The 29th Festival de Música Antiga de Palma will commence this Thursday with a concert by Pérgamo Ensemble, which will present a total of five concerts across various religious venues in the city until the end of November.
The festival will conclude on 28 November at the iconic Cathedral of La Seu, featuring performances by Capella de La Seu and Joch de Ministrils. The opening concert, titled 'The Art of Playing', will take place at 20:00 in the military church of Santa Margarita, where the festival was officially announced.
Key figures present at the announcement included Rafel Brunet, the director general of Music and Performing Arts; Pere Oliver, the prefect of Liturgy and Music at the Cathedral; and Joan Company, the director of Capella de La Seu.
'The Art of Playing' aims to highlight the legacy of composers known for their mastery in musical interpretation, featuring works by Diego Ortiz, Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde, Francesco Supriani, Giacomo Facco, Antoni Martín i Coll, José de Zayas, and Francesco Geminiani, all of whom were active between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Upcoming concerts
The festival will continue on 12 November at 20:30 at the church of Nostra Senyora de la Mercè, with a performance titled 'Ad Lucem. A sound dialogue between tradition and novelty', featuring Hugo Bolívar (countertenor) and Belisana Ruiz (viola da mano and theorbo). This concert will explore the transformation of music in Europe from the late 16th to the early 17th century, marking the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period.
On 19 November, also at 20:30, the local group Ensemble Tramuntana will present 'Sons de l’univers: del caos a la passió', a sonic journey through the boldness of the Baroque, the brilliance of young talent, the timeless serenity of Bach, and the dramatic intensity of Classicism, featuring pieces by Jean Féry-Rebel, Bach, and Luigi Boccherini.
The concert scheduled for 26 November at 20:00 in the church of Sant Felip Neri, organised in collaboration with the Fryderyk Chopin National Institute, will showcase the talents of young Polish harpsichordist Maciej Skzeczkowski.
The festival will culminate on 28 November at 20:00 in the Cathedral with a performance titled 'Actes extraordinaris', featuring Capella de La Seu and Joch de Ministrils from the Consell de Mallorca. This concert will be divided into three parts, showcasing the exceptional quality of two ensembles that have significantly influenced the evolution of musical art in Mallorca.
