It's a subject that's inspired some witty quotes, like Tom Taussik's "the difference between Los Angeles and yogurt is that yogurt has real culture." But quips aside, can those of us who come to live on Mallorca find real culture – of an international standard?
Many of us claim to enjoy culture but how many consider whether our cultural needs will be satisfied living here?
It doesn't help that the word ‘culture' has different interpretations. Recent promotional trails for the British television arts programme "The Culture Show" included a montage of people defining the word – and revealing how subjective it is. Generally, though, culture means art, music, literature, dance, theatre and cinema.
As this Art Issue reveals, Mallorca is a gem for art enthusiasts, with its numerous galleries and splendid museums, and initiatives such as La Artevisita and Nit de l'art. Works of art adorn public spaces in Palma, towns and villages, at the airport and even on our highways. People seeing the striking metal sculptures of dancers on the Es Cruce roundabout (Ma15 near Manacor) for the first time often drive around several times!
Dance is popular here. Three top exponents of flamenco have visited this year; last month the Moscow Ballet performed in Palma, Alcúdia and Cala Millor, and the 13th Mallorca Ballet Season also began.
Pop music's Simply Red, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Bonnie Tyler and George Benson have performed in recent years – though chances of a Robbie Williams or Madonna concert here are slim without a larger venue.
The Jazz Voyeur Festival and Sa Pobla Jazz Festival (free concerts) are this musical genre's annual treats, bringing some famous performers – including Diana Krall and Gloria Gaynor – to the island.
Long-established annual events like the Deià International Music Festival, Valldemossa's Chopin Festival, and Festival de Pollensa have recently been joined by the opera-based MúsicaMallorca, and all feature international musicians.
Theatre is difficult for those without local language skills. But is it reasonable to expect regular professional theatre productions in a non-Spanish language when we live in Spain?
Some movies in English are usually screened at cinemas in Palma, but German film fans don't fare well. One woman told me that her only complaint about living here was a lack of movies in German at cinemas.
A new website should at least make it easier to find certain cultural events. Focusing on the year-round programme, art galleries, exhibitions and museums, www.turart.net includes maps, itineraries and latest news on the island's art scene.
According to the Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca, the creation of this multi-lingual website "is in response to visitors' demand for indepth information online when planning their visit." Resident culture vultures might also want to bookmark this site.
Of course, Mallorca's native artists, singers, musicians, dancers, poets, writers and actors provide a regular fix of home-grown culture all over the island. Many towns and villages have a theatre, and churches often host secular events. A lot of events are free: turn up, mingle and experience the local culture. Isn't that one of the joys of living abroad?
Broadly speaking, Mallorca does seem to offer the non-native resident a good international cultural programme, but can it compete with other expat destinations, for example, the Canaries?
Our neighbours there seem well-served, considering the smaller size of the two main islands – with Tenerife art lovers enjoying free entrance to La Recova Arts Centre, the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Centro de Fotografia.
There are three major annual music festivals. The Heineken Jazz Festival this summer included Spyro Gyra, The Crusaders and The Pee Wee Ellis Assembly – in concerts on both Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
October to December is Tenerife Opera season, organised by the Tenerife Association of Friends of the Opera and featuring the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, which – like its Balearic equivalent – also offers an annual season of concerts.
The Canary Islands' Music Festival – one of Europe's most important classical music events – has, over the past two decades, featured names like Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, André Previn, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Krystian Zimerman, with orchestras including the Boston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Each concert in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is repeated on Gran Canaria. Next year's event runs from January 9 to February 16.
Tenerife and Gran Canaria both boast an impressive multi-purpose performing arts centre – seemingly a real magnet for world-class performers. Gran Canaria's Auditorio Alfredo Kraus opened in 1997 and Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's waterfront Auditorio de Tenerife – completed in 2003 – is acoustically superb and visually sensational.
Mallorca could benefit from something similar. Remember the buzz when – before the May 2007 political elections – the Partido Popular announced plans for an emblematic opera house (another Calatrava project) on Palma's Moll Vell?
We'll have to wait a while to see whether the new Palma convention centre will have the same kind of appeal for the world's cultural crème de la crème.
Whatever type and level of culture, ticket prices must be realistic because Mallorca also offers plenty of free cultural activities. The recent cancellation of Julio Iglesias's Auditorio concert showed that people can't or won't pay 500 euros – even for a globally-adored Latin legend with a 21-language website!
Much more reasonably-priced will be the Balearic Symphony Orchestra's winter season of 15 concerts, starting on October 16. If that – rather than yogurt – is culture to satisfy you, you're in the right place.
Many of us claim to enjoy culture but how many consider whether our cultural needs will be satisfied living here?
It doesn't help that the word ‘culture' has different interpretations. Recent promotional trails for the British television arts programme "The Culture Show" included a montage of people defining the word – and revealing how subjective it is. Generally, though, culture means art, music, literature, dance, theatre and cinema.
As this Art Issue reveals, Mallorca is a gem for art enthusiasts, with its numerous galleries and splendid museums, and initiatives such as La Artevisita and Nit de l'art. Works of art adorn public spaces in Palma, towns and villages, at the airport and even on our highways. People seeing the striking metal sculptures of dancers on the Es Cruce roundabout (Ma15 near Manacor) for the first time often drive around several times!
Dance is popular here. Three top exponents of flamenco have visited this year; last month the Moscow Ballet performed in Palma, Alcúdia and Cala Millor, and the 13th Mallorca Ballet Season also began.
Pop music's Simply Red, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Bonnie Tyler and George Benson have performed in recent years – though chances of a Robbie Williams or Madonna concert here are slim without a larger venue.
The Jazz Voyeur Festival and Sa Pobla Jazz Festival (free concerts) are this musical genre's annual treats, bringing some famous performers – including Diana Krall and Gloria Gaynor – to the island.
Long-established annual events like the Deià International Music Festival, Valldemossa's Chopin Festival, and Festival de Pollensa have recently been joined by the opera-based MúsicaMallorca, and all feature international musicians.
Theatre is difficult for those without local language skills. But is it reasonable to expect regular professional theatre productions in a non-Spanish language when we live in Spain?
Some movies in English are usually screened at cinemas in Palma, but German film fans don't fare well. One woman told me that her only complaint about living here was a lack of movies in German at cinemas.
A new website should at least make it easier to find certain cultural events. Focusing on the year-round programme, art galleries, exhibitions and museums, www.turart.net includes maps, itineraries and latest news on the island's art scene.
According to the Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca, the creation of this multi-lingual website "is in response to visitors' demand for indepth information online when planning their visit." Resident culture vultures might also want to bookmark this site.
Of course, Mallorca's native artists, singers, musicians, dancers, poets, writers and actors provide a regular fix of home-grown culture all over the island. Many towns and villages have a theatre, and churches often host secular events. A lot of events are free: turn up, mingle and experience the local culture. Isn't that one of the joys of living abroad?
Broadly speaking, Mallorca does seem to offer the non-native resident a good international cultural programme, but can it compete with other expat destinations, for example, the Canaries?
Our neighbours there seem well-served, considering the smaller size of the two main islands – with Tenerife art lovers enjoying free entrance to La Recova Arts Centre, the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Centro de Fotografia.
There are three major annual music festivals. The Heineken Jazz Festival this summer included Spyro Gyra, The Crusaders and The Pee Wee Ellis Assembly – in concerts on both Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
October to December is Tenerife Opera season, organised by the Tenerife Association of Friends of the Opera and featuring the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, which – like its Balearic equivalent – also offers an annual season of concerts.
The Canary Islands' Music Festival – one of Europe's most important classical music events – has, over the past two decades, featured names like Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, André Previn, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Krystian Zimerman, with orchestras including the Boston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Each concert in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is repeated on Gran Canaria. Next year's event runs from January 9 to February 16.
Tenerife and Gran Canaria both boast an impressive multi-purpose performing arts centre – seemingly a real magnet for world-class performers. Gran Canaria's Auditorio Alfredo Kraus opened in 1997 and Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's waterfront Auditorio de Tenerife – completed in 2003 – is acoustically superb and visually sensational.
Mallorca could benefit from something similar. Remember the buzz when – before the May 2007 political elections – the Partido Popular announced plans for an emblematic opera house (another Calatrava project) on Palma's Moll Vell?
We'll have to wait a while to see whether the new Palma convention centre will have the same kind of appeal for the world's cultural crème de la crème.
Whatever type and level of culture, ticket prices must be realistic because Mallorca also offers plenty of free cultural activities. The recent cancellation of Julio Iglesias's Auditorio concert showed that people can't or won't pay 500 euros – even for a globally-adored Latin legend with a 21-language website!
Much more reasonably-priced will be the Balearic Symphony Orchestra's winter season of 15 concerts, starting on October 16. If that – rather than yogurt – is culture to satisfy you, you're in the right place.
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