Lanzarote will once again become the epicenter of contemporary music this autumn, with the celebration of the 18th edition of the Visual Music Festival. This emblematic event organized by the Culture Area of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, whose first edition took place in 1989 at the proposal of the artist Ildefonso Aguilar, is a reference meeting point for lovers of contemporary music and other avant-garde artistic expressions. Always in complete harmony with the natural spaces of the island, such as the auditoriums of Jameos del Agua or the Cueva de los Verdes.
The perfect integration of new music and the island's volcanic landscape aroused, from the beginning of the festival, the interest of contemporary musicians such as Brian Eno or Michael Brook, among others, making this event one of the most attractive and extraordinary meetings of avant-garde music in the world.
The Councilor of the Culture Area, Jesús Machín, celebrates the development of "an event that perfectly matches the singularity and aesthetic values of the island", and thanks the collaboration of Turismo Lanzarote and the Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism in the execution of a project of this nature.
For his part, Ildefonso Aguilar, director of the festival, argues that "events like this place the Island at the forefront of art and provide a unique experience, consolidating Lanzarote as a cultural reference".
A careful selection of concerts and high-quality film screenings
The Danish guitarist Jakob Bro, accompanied by Arve Henriksen and Joey Baron, will be in charge of opening this year's program with their UMA ELMO project, a proposal full of whispered and hypnotic melodies. It will be on Wednesday, October 11 at Jameos del Agua.
On Saturday, October 14, at 8:00 p.m., it will be time to enjoy one of the most anticipated concerts of this edition, that of the Lanzarote guitarist Diego Barber who, together with the excellent pianist Graig Taborn, will offer us a repertoire based on his award-winning work 'Tales', an epic dance of guitar and piano in which they fuse beauty, melody and emotion to create a unique listening experience.
The second week of the Festival will begin on Wednesday, October 18 at the CIC El Almacén with the concert by Akane, a solo project by Carolina Machado, better known for being part of the group Gaf y La Estrella de la Muerte, with which she reimagines a fictional soundtrack of an unmade 'road movie', creating a very personal musical language composed of vintage pop songs, exuberant environmental landscapes and lo-fi electronics. For this occasion, she is accompanied by the visual work of the local artist Pura Márquez.
The following day, again in Jameos del Agua, we can enjoy a trio formed by Christina Vantzou, Michael Harrison and John Also Bennett, who present their unique proposal in a world premiere and that promises to take us on a deep and evocative sound journey.
On Friday, October 20, the concert of the virtuoso Madrid pianist Moisés P. Sánchez will take place, who will present his work Tractatus, a project in which music meets philosophy in a fascinating sound exploration, with styles that encompass classical, jazz, electronics, dodecaphonism and free improvisation, transcending the borders between genres.
And, finally, the Festival's concert program will conclude on Saturday, October 21 in the Cueva de los Verdes with the Polish cellist Dobrawa Czocher and her work 'Dreamscapes', a fascinating musical exploration of dreams in which Dobrawa transports us on a journey through the unconscious, to an alternative universe, where repetitive motifs, improvised arpeggios and mysterious bass lines paint increasingly fantastic soundscapes.
As usual, in addition to the concerts, the program will be complemented by the screening, on October 10 and 17, of the documentary 'Island Songs', an audiovisual portrait of Iceland, the native country of the musician Ólafur Arnalds, with which he explores the people, places and music of that island.
All concerts will begin at 8:00 p.m., and tickets will be priced at fifteen euros, which can be purchased soon through the official website of the Festival.
