Soller people come out to play
Published in the Majorca Daily Bulletin
Tuesday 18th November 2014
Photographs by RACHEL FOX
Mid November is an odd time in the Hidden Valley calendar. It’s when people we haven’t seen for months start to emerge and be part of café society. They are the hotel and restaurant workers who have just come to the end of their season. The Soller Valley has a much longer working year than the rest of Majorca – it usually finishes around now for just a few weeks. Some restaurants close for staff holidays and then re open in time for the Christmas flurry of activity. Hotels, with the exception of La Vila, finally close their doors on 23rd November and then go into spring clean and refurbishment mode before re-opening from Mid January onwards. It’s the walkers and cyclists who want the mountains as the backdrop to their sports that give us this unique extension to the tourist season.
These precious weeks of November see Soller square full of local people in holiday mode. A coffee with a friend, a lunch or an evening drink all blends into one and every day can be a fiesta. Take last Friday as an example a cluster of the gin and tonic Friday night crowd alongside the fiesta people and there was already a party brewing. Meanwhile just round the corner in the Lluna – our main shopping street – a re -opening of a refurbished shop was taking place. The champagne was flowing round there when the Batucada turned up. The Soller Valley has had an explosion of the Samba Drum groups with their great footwork and exciting noise. So Soller Square was jumping to the sound of the beat, local people were in party mode and you just knew it was November. The tourists and visitors to Soller this weekend couldn’t believe their luck when all this was kicking off. They thought they’d landed in a film set.
Café Central was hosting one party outside while inside a serious meeting was taking place. The Fantasio Cinema site closed as a cinema in 1981. In its day it seated 400 and was the heart of the social life of Soller City . The building needs tender loving care and a new roof and Soller council pledged a few years ago to fund this so that the place could become a performing arts and community space. Sadly since then there have been more urgent things for the Town Council to spend its money on. There are many people in Soller committed to this project and Friday’s meeting was for them to meet and exchange their plans about how they are going to take the project forward. It is no coincidence that this meeting was taking place before the political parties finally decide the issues they are going to be campaigning on for next years elections. The Fantasio Cinema site is going to be on all the local parties’ manifestos and promises will be made. Just as they were before the last elections took place…
On Saturday the first of two concerts to celebrate St Cecilia took place. She, as you probably know is the Patron Saint of Music and Soller loves her and what she stands for. The Convent Church of Sagrats Cors was the venue and the whole event was remarkable. The concert had a 7.30 pm start time but when you got to the church a Mass was taking place which didn’t finish till 7.45pm. The people outside waiting to go in for the concert were made up of those that knew that this was always the case for this venue on a Saturday night and those who thought they’d landed in the wrong place. All became clear as the service ended with some people leaving and others staying on for the concert. The numbers gathered for the musical extravaganza were in excess of 300 people. The musical contributors themselves numbered over 100 people.
Over one hundred musicians of Soller gave their time and talents to this concert which is one of the highlights of the Soller musical calendar. It showcased the Choir – Pro Musica Chorus of Soller, the medieval plainsong singers Quinta Justa, The traditional Xerimiers of Soller and the bagpipe playing Aires Sollerics. In addition the musically generous Suzanne Bradbury accompanied the young trumpeter, flautist, clarinettist and soprano singer beautifully on the piano. Suzanne is an acclaimed concert pianist and a fervent supporter of all the young talent in Soller.
In addition to Suzanne we heard the ever versatile Maribel Puig play the piano which was a real change to her usual place looking after the Soller Museum . So many people, so much music of such high quality. It was a great night of music.
Walking down the hill to home I passed through Soller square and straight into those drummers again! They were playing for a private party in Bar Turismo and they had the City centre rocking. The Batucada of Soller is going to be our company all through this season. The drumbeat will accompany our Friday nights and our Christmas celebrations. I’ve got nothing to say to that other than – let’s get this party started.
