band had the production help of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, who is a current member of the American rock band The Black Crowes. Many of their latest songs were inspired by their time on the road, and they do mark a development in terms of sound and composition.
They are Jordi Alvarez (guitar and vocals), Juan Amaro (bass), and Esteve Huguet (drums).
Friday, 9pm, Teatre Municipal de Petra Es Quarter, C. Sol 5, Petra.
A tribute at the theatre
The Teatre Principal in Inca, closed for years, abandoned and left to rot, is making up for lost time since its almost total restoration and recent reopening.
There is a connection between Inca and Palma Auditorium, and this is through the person who was responsible for the auditorium having been built - Marc Ferragut Fluxà, who was born in Inca in 1901. The auditorium opened in 1969; Marc Ferragut died in 1981. The Teatre Principal is therefore the venue for his official proclamation as an illustrious son of Inca. The tribute will feature a documentary and the Orfeó l’Harpa d’Inca choir.
Following this, the Balearic Symphony Orchestra will be performing a special concert of two works - ‘Ritual de pagesia’ by the Mallorcan composer Baltasar Samper and Haydn’s Symphony No. 101, ‘The Clock’.
Sunday, 6.15pm, Teatre Principal, C. Teatre 10, Inca.
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