The Backpackers Hostel Blog

Sat 24 May

9pm at L’Auditori Hall 3 Tete Montoliu (Lepant 150)  15€  Buy tickets

After a 5-year silence in the recording world, Pep Poblet presents his most personal work, “3″, which he has composed with Xavi Ibáñez. This sax player will offer a dynamic, high-quality show in which he will also play tunes from his two previous records, Viatges and Blau. Together with his group he will be playing with a forcefulness worthy of the best live bands.

(Taken from www.osonatanga.com and www.auditori.org)

Fri 23 May

10pm at L’Auditori Hall 2 Oriol Martorell (Lepant 150)  20€  Buy tickets

In India, musical knowledge is transmitted from one generation to the next. The Ghosh family is one of the best-known lineages; as a result, it is not surprising that one of the best musicians of the last few years in India is Nayan Ghosh, a hindu maestro who has mastered two instruments to the point of perfection: the sitar and the tabla. The percussionist comes to Spain for the first time ever with his six year-old son, Ishaan, who is said to have learned to play the tabla before he learned to speak.

Performers

• Nayan Ghosh, sitar and tabla
• Jyoti Ghosh, sitar, vocals and tampura
• Karodilal Bhatt, tabla
• Ishaan Ghosh, tampura and tabla

(Taken from www.imsom.org and www.auditori.org)

Tue 20 May

9pm at L’Auditori Hall 2 Oriol Martorell (Lepant 150) 30 – 35€ Buy Tickets

Susheela combines the tradition of Hindu music with the modern currents of pop and funk. Born in London of Hindu parents. Feeling in its purest state, Susheela uses her strong voice and her mystical music to channel her personal experiences and move the audience.

(Taken from www.lillelanuit.com and www.auditori.org)

Fri 23 May

9pm at Sala Apolo (Nou de la Rambla, 113) 17 – 20€ Buy tickets

Floggin Molly is an Irish American celtic punk band that formed in Los Angeles, California that combines traditional Celtic instruments with some guitars and drums. It has seven members: Dave King – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán, banjo, spoons; Bridget Regan – fiddle, tin whistle, uillean pipes, vocals; Dennis Casey – guitar, vocals; Matt Hensley – accordion, concertina; Nathen Maxwell – bass guitar, vocals; Bob Schmidt – mandolin, banjo and George Schwindt – drums, percussion.

“If there were no violin, accordion or mandolin, this would be punk rock, and if there were no guitars, drums or bass, this would be traditional Irish music,” is how David King describes it. (Taken from http://students.ou.edu and www.wikipedia.org)

Wed 14 May

9pm at L’Auditori (Lepant, 150) 30 – 35€  Buy tickets

The Power of Compassion is a dramatic, entertaining and informative ninety-minute performance of the majestic masked dances and the sacred chant from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery – one of the most important of Tibet’s teaching monasteries. The monks, from their re-established monastery in exile in South India, present a taste of the culture of Tibet, and of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in particular.

“I fully understand the difficulties that the Tashi Lhunnpo Monastery monks in South India are going through.   Therefore I wish their performance every success and would welcome any assistance given to the Tashi Lhunpo in South India”   His Holiness the Dalai Lama

(Taken from www.tashi-lhunpo.org.uk)

Thu 26 Jun

10pm at Palau Sant Jordi (Paseig Olímpic, s/n) 35 – 44€ Buy tickets

Miguel Bosé is celebrating his 30 years as a singer, and in order to do so he released an album called “Papito” that contains remakes of his previous songs, re-interpreted in duets with Alejandro Sanz, Fangoria, Laura Pausini, Shakira, Julieta Venegas, Ricky Martin, Amaia Montero, and Michael Stipe from R.E.M., his niece Bimba Bosé, along with many other singers.

Three singles were released off “Papito”: the first is a re-make of his hit Nena, featuring Paulina Rubio; the second is the big success Si tú no vuelves (originally taken from his 1993 album “Bajo el signo de Caín”), this time sung with Shakira; the third is Morena mía, with Julieta Venegas. (Taken from www.musica.pro and www.wikipedia.org).

Until Sun 18 May

Mon – Sat 10am to 8pm. Sun 10am to 3pm at Casa Amatller (Pg Gràcia, 41) Free Admission

Through the photos of the Barcelona photojournalist Tomàs Abella, we can look at the problem of water, focussing particularly on Ethiopia. Abella illustrates the life of women in different African countries in their everyday search for water, dedicating between five to twelve hours a day.

Parallel activities at the exhibition aim to find solutions to this problem. (Taken from http://w3.bcn.es and www.comlogico.net)

Wed 7 – Sun 11 May

At Fira Barcelona (Av Reina Maria Cristina, 2) 12€ Free entrance for children under 6 Buy tickets

MOTOH! BCN 2008 -The Great Motorcycle Week is the biggest event in the motorcycling industry.

The Great Motorcycle Week is coming back to Barcelona for the second time, between 8 and 11 May 2008. This is the most important event in Spain for two-wheeled vehicles.

Bringing together the leading companies, offering the biggest product range and organizing spectacular activities, in an event that embraces the whole world of motorcycling.

The Spanish motorcycle market is the second largest in Europe. MotOh! BCN 2008 its the most outstanding commercial and promotional platform. (Taken from www.firabcn.es)

Sat 17th may

From 7pm to 1am Free admission

Each Year around the 18th May is the International Museum Day that has been celebrated all over the world since 1977. The spirit of the motto: « Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, co-operation and peace among peoples ».

For those who want to do something a little different on Sat 17th May, there is the possibility of visiting some of the museums at night, for the “Nit dels Museus”, an initiative brought by the French Ministry of Culture a couple of years ago.

Places you can visit free include the CosmoCaixa Science Centre, the recently opened Museum of Music, the Antoni Tàpies Foundation, the Botanic Garden, the Contemporaty Art Museum or the most visited museums in the city, such as the Picasso Museum.

It is also a good time to see some of the temporary exhibitions on at these museums and centres in the city. At the Maritime Museum in Barcelona you can join the crew on a 16th century galley, sailing at 10, 11 and midnight. Those on board will also be served a glass of cava.

The Joan Miró Foundation opens at 9 pm and at 1am presents La répétition, by Vaeceslav Druta. There is more modern art at the MACBA, which you can visit free from 8 pm to midnight.

The National Museum of Catalan Art also celebrates the Nit dels Museus, with free visits, from 7 pm to midnight. There will be guided visits, live jazz and a display full of light and colour at the magic fountain of Montjuïc (at 9 and 11pm).

The Catalan Museum of Archaeology is organising a theatre-style guided visit to the temporary exhibition “Reflexos d’Apollo”, at 10pm.

(Taken from http://bpl.blogger.com, http://icom.museum/imd.html & http://w3.bcn.es)

Wed 21 May

8pm at Sala Les Cotxeres, Palau Robert (Pg. de Gracia, 107) Donation 4€

Thomas Bloch is a prominent classical musician specializing in the rare instruments ondes Martenot, glass harmonica, and Cristal Baschet.

Receiving a a First Prize for ondes Martenot at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (with Jeanne Loriod) and a Masters Degree in Musicology at the University of Strasbourg, Bloch has performed over 2500 times and appeared on over eighty recordings. Notable collaborations (concerts or recordings) include Radiohead, John Cage, Damon Albarn / Gorillaz, and Tom Waits / Marianne Faithfull / Bob Wilson. (Taken from http://www.erpmusic.com and www.wikipedia.org).

Marc Grauwels is today one of the world best known flute players. This is due, first of all, to his talent, but also to his dynamic personality and an intelligent approach of his musical career.

After completing his studies, he made his orchestral debut in the Flanders Opera Orchestra. In 1976, he became solo piccolo at the Belgian National Opera Orchestra and in 1978, first solo flute in the Belgian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra. He remained there for ten years and was chosen to play in the World Orchestra under the baton of Carlo-Maria Giulini.

His career as a soloist subsequently developed at an impressive speed and, since 1985, he has taught at the Mons Royal Conservatory. He has been notably directed by Nino Rota and Astor Piazzolla who composed for him a ‘History of the Tango’. (Taken from www.naxos.com and www.lalibre.be)

The Palau Robert of Barcelona and the Catalan Agency of Cooperation and the Development of the Generalitat de Catalunya, organizes every year this cycle of musical auditions in collaboration with an organization of humanitarian help. This year is carried out in order to introduce the program “Sponsors”, an initiative of the Hospital of Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona and of the volunteers who collaborate with the Hospital Saint John of God, of Sierra Leone.

The public who attends the concerts makes a contribution of 4 euros, which this year will be given to the solidary program of Sant Joan de Déu.