Beyonce Knowles will present her new album “B-Day” in two concerts that will be held in the Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid and the Palau San Jordi in Barcelona this weekend. Spaniards are lining up already to view this great artist up close and personal.

One of my favorite singers, this girl has it all, a great opportunity to see her in concert in two major cities of Spain.

source

photo google

Have you ever heard that word before? Zarzuela, I looked up the definition in the wikipedia so I could start off by giving you the technical definition before I go on with my interpretation of what is all means.

According to wikipedia The Zarzuela is:

a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance. The name derives from a Royal hunting lodge, the Palacio de la Zarzuela near Madrid, where this type of entertainment was first presented to the court.

Ok, so now here is what I know, you can say Zarzuela is a Spanish version of an opera, it has actors, singers and dancers with one difference zarzuelas differ from opera´s in that they include spoken sections interspersed between the singing and a rather different tone. The art form of Zarzuela has been around for about 350 years and is still fairly popular in Spain.

If you are interested in viewing a Zarzuela I recommend starting with a light version one such as La verbena de la paloma (The Pharmacist and the Girls), which was composed by Tomás Bretón with a libretto by Ricardo de la Vega, one of my favorites.

to see a show | teatro de la zarzuela

The biggest party of the year in Spain has to be the “Feria de Abril” in Sevilla where thousands of people come from all over the world to celebrate life. This year the 160th edition of this fair is one of the biggest yet. This huge event boasts with 1,000 stands that offer everything from food, books, accessories and souvenirs you will not want to get away.

Night time at this fair is amazing, there are over 370,000 lightbulbs that illumi¡nate the gateway in to the fair. The 7 days of activities started yesterday with the inauguration of the even by the city mayor Mr. Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín. if you´re in town you know what I´m talking about and if you are else where keep the date for next year.

more information feriadesevilla

Well, its official although ticket information is not yet available, what is known is that the date is set to be September 27th, 2007 in the Barcelona Olympic Stadium. The Police who announced last month their comeback will only visit this city in Spain during their world tour. They will start in Stockholm and end in Cardiff.

source typically spanish

When in Europe you feel the energy of the time past by and a sense of culture and art that will overwhelm you. If you happen to be in Spain (or anywhere in Europe) the 16th through the 18th of February 2007 you will be able to have a peek at some of the worlds best operas.

Many opera houses in Spain will open their doors to all interested in finding out a little more about Opera. European Opera Days is a celebration of 4 centuries of opera that will include selected performances by many of today’s great opera stars.

If you have never been to an opera this is your chance and what better place than in Spain to celebrate the sounds of pure beauty.

more information European opera days

picture flckr