From 31 August to 8 September, Palau, Arzachena, Luogosanto, and La Maddalena transform into an open-air stage featuring music, photography, and the typical flavours of Gallura
Under the artistic direction of the brothers Paolo and Nanni Angeli, the festival reaches its 28th edition with the aim of continuously uniting past and present, landscape and culture, tradition and avant-garde. This year as well, “Isole che Parlano” promises a unique experience for artists and spectators of all ages.
A festival for everyone
A free entry event set to amaze from 31 August to 8 September with meetings, concerts, photographic exhibitions, and tastings, designed to appeal to adults and children alike. With the support of Delphina hotels & resorts, the festival boasts a strong international flavour with some of the most interesting expressions of the avant-garde music scene and performances in the most beautiful locations along the coast and inland Gallura.
Breathtaking locations and culinary delights
The event will be hosted in the centres of Palau, Arzachena, La Maddalena, and Luogosanto, against a backdrop of archaeological sites, natural monuments, beaches, forts, and rural churches. During the festival, there will also be tastings of Sardinian food and wine specialities, offering visitors an authentic taste of local flavours. This is a perfect opportunity to discover Sardinia’s culinary culture and the region’s typical products.
Unmissable events
The festival kicks off on 31 August with a preview “Waiting for Isole che Parlano” in Arzachena with a sunset concert at the Tomba dei Giganti of Coddu Ecchju. A magical atmosphere will welcome the duo Sanem Kalfa & George Dumitriu, voice and viola or electric guitar, spanning various styles and genres from bossa nova to Middle Eastern music.
On Sunday 1 September, the festival moves to the countryside of Luogosanto at the archaeological site of Palazzo di Baldu, hosting Raffaele Matta, who will perform with a new album born from the trio’s experiences in India during a tour that took them from north to south, also touching Thailand and Vietnam.
After the preview, Isole che Parlano di musica continues with a rich calendar of concerts until 8 September. Punta Tegge in La Maddalena, Cala Martinella, Batteria Talmone, Porto Faro, the rural church of San Giorgio, and the natural monument of Roccia dell’Orso in Palau are just some of the locations where internationally renowned artists will perform in a journey that follows the oral tradition of Eastern Europe, passing through the Iberian Peninsula and moving up through the Balkans to the East and North Africa.
There are also many workshops designed for children and young people at the Montiggia Cultural Centre in Palau, including those on sound graphics, kinetic sculpture, percussion, and musical instrument construction. In addition, there are activities exploring the ancient history of Palau, such as visiting the Li Mizzani Tomb of the Giants or attending a selection of animated short films on the beach of Palau Vecchio.
On Saturday 7, against the backdrop of the rural church of San Giorgio, the concert “Il primo canto” will take place, featuring Sanem Kalfa, a Turkish singer who blends jazz, improvisation, and world music in a powerful amalgam of emotions. The same day, also not to be missed is “Di Granito” – Traditional music between sacred and profane. The annual appointment with Canto a Tenore, one of the oldest polyvocal forms in the Mediterranean, is renewed, hosting the Tenore Santa Rosulia de Benetutti (Sardinia) and Tenore Santu Franziscu de Alà (Sardinia) in the evocative location of Roccia dell’Orso in Palau.
The much-anticipated sunset concert returns on the natural stage of Cala Corsara on the island of Spargi in the Archipelago of La Maddalena. The protagonist of this edition is Yegor Zabelov, a Belarusian accordionist. His music is an experimental mix of ambient, avant-garde jazz, and neoclassical, where the accordion becomes an instrument for creating mystical experiences.
For photography enthusiasts, on Thursday 5 September, in the spaces of the Polivalenti halls of the Montiggia Cine Theatre, the exhibition “Sguardo di Frontiera” by the recently deceased photojournalist Ivo Saglietti will be presented. A three-time winner of the World Press Photo, the exhibition will include sixty-one images divided into nine thematic focuses, offering a journey through his professional and human path.
