Dragonfly Evenings at Can Prunera: Schumann, Clara Schumann and Brahms in the Sculpture Garden

Dragonfly Evenings at Can Prunera: Schumann, Clara Schumann and Brahms in the Sculpture Garden

Sóller in the evening: two musicians, lots of music and a garden that breathes

When the sun sinks behind the ridges of the Tramuntana and the tram bell of Sóller rings once more, the small sculpture garden of Can Prunera fills with listeners who need no large stage — unlike the Impressionistic Season Opening at the Auditorium: Color, Sound and Late Romanticism. On Saturday, June 13, two long-time collaborators will perform there: Magí Garcías on piano and Aitor Hevia on violin. The programme is devoted to Romanticism and brings together works by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms.

The scene in the garden is unhurried: guests in light jackets, a few tourists who have come over from the harbor, and neighbors looking for a spot after work. Added to this are the soft rustle of the leaves and, typical for the island, the occasional chirp of cicadas — not a concert hall, but very close to the music. For musicians this space is something special: open, intimate and suffused with atmosphere.

The connection between the two artists goes beyond a mere meeting. Hevia, who leads the Cuarteto Quiroga — an ensemble awarded the Spanish National Music Prize in 2018 — and Garcías, a pianist and composer active beyond the island, appear here as colleagues. You can hear that they share more than notes: a musical familiarity apparent in phrasing, breath and timing.

Can Prunera itself feels like a stage that enchanted its audience from the year it was built. House numbers on Carrer de Sa Lluna (86–90) recall the years between 1904 and 1911 when the building was constructed. Inside are works by well-known artists, and the Art Nouveau character of the house — with ornamentation such as the eponymous dragonfly — makes the place an unusual forum for chamber music. Anyone who walks through the museum before the concert quickly understands why many artists like to perform here: space, image and sound interact.

The Dragonfly Evenings are back in Sóller this year; this is the second edition of the series. The evening with Garcías and Hevia is the second of five dates. The programme series showcases musical and cultural diversity: in the coming months there will be, among other things, improvisational forms, a well-known voice from the Catalan pop scene and a project with Mediterranean influences, alongside other concerts such as the Concert Preview: Wagner, Colomer and Bruckner — an Evening Between Force and Nuance.

Practical info: it starts at 8:00 PM, tickets cost €25 and are available via the museum website as well as at the box office. Visitors are advised to arrive a little earlier to experience the garden at the changing light and to have a drink before the concert.

What does this mean for Mallorca? Formats like this show that the island is not just beach and sun, but also places where culture happens in everyday life — accessible, approachable and connected to local life. Local musicians meet a mixed audience here: residents, holidaymakers, people who value culture as part of their weekend. It is a small but effective sign of cultural vibrancy outside the big festivals, a contrast to larger-scale openings such as the Brilliant Season Opening: OSIB Between Intimacy and Storm – an Evening That Resonates.

Anyone looking for an evening of fine chamber music and a special atmosphere will find exactly that on Saturday in Sóller. And for what may come afterwards: more encounters like this, more programmes that rethink the island's spaces — that is the small impulse such an evening can give.