#el vendrell

Yes! I saw it when it aired on TV some years ago. It is a real story! Pau Casals was a fascinating man.

For those who don't know, this is a Catalan telefilm about Pau Casals. He was a cellist, in fact he is considered one of the best musicians of the 20th century and one of the best cello players in all history. He was a defender of the rights of Catalan people, antifascism and pacifism. When the fascists won the Spanish Civil War, a general said he was going to cut off his arms, so he had to go on exile. He helped the other exiles and refugees and stopped playing the cello as a protest against Franco's dictatorship and European fascism, and was also closely watched by the Nazis.

He's probably the most famous Catalan person of the last centuries (the only other coming anywhere near him being the architect Antoni Gaudí). He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and the UN awarded him with the Peace Medal.

If you visit Catalonia, you can visit his home in El Vendrell. It's a beautiful house in front of the sea where you can learn more about him. It's run by the Foundation Pau Casals that he created and which does a lot of work to give opportunities to young cello players, share the passions for classical music with the general public, and to promote peace and human rights around the world.

Some traditional Catalan dances are what we call “spoken dances”, meaning that they combine dance, music and (usually satirical) poetry. The Devils’ Dance (ball de diables in Catalan) is a perfect example of satirical verses.

Each year, the different demon groups write verses making fun of current events from their town/city, politics, and everything they want. They are very irreverent and have a very strong social critique element. The demons recite the verses in public, usually in the town’s central square.

The verses are usually heptasyllabic and follow a structure that alternates a demon complaing and Lucifer answering to the demon. All the verses are recited in a very particular tune that is common in other spoken dances and folk theatre of Catalonia. The whole verses can often last for more than an hour.

Platja de Sant Salvador (Sant Salvador beach) in El Vendrell, Penedès, Catalonia.

Centro floral con flores artificiales · La Llimona home

Centro floral con flores artificiales y plantas artificiales

Siempre espléndidas Flores artificiales · La Llimona home

Jabones naturales Panier des Sens · La Llimona home

Cosmética natural Panier des Sens Jabones ricos en manteca de karité, con propiedades nutritivas y protectoras. Extras suaves, para la cara y el cuerpo, ayudando a mantener su equilibrio natural. No probados en animales. Dermatológicamente comprobados. La LLimona home