GOING OUT

The three main attractions at this years’ festival include beautifully costumed Kathakali theatre (pictured), Japanese percussion from Leonard Eto and the specially requested appearance of Abrar-Ul-Haq, the Pakistani pop, bhangra and folk singer.

Directly from Kerala, southern India, the Biblioteca Nacional plays host to the prestigious Margi theatre group, who devote themselves to promoting the ancient Indian art of Kathakali. See them perform the intense piece Duryodhanavadham (The Killing of the Demon Duryodhana), part of the epic tale Mahabharata. The piece, a mere sliver of the 100,000 line story in full, tells of the events leading up to the dramatic battle waged between the Pandavas, the five acknowledged sons of Pandu and the Kauravas, descendants of the legendary king Kuru. It begins when the five brothers are exiled to the jungle after they bet their wife Panchali in a gambling game. They lose the game to their enemies, the Kauravas, resulting in the loss of not only their wife but all their wealth and kingdom. 12 years go by and the brothers return to try and win back what they see as rightfully theirs. Unfortunately for them the Kauravas see differently. The tale ends with a mammoth battle where Bhima, the second of the Pandava brothers kills the eldest Kaurava brother, Duryodhana. Complicated? Definitely. Fascinating? Undoubtedly. Almost certainly unmissable. Even if you can’t follow the elaborate story you can always just take in the impressive and sumptuous costumes and make up.

The festivals musical offerings are a varied and interesting mix. One of the main draws will be New York-born, Japanese percussionist, Leonard Eto whose CV covers being a member of a Kodo, a Taiko drum group, stints in Stomp and Blue Man, to joining Siouxsie Sioux and Bon Jovi on tour in the Nineties. His original works have also been featured in films as diverse as The Thin Red Line and The Lion King. Credited for bringing percussion instruments off the sidelines and into the spotlight, Eto mainly performs with what he calls his “three indispensable instruments”, namely the Hirado O-Taiko (a flat-bodied large drum), Oke Taiko (a tub drum) and the Chappa cymbals (hand cymbals). He’ll be performing a new version of Blendrums that incorporates the sax and tap dancing at the Plaça dels Àngels at noon on September 26th.