AUSTRIA
Accordion Festival, until March 25, Vienna. This festival, rare in modern musical life, enjoys well-deserved popularity as it gathers true stars from around the world performing classical and jazz music on the accordion. Another feature of the festival is the so-called "combined" international teams that prepare concert performances specifically for this event. Participants include Otto Lechner & Guests (Austria, Bulgaria, Brazil), Regis Gizavo (Madagascar), Marinette Bonnert & Pere Romani (Belgium, Catalonia), Roland Neuwirth & Marko Zivadinovics (Austria, Serbia), Fatima Spar & die Freedom Fries (Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia), and other musical groups. In addition to 30 concerts, the festival also expects special silent film screenings with live musical accompaniment. //www.akkordeonfestival.at
BELGIUM
Ars Musica Festival, March 9-24, Brussels. The Ars Musica festival of contemporary instrumental music takes place in the Belgian capital several times a year and is considered one of the most important among serious music lovers. In March, as part of this festival, 17 concerts will be held featuring music by Swiss composer Beat Furrer and young German composer Enno Poppe (March 10), Belgian composer and conductor Jean-Paul Dessy (March 15), Michel van der Aa (March 24), as well as works by composers from the late 19th to early 20th centuries that have become classics. Concerts will be held at the Palace of Fine Arts, La Monnaie theater, and the Tour & Taxis exhibition center. //www.arsmusica.be
Caribbean Festival, March 17, Antwerp. This festival of upbeat Caribbean music is held twice a year – in March and August. But while August in Antwerp is warm and cozy, in March it is usually still cold, and people are longing for summer. Therefore, the Caribbean festival is held indoors at the Sportpaleis, which can accommodate a huge number of people. The Belgians themselves call this celebration Antilliaanse Feesten. Dance lovers especially strive to attend – they are guaranteed live performances of traditional Caribbean music (salsa, merengue, bachata). This year, the festival will feature the hugely popular Haitian group Carimi, the "king of salsa" from Venezuela Oscar D'Leon, and the group Youth X-Treme from the island of Aruba. //www.antilliaansefeesten.be
GREAT BRITAIN
St. Patrick's Day and Irish Arts Festival, March, London. According to a long-standing tradition, St. Patrick's Day in London is celebrated on the Sunday closest to March 17. The festivities open on March 18 at noon with a parade from Hyde Park to Whitehall. Orchestras from the UK, Ireland, and the USA, as well as professional and amateur theater groups, will participate. Then the celebration mainly moves to Trafalgar Square, where a festival of traditional and contemporary Irish music and dance begins. At Leicester Square, a real Ceili Mor will take place, organized by the Irish community, where anyone can try dancing the "céilí" style. Irish food will be available at a fair in the Covent Garden area. On this day, it is customary to drink only Guinness and wear all green. From March 1 to 31, London will host the Irish Arts Festival, featuring art exhibitions, films, and concerts. //www.london.gov.uk
Irish Festival, March 3-19, Manchester. For two whole weeks, Manchester will explore Irish culture, living according to Irish traditions. The festival will feature numerous music and dance evenings, and special children's parties. Manchester already has considerable experience in immersing in Irish culture: in 2007, this will be the 12th festival. The most massive and spectacular events are likely to be the street parade (March 11), the costume procession and fair on St. Patrick's Day (March 17), the final of the Irish rock festival (March 15), and the final of the Irish comedy festival, which will take place on the festival's closing day (March 19). //www.manchesteririshfestival.co.uk
Comedy Festival, March 8-24, Glasgow. Despite the festival being relatively new, its popularity is very high. This time, Glasgow will present comedy performances of all genres, styles, and directions: from classic improv sketches ("Don Quixote") to black comedy (Wa*king The Dead). Viewers can choose what they find funny, be it street comedians, political satirists, or masters of musical improvisation. The festival will also include screenings of comedy films and special shows for children. //www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com
HUNGARY
Spring Festival, March 16 - April 1, Budapest. The Spring Festival in Budapest has been held since 1981 and is considered the main cultural event in the country. The program includes a wide variety of genres and directions – symphony and chamber music concerts, a film festival, a jazz festival, art exhibitions, and a contemporary dance festival. Among the invited musicians are Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires, the Russian National Orchestra under M. Pletnev, and the Cologne Symphony Orchestra. Audiences can see two operas by Mozart, as well as Puccini's "Turandot", a new version of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", and even an "adapted version" of Homer's "Odyssey". //www.fesztivalvaros.hu
GERMANY
MaerzMusik Festival of Contemporary Music, March 16-25, Berlin. "It's a contrasting dialogue between different currents and styles of contemporary experimental music, a kind of intercultural space," say the organizers of the MaerzMusik festival. About 30 new music projects, including premieres, will be presented this year - orchestral, chamber, solo concerts, musical performances. The festival opens with the presentation of a sound installation by Klaus Lang, and this genre will be the main theme of the festival, which will feature musicians from Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. //www.maerzmusik.de
Flamenco Festival, March 28 - April 5, Düsseldorf. "Magic of Flamenco" is the motto of one of the most popular dance festivals in Germany. At the Tanzhaus concert hall, audiences can see classic versions of this dance performed by the dance troupe under Miguel Vargas, as well as contemporary interpretations of flamenco by dance groups from Germany, France, Austria, and Spain. //www.tanzhaus-nrw.de
IRELAND
St. Patrick's Festival, March 15-19, Dublin and other Irish cities. This year the festival opens with a concert by the legendary "red-nosed" band Barabbas. On March 16, a festive fair with traditional rides and the largest Ferris wheel in Europe begins in Dublin. On March 17, a grand costume parade takes place, followed by theatrical performances, music and dance group performances. In the following days of the festival, pyrotechnic music shows, an exciting treasure hunt game, and street theater performances will be held in Dublin. On the closing day of the festival, a theatrical show Denny Big Day Out will take place. Green will be the main color on these festive days, so don't be surprised by green beer, green bagels, or mint milkshakes, also green. //www.stpatricksday.ie
SPAIN
Las Fallas Festival, March 15-19, Valencia. The origin of the traditional Valencia festival Las Fallas is most likely related to the celebration of the spring equinox, when wooden lamps were taken out of houses and burned - because bright spring evenings were coming. Gradually, the "burned pieces of wood" turned into dolls, the craftsmanship of which has been perfected over centuries. Now these dolls ("ninots") from two to twenty meters high depict politicians and other famous personalities, and are made in special workshops long before the festival. In the first days of the festival, the jury selects the best doll, which will remain untouched on the day of burning and then end up in the Valencia Museum of Ninots Indultats. On the last day of the festival, March 19, Valencians burn their creations: at 10 pm the children's "ninots" are burned, at midnight the big dolls will be destroyed in flames - in general, the city turns into one big bonfire. It should be noted that recently the dolls are also filled with pyrotechnic devices, so there is a terrible roar during burning. The folk festival with the election of the queen, musicians and the constant "mascletà" (pyrotechnic show) attracts a huge crowd of guests to the city. //www.fallas.com
International Tango Festival, March 20-25, Granada. Granada has been hosting one of the rarest dance festivals dedicated to tango for over 10 years. Tango, as a dance and musical genre, was formed at the end of the 19th century, and in the 20th century it became one of the most popular in the world. The festival opens with a bright dance show on the famous Plaza del Carmen. Then concerts will be held at indoor venues, featuring musicians, dance and ballet groups from Spain, Argentina, Italy, France, Finland. //www.eltango.com
ITALY
Giotto Jazz Festival, March 3 - April 15, Florence. This festival got its strange name (by the way, a rather rare event in Italy) because the main concert venue is the Teatro Giotto. Festival concerts this year will take place mostly on weekends. The festival will start with Italian jazz groups: on March 3, Dario Cecchini will perform, on March 10 - Franko Baggiani, on March 15 - Sergio Caputo. In the finale, Danilo Rea (24) and Scott Henderson blues band (27) will delight festival guests. www.teatrogiotto.it
Marathon, March 16-18, Rome. Actually, the "Rome City Marathon" itself will take place on March 18 - more than 10,000 people will take part in the 42-kilometer race. This sporting event looks organically and majestically in the heart of the ancient city: the route passes by the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica. Anticipating the spectacle, Romans begin celebrating the approach of the marathon from March 16: live music concerts, fairs, street performances fuel both sporting and non-sporting interest in this event. //www.maratonadiroma.it
Feast of Saint Benedict, March 20-21, Norcia. The day of veneration of Saint Benedict of Nursia is lavishly celebrated by the modern residents of the city of Norcia (in the 5th century - Nursia), where this saint was born. Saint Benedict is called the "father of Western monasticism." The rule he created, prescribing prayer, work, and study, became the norm of monastic life for all of Europe. The festivities in honor of Saint Benedict will open on the night of March 20-21 with a torchlight procession. On the morning of March 21, a medieval festival with costumed processions, real knightly duels, and crossbow shooting competitions will begin in Norcia. //www.bellaumbria.net
FINLAND
Musica nova Festival, March 10-17, Helsinki. This year, the Musica nova music festival in Helsinki will take place in an unusual format. The festival's traditional concept - "a comprehensive portrait of contemporary music across continents and cultures" - will be changed due to an important event. In 2007, the whole country celebrates the 90th anniversary of Finland's independence, so Musica nova will be entirely dedicated to Finnish contemporary music. Audiences can expect several important musical premieres (a flute concerto by avant-garde composer Kimmo Hakola, Symphony No. 4 by Eiro Hämeenniemi), as well as performances by national opera and ballet stars, and the best symphony, chamber, and choral groups. //www.musicanova.fi
FRANCE
Jazz Festival, March 14-31, Grenoble. For the 35th time, the International Jazz Festival will be held in Grenoble, enjoying authority in musical circles and constant popularity with the public. During the festival, not only clubs but also city museums and theaters become concert venues. The festival program, as always, is rich and varied: among the participants are the duo Mari Braun/Sebastien Boisseau (March 15), Trio Appolo, the group Ark, Fugimundi, Sara Lazarus, Nelson Veras, and many other performers. //www.jazzgrenoble.com
Festival of Imagination, March 6 - April 6, Paris. The fundamental principle of the Festival de l'Imaginaire, which will be held at the Parisian Palace of Cultures of the World, is "the spirit of freedom" - freedom of creative perception and expression, freedom of intellect, freedom of feelings. To perceive a foreign, incomprehensible culture, precisely such freedom is required. For some, this festival attracts simply "geographical" exoticism; for others, a deep interest in understanding the variability of cultural space and the problem of isolation and interpenetration of cultures. This year at the festival, one can hear Malaysian spiritual music performed by Dabus, instrumental music of the 16th-18th centuries performed by Harpes & chants des Llaneros et Tuyeros from Venezuela, national music and dances performed by the Mozambican group Les Chopi, and Indian dances. Also participating in the festival are musical groups from Syria, Iran, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Spain. //www.mcm.asso.fr
SWITZERLAND
Caprices Festival, March 7-11, Crans-Montana. This is one of the most popular festivals, taking place in March in Crans-Montana, one of the Swiss ski resorts. Recall that capriccio is "a brilliant virtuosic instrumental piece of free form, often with a whimsical change of episodes and moods." This year, audiences can rightfully expect brilliant virtuosic concerts, as the program includes performances by musicians such as Iggy & The Stooges (March 8), Joss Stone and Tete (March 9), Neneh Cherry and Erykah Badu (March 10). //www.capricesfestival.ch
Nyuta KUKUSHKINA.
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