Raimat Arts Festival in Catalonia, Music Everywhere

Over the weekend, I was fortunate to visit the charming town of Raimat in Lleida, Spain.  I came here by invitation from the tourism board, and I met the folks behind this exciting fourth year of the Raimat Arts Festival.  The festival was created by local wine magnate and castle-owner Elena de Carandini, whose family has owned the castle on the hill for fourteen generations. Today, the family business comprises 14 wineries across three countries, and this event, you can tell, is very dear to my heart.

She told us the story of her grandfather, whose stern visage can be seen in an old painting in the castle, who came here to a desert. No trees and nothing was growing. He planted one million trees, and this area became a prime spot for grapes, interrupted only by the famous phyloxera blight, but recovered today, with vines stretching as far as we could see. The property is 3400 hectares or about 8400 acres.

I spoke with festival director Joan Plana, and he said he began his career as a violinist. He spent a lot of time in the U.S., and he and his wife are both musicians. He met Elena, who had created a festival in her village.

“She wanted me to play at the festival, but I had more ideas.   She started very small; she wanted to have the community involved. We need to bring the music to them, to the people of the town.” He became the director instead of a featured player; he’s yet to play himself at the fest.

He compares this festival to the Aspen Music Fest, which was his model.

He sets up the music in different locations around the village, outdoors, in the vineyards, and in a church. It fosters discussions about music, he told me, and encourages young people to get into music.  Next year, he’s excited to bring a second festival to the region, which will be held in the Pyrenees mountains, and like Raimat, will start small.

The Festival has been growing ever since,  with a combination of classical and world music, and some interesting twists. Our first performance was a woman on xylophone, then another solo act, playing drums in a vineyard, and then she switched to tapping on different-sized pots. It was hypnotic and quite entertaining!

It’s not just about bringing in big stars; it’s about introducing musicians to the area and encouraging people to experience new types of music. Planta has done a great job this year, and we hope the new Pyrenees Festival takes off too!

Raimat Arts Festival, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.