TRAJECTORY
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TRAJECTORY
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The group begins initially in June 1998, when Nicolau Espinosa and Miquel Mariano decide to develop a project in which Nicolau had already began to work though his compositions. They win a music competition of Art Jove in Palma de Mallorca. From that point, the continuity and enlargement of the group is decided.
The first performance in public with the majority of the musicians that will be in the group afterwards, takes place in Es Mercadal at the end of the summer.
It is from here that the idea of recording a first work with the themes of the group begins. Thus, during the months of November and December starts the process of recording a maquette produced, recorded, mixed and edited with the resources of the group. At the end of this process this work arrives: Romanços and cançonetes de la Mediterrania, which begins to be sold by the end of January.
The performance that begins to open doors, in which the components are already nine and are the same ones that form the group at present, and also the one which is considered as the beginning of a career that gets on nowadays, is the one celebrated the second of January 1999 in the Sala Augusta of Mao. Ponç Pons was there and patronaged the project. So, that summer became a very busy one with many performances to accomplish not only in Minorca, but also in Mallorca. Another prize at Art Jove is won again, getting the second place in the modality of music of author. On seeing that this music really works we start towards the end of the Summer the project for recording a second work, the first one registered with a specialized sound technician (Toni Pastor) and getting through a discography (Blau- Discmedi) which trusts on the work of S'Albaida. So then, between November and December that year, the recording takes place in Toni Pastor's studio in Palma de Mallorca of that work "Llucaquelba" edited in CD.
In January 2000, S'Albaida performs again in the Sala Augusta of Mao together with Biel Majoral a well-known Majorcan Folklorist who feels himself illusions on seeing that a group of young people follow the path that leads towards the dignification of a music that comes from old times. After this concert, another very important one for the trajectory of the group takes place to the Centre d'Art Tradicionarius (CAT) de Gracia in Barcelona, on the 28th of January. It is a performance with a good result for us: it opens some doors that take us a bit farther away from the island environment.
Around the middle of May, S'Albaida presents their disk "Llucaquelba" at the Teatro Principal of Palma. The presentation of the disk in Minorca takes place at the Claustre del Carme in Mao during the month of August.
During the whole summer, we perform around Minorca and also in Mallorca. In the 28th of July we assist at the Festival de cançons de la Mediterrania, which is celebrated at the Parc de la, Mar in Palma de Mallorca, performing together with the singer composer Paco Ibañez.
The culmination of that Summer is the assistance in September
at the Mercat de Musica Viva de Vic where the group has the opportunity of developing
their project in front of the professionals of the musical production.
In February 2001, S'Albaida took part in the season dedicated to the Balearic
Islands and arranged by L'Espai de Dansa i Música de Barcelona (Barcelona's
Music and Dances Space), which has large audience and which also begun to give
the group more reputation around the most important mass media, like Catalunya
Ràdio (Radio Catalonia).
During a weekend in June three correlative concerts took place in Catalan lands.
On Friday there was a performance in Lleida within a traditional music space,
arranged by the Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs (Lleida Studies Institute); on
Saturday another performance took lace in Girona within the Festival Girona
Folk (Folk Girona Festival), well-known within the Catalan folk circles; and
finally, on Sunday we assisted to the tribute paid to the late Bishop of Menorca
and Solsona, Antoni Deig, at the main city of the Solsonès region.
Through the summer 2001 we assist to the 25th Festenal Rassegna della musica
etnica europea, at Coumboscuro, in North Italy, within the Piedmont and Lombardy
region. It was about a small one-week tour that took us to know some villages
of the Italian Alps.
In September we were invited to the institutional act, which celebrated the
signature of the Carta de Franquesa (Letter of Franquesa) during the reign of
King James the 2nd. It is an historic event from which it must be remarked that
it meant the first step to reach the autonomy of Menorca within a statutory
Catalan frame as recognition of our Minorcan nature.
Between November and December 2001 in Palma de Mallorca it took place the recording
of what our second work would be, entitled Mateixos temps (Same times). Toni
Pastor is the recording technician and Mateu Picornell does the master techniques.
On the 28th of April 2002 it was the launch concert of the second record Mateixos
temps at the Teatre Principal. It also performed the so-called group from Ibiza
"Uc", and also there were collaborations of Cris Juanico, singer of
groups "Ja t'ho diré" and "Menaix a trua", Adolfo
Osta, singer and composer from Navarra and resident in Barcelona who signs old
songs from the Mediterranean, Joan Mesquida, clarinettist and director of the
municipal band of Ciutadella de Menorca, and Toni Perelló, guitar teacher
at the Conservatori de Palma (Palma de Mallorca Conservatoire).
That summer was the one to launch the record out in different parts of the Catalan
Regions. They were of special interest the concert in the gorgeous scenery of
the Pedreres de s'Hostal (S'Hostal Quarries), Líthica, in Ciutadella
de Menorca, and the one performed at the Universitat d'Estiu de Prada de Conflent
(Summer University of Prada de Conflent). At the end of that summer, on the
7th of September, S'Albaida was hired to perform at San Sebastián de
los Reyes, a village in the surroundings of Madrid. On the 14th it was the second
time we made a performance at the Mercat de Música Viva de Vic (Vic's
Life Music Market), and on the 21st at the Mercè Folk, within the patron
saint's day festival of the city of Barcelona. All them had Adolfo Osta's participation.
On November of the same year we reached two more objectives: we launched a product
with which Cris Juanico and Adolfo Osta did collaborate at the Fira d'Arrel
Tradicional de Manresa (Traditional Fair of Manresa), one of the most important
of the folk music in Catalonia. There were some other musicians who had already
worked together before at the record, like Joan Mesquida and Antoni Perelló.
This concert was performed on the 1st of November. Two days later, on the third,
we performed at the closing ceremony of El Pont Blau (The Blue Bridge), an event
about the culture of the Balearic Islands in Germany, arranged by the Institut
Ramón Llull (Raymond Lully Institute) and celebrated in Berlin, along
with the group Música Nostra.
Now in the 2003, S'Albaida was called by IAE (Performers, Interpreters and Artists
association) in order to take part at the En Ruta (En Route) program, what meant
we would have to perform in different places around Spain divided in two scheduled
travels: during February and March we travelled to Cáceres, Lugo, Madrid,
Tarragona, Zaragoza and San Sebastián. Throughout this stay we knew that
Injuve (…) had chosen our group as a young group of Folk music to perform
in three festivals: Cartagena, Segovia, Getxo to which then Salamanca was added.
During the festival in Cartagena, on the 9th of May, we were informed that we
had to perform on behalf of RNE (Spain National Radio) within a European national
radio event that takes place every year in a different European city each time
and that, in 2004, it is scheduled to be in Croatia, where S'Albaida is expected
to take part.
On the 5th day of July we performed at Montblanc, within the Senglar Rock frame,
a festival that every year takes place in the capital of the Conca del Barberà
(a Catalan region).
2.
Chronology
November 1998
Recording of the rough cut Romanços i cançonetes de la Mediterrània,
at the Taller de Somnis recording studio.
January 1999
Performance at Sala Augusta in Maó. In presence of Ponç Pons who
sponsored the project.
July 1999
Joint Art Jove second prize, section "author song". The final took
place at Parc de la Mar, Palma de Mallorca.
November - December 1999
Recording of the disc Llucalquelba, at the studio of Toni Pastor. Edited and
distributed by Blau-Discmedi.
January 2000
Performance at the Sala Augusta in Maó, along with Biel Majoral.
January 2000
Performance at Centre d'Art Tradiconàrius (CAT) in Gràcia, Barcelona.
January 2000
Performance at Plaça de la Virreina, in Gràcia again, within the
festival of Sa Pobla a la Vila, during the Saint Anthony's bonfires.
May 2000
Launching of record Llucalquelba at the Teatre Principal in Palma.
July 2000
Performance at the Festival de la Mediterrània, celebrated at the Parc
de la Mar, in Palma de Mallorca.
August 2000
Launching of the record Llucalquelba at the cloister of El Carme church in Maó,
along with Música Nostra.
September 2000
Performance at the Mercat de Música Viva in Vic.
February 2001
Performance at L'Espai de Dansa i Música of Barcelona.
February 2001
Performances in Palma, Eivissa, Formentera and Maó within the ceremonies
for the Day of the Balearic Islands celebration.
June 2001
Performances in Lleida, Girona and Solsona (Catalonia), in this late one paying
tribute to the Bishop of Solsona, Antoni Deig.
August 2001
Participation into the 25th Festenal Rassegna della musica etnica europea in
Italy (and performances at Coumboscuro, Champoluc, Buglio in Monte and Entracque.)
September 2001
Performance in Ciutadella for the celebration of the 7th centenary of the proclamation
of the Carta de Franquesa by James the 2nd.
November-December 2001
Recording of the second disc, Mateixos Temps.
April 2002
Launching at the Teatre Principal of Maó of the second record, Mateixos
temps, with the cooperation of Uc, Cris Juanico, Adolfo Osta, Joan Mesquida
and Toni Perelló.
August 2002
Performances, among others, at Líthica and Prada de Conflent.
September 2002
Performances at San Sebastián de los Reyes.
September 2002
Performance at the Mercat de Música Viva in Vic.
September 2002
Performance at the Mercè Folk, in Barcelona.
November 2002
Performance at the Fira d'Arrel Tradicional in Manresa.
November 2002
Closing ceremony of the Jornades del Pont Blau, about the culture of the Balearic
Islands in Germany, celebrated at the Kulturbrauerei of Berlin.
February 2003
Small tour through the towns of Cáceres and Lugo, within the En Ruta
frame.
March 2003
Continuation of the tour En Ruta through Madrid, Tarragona, Zaragoza and San
Sebastián.
May 2003
Performance in Cartagena during the festival of the Injuve in this town.
June 2003
Performance in Segovia, concert arranged by Injuve as well.
July 2003
Participation at the Senglar Rock, which was celebrated in Montblanc during
this month.