Pleasant Palma © Luke Wisley
If you’re spending your New Year’s in a much warmer climate (say, the party atmosphere of the Balearic Islands which include Ibiza and Mallorca), then you’ll probably be awash in neon-signs of all-night bars when the clock hits 12:00 (or 24:00/0:00 in Europe’s case). Spend the 1st recuperating from what will likely be a barrage of flaming drinks and guitar-playing, Bob Marley-singing backpackers and the thumpa-thump music of the bars, but do consider making the effort on January 2nd for a less-famous (though no less fabulous) New Year’s Concert with Simfonica de Balears.
Proof that not all New Year’s concerts have to be booked a year in advance, the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra will be kicking off 2008 (fashionably late, like most Mediterraneans) in Palma with their own version of the New Year’s concert. Modeled after that of Vienna’s, the BISO’s version has been running strong for over 20 years. And, given its relative youth to other competitors, has comparably low ticket prices (they range from 30 to 50 Euros for seats at the Auditòrium de Palma de Mallorca).
If you’re considering a longer stay in Mallorca or the Balearic region, consider a subscription to this gem of an orchestra. The prices for New Year’s are significantly inflated compared to regular prices (which can sink as low as 6 Euros in the form of a reduced ticket for students and youth) and the house is intimate enough that no seat is a bad seat.
Fundacio Publica de les Balears per a la Musica
C/Vicenc Juan Rossello 22B, Palma
971 287 565
http://www.simfonica-de-balears.com/