Granada's Alhambra Music Festival.
International Festival of Music and Dance The Alhambra plays host.
The Spanish city of Granada vibrates with Flamenco, Jazz and Ballet performances of the International Festival of Music and Dance, across Granada music fills the air.
One of Spain’s most visited monuments, The Alhambra, plays host every year to The International Festival of Music and Dance. The Alhambra complex, consisting of the Generalife Gardens, monasteries and a cathedral will resonate with hand-clapping, foot-stamping, flamenco-wailing and many other different musical and dance styles.
Normally held between 22nd June and 8th July, the festival this year hosts more than 40 shows from ballet by the Ballet de l'Opera National de Bordeaux, in the Palace grounds to the flamenco performance of Cámara Negra in the Theatre Isabel La Católica.
Granada, in Andalucia, the south of Spain ripples with life and the air vibrates around this stunning city, with its snowy mountain backdrop, in the two weeks of the festival which celebrates it’s 56 edition this year.
The International Festival sweeps the city, with its fairytale Palace, off its feet with music and dance, day and night, filling venues city wide. Cafés, chapels and churches around the city, play host to performances from small classical ensembles to jazz, if you’re unlucky enough to miss out on tickets, there’ll be something recognisable floating in the air.
Two more events make this year a more memorable occasion than most. One, entitled Spanish in Paris, is the celebration of the centenary of Manuel de Falla’s arrival in Paris in 1907 where he stayed for seven years, mixing with many artistic contemporaries.
The other significant event for 2007 is the New Seven Wonders of the World, for which the Alhambra is one of the 21 contestants. This number is to be narrowed down to seven finalists, and announced on 07/07/07.
In its early days the festival was called Festival de Música y Danza Españolas, now an International affair it’s seen many famous names perform here, such as Andrés Segovia and Rudolf Nureyev to name two of them.
"It’s not enough to hear the music. More than that, you have to see it."
Igor Stravinski
As Stravinski’s words say you have to see a performance as well as hear it and is here a more magical place in the world to experience the wonder, than one of the possible New Seven Wonders of the World?
These days the more International feel of the festival draws world-wide crowds, and tickets for many performances sell out weeks in advance, early booking of both performances and hotels is advised.
The most magical place of all to stay has to be the Parador de Granada, a converted15th century convent within the Alhambra gardens which has stunning views of the Alhambra and the city below.
Visit the festival website for more details, the programme of events or to buy tickets, and the offical website for more information on Paradors.
Granada airport has a few European destinations with mainly national flights, connections can be made from Barcelona, Madrid or Malaga.
