By David Whitney
For many Sineu is a town some way from Palma and which attracts tourists in droves for the famous Wednesday market, but who knows Sineu???. I did not until I moved within 5 kms of the town and I was surprised when visiting. Sineu was once the capital of Mallorca in 1309 and King Jaime III built his palace there which was the residence of many future kings. Dating back to Roman times it’s small streets buzz with restaurants and small shops away from the square. I only knew the square before meeting my now friend Martti Wallen who I did not know was one of the most famous opera singers of the World and living in Sineu. Born Finnish, but now Swedish, Martti is known internationally as has appeared in concerts throughout the World and in the World premiere of The Horseman in 1975. All can be found on Wikepedia. A character, friendly with humour and so talented.
So it was that I was with Martti and Alfredo Oyaguez on the evening of July 2nd for what was a concert of the Festival of Music arranged by Alfredo, an accomplished pianist and Director of the Festival. What a location for the La Cuarentena Tango Ensemble. The Cloister square of the former Monastery of Sineu. Tango singing by the well known Sergio Bustos from Argentina, now of Palma accompanied by five other Argentineans and an American on Cello, Spanish with Alfredo who created an evening of fun, music, humour and to a packed audience.
Sergio’s voice is strong, powerful and to think that he was discovered singing on the streets of Palma by Alfredo. Talent extraordinaire. My first and not last concert to attend at this unique location and I urge all to check out the Festival website at www.dimf.com for the season’s schedule. The music, the singing, reminded me of the Royal Opera house in London, but we were outside under the stars which gave the evening a special feeling. That was not all as Martti who is officially retired sang three pieces solo and his voice had not changed if you listen to past recordings and films of Martti. The audience rose to their feet but this was not the end as Sergio and Martti then sang together. A first and their voices gelled so well and filled the cloisters taking us all back with thoughts of what may have been centuries ago when the cloisters were used for singing and celebrations. 13th century returned and Martti, his first performance for a long time savoured his time on stage and we could all see how he rose to be one of the most famous opera singers in the World.
So encores, the musicians laughing and enjoying themselves playing to an appreciable audience. Sineu, unknown to many but do take time out to visit, as restaurants fill the little narrow streets and shops sell wonderful articles, art galleries and more to see. So yes Sineu was a mystery until I visited and well done to Alfredo in creating the first of a series of concerts to be held at the Cloisters, now the Town Hall building. Worth a visit and I am delighted to bring you articles through Celebrity magazine of local events and to remind all that Mallorca is not just Palma..Life, music, classical, pop and jazz surrounds us all if you look..For more on Celebrity magazine please do go online at www.celebritymallorca.es. It is the magazine of Mallorca and your new published issue is out there in both English and Spanish to read and take home..Contact Celebrity Magazine for any information and please visit our website and enjoy all our articles.