Indonesia rewards Basque choral music
Más sobre:
31 hours of travelling from Errenteria to Bali (Indonesia), compared to 18 minutes and 18 seconds of music: that was the challenge successfully overcome by Landarbaso Abesbatza on Tuesday. The Basque choir, conducted by Iñaki Tolaretxipi, won the 2nd Asia Choral Grand Prix and thus became the first Basque and Spanish choir to win a choral Grand Prix, and the first European choir to win this competition in Asia.
The competition was held at the Giri Nata Mandala in Bali, a huge auditorium that opened in 2019 and has difficult acoustics for choral singing. Due to the large size of the stage, one of the biggest difficulties was for the music to reach the audience and, in particular, the international jury. The power and quality of the choir were undoubtedly decisive factors in the victory of the Coroerrenteriarra.
Five other groups took part in the competition, all of them winners of the most important competitions on the Asian circuit. Curiously, Landarbaso Abesbatza has coincided in two works, 'Lay a Garland' by the English Robert Pearsal and 'Atsalums' by the Latvian Jekabs Jancevskis, with the choirs Far Eastern University Choralede Philippines and PSM Swara Wadhana UNY from Indonesia. Although comparisons can be odious, on this occasion they were in favour of the Tolaretxipi choir.
The awards ceremony was held at the paradisiacal Kartika Plaza Hotel, in a gala that served both as the closing ceremony for the 2nd Asia Grand Prix and the opening of the 12th Bali Choral International Festival. Landarbaso Abesbatza will participate in this competition in the categories of mixed choirs, folklore and sacred music. We hope to be able to communicate more good news soon.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
We have the best quality tourism content and we deliver it to your inbox every fortnight.
Te va a encantar
Pipper, the tourist dog, shows the dog-friendly destinations in the Basque Country
The Basque Government’s Department of Tourism has launched its guide “Donostia with a dog” which, in a comic format, narrates the adventures that Pipper lives in San Sebastian and shows the resources that admit pets in the city, informing about the rights and obligations of travellers and their animals.
Rainy weather plans in Gipuzkoa
And now… What do we do? First, don’t despair. That fine rain (xirimiri) is part of Gipuzkoa’s DNA, just like a brief summer storm or a galerna. If you come to Gipuzkoa and don’t get wet, you haven’t been here at all. We suggest plans for these days.
What type of board do we choose this winter?
This year, it’s clear, we’re going to practise this winter sport to savour the delights of skiing while enjoying the beautiful snow-covered mountains. But which discipline to choose and in which Pyrenean resort? By Chloé Delanoue for Côte Basque Madame.
“To be an illustrator is to be an artist who illuminates ideas”
Mikel Casal, illustrator of books, press articles, cartoons, posters… refers to himself as an eclectic illustrator. We can find Mikel’s prints in an Art-Shop in the Old Part of Donostia San Sebastian (Lance&Malone) and, moreover, he has just published the book ‘Hector o el lado optimista de la vida’. He has granted us an exclusive interview.