A long queue outside one of the island’s most spectacular entertainment venues is certainly nothing unusual on a warm Ibizan evening. But by Ibizan standards, the crowd gathering at the heart of Ibiza Town was about to experience something altogether very different.
On 1 November, a sellout crowd of locals and visitors gathered beneath four elaborate crystal candelabras in Teatro Pereyra to witness a breathtaking concert by six classically trained local musicians known as the Ibiza String Ensemble.
Behind hundreds of flickering candles and beneath a gold proscenium arch, the Ensemble performed for ninety minutes to mark All Saints Day and Halloween in the recently renovated 19th century auditorium, which was as much a star of the evening as the musicians and their compositions.
Located in the heart of Ibiza Town, Teatro Pereyra opened earlier this year after a 16-year-long renovation that restored the historic venue to its full fin de siècle glory. With three balconies of red and gold-railed boxes around a deep auditorium, in the style of a nineteenth-century French theatre, the venue was the perfect setting for the evening’s entertainment.
Led by cellist Carlos Vesperinas, who provided informative introductions to each piece that had the audience of locals laughing appreciatively, the sextet presented a selection from soundtracks such as Corpse Bride by Danny Elfman, Schindler’s List by John Williams, as well as pieces that Vesperinas loosely described as “classico romantico”, such as Mozart’s Lacrimosa.
Vesperinas was joined by violinist Ramsés Puente, Miguel Falomir on viola, double bassist Salvatore Licitra and Assumpció Janer on harp. They were supported by percussionist Noel Sáez and pianist Joan Guasch.
Among pieces by other composers, such as Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, Halloween by John Carpenter, and Clint Mansell’s Requiem for a Dream, the iconic opening bars of Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield were a particularly popular highlight that brought one of the loudest bursts of applause from the highly responsive audience.
The evening reached its climax when vocalist Raquel Ortiz joined the musicians to sing La Llorona, a Mexican folk song associated with the Day of the Dead celebrated the beginning of November.
Following a standing ovation with whoops, applause and cheers, Ortiz returned during the encore to repeat La Llorona once more, leaving the grateful audience calling for another encore as the evening came to a close.
The concert was part of the Eivissa Daurada series of concerts, which aims to bring world-class classical music to Ibiza and Formentera. Produced by Eivissa Escènica, set up by Vesperinas with Elisa Ortiz and Ana Corona, it aims to enrich the islands’ cultural offerings across music, dance, and the performing arts in general.
Eivissa Escènica hopes to bring performances by local, national, and international artists to all municipalities in Ibiza and Formentera. Judging by last Friday’s highly impressive concert, the coming months and years promise Ibiza and its residents a burgeoning of cultural events that should not be missed.
WORDS | Robert M. Uhlig
