Daniel Barenboim and the Staastkapelle Berlin in Buenos Aires

Daniel Barenboim, the exceptional Argentine-Israeli orchestra director, will conduct the Staatskapelle Berlin in Buenos Aires in the month of June, 2008, performing two concerts. Bruckner Symphonies 7, 8, and 9 and a concert performance of Tristan and Isolde are on the program, among other works by Mahler and Schönberg.

The Wagner opera was originally scheduled to be performed in the newly renovated Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, but due to delays in construction work in the theatre, the performances of the Staatskapelle have been relocated.

The first concert will take place on June 1st, 2008, 7 pm, at Luna Park Stadium (Corrientes Ave. and Bocuhard) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Colon Theater.
Tickets: Ticket Portal

The second concert will take place at Teatro Coliseo on June 2nd, 2008, 8.30 pm.
Tickets on sale at the venue: Marcelo T. de Alvear 1125

More information about the program:

Mozarteum Argentino
Daniel Boreinboim's official website

International Museum Day. May 18th, 2008

Adhering to the International Museum Day, celebrated all around the world on Sunday May 18th, the city of Buenos Aires invites the public to visit the city's museums with free entrance for all, to enjoy the exhibitions and the cultural activities programmed to celebrate that day. The participating museums are:

Centro de Museos de Buenos Aires:
Av. de los Italianos 851, Puerto Madero - 10 am to 7 pm

Museum Casa Carlos Gardel:
Jean Jaurés 735 - Tel.: 4964-2015/2071 - 10 am to 7 pm

Spanish Art Museum Enrique Larreta:
Av. Juramento 2291 - 10 am to 1 pm, and 3 pm to 8 pm

Museum of Spanish-American Art Fernadez Blanco:
Suipacha 1422 - 2 pm to 7 pm

Museum of Popular Art Jose Hernandez:
Av. del Libertador 2373 - 10 am to 8 pm

Museum of Plastic Arts Eduardo Sivori:
Av. Infanta Isabel 555 (in front of the Rose Garden Bridge, Tres de Febrero Park) - 10 am to 6 pm

City Museum (Museo de la Ciudad):
Defensa 219 / 223. Alsina 412 - 11 am to 7 pm

Historical Museum of Buenos Aires Cornelio Saavedra:
Crisólogo Larralde 6309 - 10 am to 8 pm

For more information, visit Museos de Buenos Aires website.

International Show Jumping Competition "Sol de Mayo" 2008

The annual show jumping competition Sol de Mayo World Cup will take place this year from May 15th to May 18th, at Club Hipico Buenos Aires, with the participation of the best national and international riders. This is one of the most important events in the annual show jumping calendar in Argentina.

Location: Club Hipico Argentino. Av. Figueroa Alcorta 7285
Hours: 9 am to 6 pm
Free entrance

Puma Urban Art - Street art exhibition

Puma Urban Art will be the meeting point for the best national and international urban artists to exhibit their newest ideas. It will be an original event, dedicated to contemporary art and the new trends on street art around the world.

The event will feature different and attractive exhibitions, like vinyl toys, live painting, stencil, graffitti, stickers, with the presence of renowned artists like Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Alexandre Orion, and Pfadfinderei. There will also be spaces for the active participation of the public, and music shows by artists like DJ Swamp (world champion of skratch and turntablism, and DJ of Beck and Morcheeba), as well as the best national alternative and hip hop bands.
With this event Puma celebrates its 60 years of existence, with a party that aims to extend to the general public the artistic trend that is growing all over the world: the urban art.

Dates: May Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th, 2008
Location: Auditorio Buenos Aires, Av. Pueyrredón 2501, Recoleta
Hours: 12 pm to 12 am.
Free entrance

Monuments of Buenos Aires: Spaniard's Monument

This is in my opinion one of the most beautiful monuments in Buenos Aires, not only for its magnificence, but also for its location, in the intersection of two wide boulevards: Avenue del Libertador and Avenue Sarmiento in Palermo.

Its real name is "Magna Carta and the Four Argentine Regions", but everybody knows it as "El monumento de los Españoles" (The Monument to the Spaniards). It was donated in 1910 by the Spanish community for the centenary of the May Revolution. But the construction suffered several problems. The first sculptor and winner of the design contest, Agustin Querol, died in 1909, and his creation had to be continued by another artist, Cipriano Folgueras, who also died shortly after. The work was even more delayed when the Spanish ship which brought the bronze pieces sunk on March, 1916 in the Brazilian coast, and replicas had to be ordered to Spain, which were finished in 1918. The monument was finally inaugurated on May 25, 1927.

The monument is made on a 24.5 meters high Carrara marble column, and symbolizes those things Argentina has in common with Spain (language, religion, work and lineaje). It is crowned by an enormous statue that represents the Republic or the Constitution, and raised over a fountain surrounded by groups of sculptures that represent Labour, and the regions of The Andes, The Plata, The Pampa, and Chaco.

Pete Sampras vs David Nalbandian in Buenos Aires

Pete Sampras, former number 1 world tennis player, will visit Argentina for the first time to play an exhibition match against the best Argentine player of the moment, David Nalbandian, currently seventh at the ATP, at Luna Park Stadium. They will play a 3 set match, on a synthetic carpet surface.
"Desafio de Maestros" (Masters' Challenge) is the name of the event, that is part of a benefical tour that Pete Sampras is carrying around the globe. In Buenos Aires "Pistol" Pete will visit a Children's Cancer Foundation.

Date: May 20th, 2008, 9 pm
Location: Luna Park Stadium. Ave. Corrientes & Bouchard, Buenos Aires
Tickets: Ticket Portal
Desafio de Maestros Official Website

arteba'08 Contemporary Art Fair

arteBA Contemporary Art Fair, is the most popular cultural event in the city of Buenos Aires and the most important one of its kind in Latin America. This is when the galleries display their best Latin American artworks, offering the general public the chance to come face to face with truly unique collectors’ pieces. It is also an opportunity for the newer art centers from all over the region to present their younger artists and reveal the very latest trends, which are simply absent from other art fairs. 83 contemporary art galleries from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Perú, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela, and from Spain, France and United States, will be participating in the fair.

The Open Space section in arteBA’08 aims at promoting the participation of renowned artists whose large format works could not be exhibited in the more reduced space of a stand. Priority is on the side of those works produced within the past five years. One of the essential goals of the Open Space area is offering the local and international range of art collectors installations and large format works.

arteBa will be the perfect frame for the official launching of the book "Arte Contemporáneo Argentino. Artistas por Artistas" (Argentine Contemporary Art. Artists by artists). The book records the artwork of 30 different artists of our country, that are between 20 and 40 years of age, and therefore, it is a valuable contribution to the promotion and documentation of their work.

In 2007 MacStation Apple Center launched the Paradigma Digital Prize, considered among one of the best national prizes to be awarded in this field. The artists to be awarded have been publicly announced last November 2007 and MacStation will have a space at arteBA'08 to show these artworks. There will be a special act to grant the prizes to the winning artists of this current edition. There will be a catalogue so the public can get acquainted with the Prize.

arteBA Foundation called for the fifth edition of arteBA-Petrobras Prize for the Visual Arts. Each one of the eight selected projects will be awarded the amount of $ 7,000 to be used for its realization and exhibition at arteBA `08 Contemporary Art Fair. Having been exhibited at the Fair, a second International Jury will award the First Acquisition Prize -a sum of $ 30,000 (thirty thousand pesos)- and the Second Non-Acquisition Prize –a sum of $10,000 (ten thousand pesos). The prizes will be awarded once the in situ installation of the works is completed. All these eight projects show a diversity of materials and means of realization plus different perceptual and imaginary levels.

arteBA’08 celebrates the creativity and talent of three Argentine vanguard artists: Gyula Kosice (1924), Enio Iommi (1926) and Clorindo Testa (1923) -an event curated by Ana Martínez Quijano. The tribute is paid to the creativity and talent of three vanguard artists who built up a set or art works that are essential to the history of Argentine modern art and whose activity has not ceased but continues with plenty of energy. There will be a special space devoted to each of these artists. Visitors to the arteBa fair will receive some literature with the history and work of these artists who, during the fair, will also exchange their ideas with the public.

Dates: May 29th to June 2nd, 2008
Opening times: every day, from 1 pm to 10 pm
Entry fee: AR$ 20. Children under 12, free. American Express card holders: 2x1
Location: La Rural, Predio Ferial de Buenos Aires, Pabellones Azul y Verde, Av. Sarmiento 2704
arteba'08 website

Recommended Concerts and Music Festivals in May 2008, Buenos Aires

May 1st:
Groove Armada: the popular English electronic duo, Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, for the first time in Argentina.
9.00 pm. Costa Salguero, Pavilions 1 and 2
Av. Rafael Obligado y Jeronimo Salguero
Tickets: TopShow

May 2nd:
Bob Marley Day Festival: the third edition of the most important reggae festival in the country. This time the show is called "Tosh Meets Marley", with the presentation of the group Fully Fullwood, with musicians from Peter Tosh's band. Junior Marvin, original guitar player of Bob Marley & Thge Wailers. will present themes from his new CD "Waiting for Love".
8.30 pm. Luna Park stadium. Corrientes & Bouchard
Tickets: Ticket Portal

May 3rd:
Enrique Iglesias: the Spanish singer, once again in Argentina.
9.30 pm. Luna Park stadium. Corrientes & Bouchard
Tickets: Ticket Portal

May 3rd and 4th:
Charles Aznavour

May 6th and May 13th:
Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro: the group that set a renovation of rock through tango persents its new material and video.
9.00 pm La Trastienda Club. Balcarce 460, San Telmo, Buenos Aires
Tickets: Ticketek Argentina

May 14th:
Whitesnake: the hard rock band of David Coverdale will present his latest album, "Good to be bad".
9.30 pm. Luna Park stadium. Corrientes & Bouchard
Tickets: Ticket Portal

May 17th:
Moonpark: Electronic festival with the presence of Nick Fanciulli, Josh Wink and Martin Garcia, among others.
Costa Salguero, Av. Rafael Obligado y Jeronimo Salguero.
Tickets: Ticketek Argentina

May 28th and 29th:
Megadeth: the metal rock band is back in Argentina.
9.00 pm. Luna Park stadium. Corrientes & Bouchard.
Tickets: Ticket Portal

Buenos Aires Rose Garden - El Rosedal

The Rose Garden (El Rosedal), surrounded by Infanta Isabel, Iraola and Pres. P. Montt avenues, and protected all around by an iron gate, is the heart of the Tres de Febrero park. It was created in 1914 by the landscaper Carlos Thays. The main attractions inside the park are:

The Andalusian Patio: built in 1929 and given away by the city of Seville, Spain.

The Arbor (La Pergola), covered with climbing rose bushes:

The White Bridge, a magnificent construction of wood built over the lake after a design by architect Benito Carrasco in 1914:

The Poet's Garden, with busts in honor to poets from different countries, like William Shakespeare, Alfonsina Storni, Dante Alighieri, Federico García Lorca, Antonio Machado and Jorge Luis Borges, among others.

The artificial lake, with its wooden piers, bridges and amphitheater:

And the Rose Garden itself, in the heart of the park, with its many flower beds which are home to over 12,000 rose bushes of different kinds:

The area around the Rose Garden and its lake is one of the preferred places in the city for open air activities, especially on weekends when it's also possible to enjoy live music, free gym classes, street performers. At the lake, you can hire boats with paddles or pedals. Around the lake, the pedestrian streets are perfect for roller blading, cycling, jogging, or just walking for taking in some fresh air and enjoying nature:

Opening times:Summer: Tuesday to Sundays, from 8 am to 8 pm - MONDAYS CLOSED
Winter: 9 am to 6 pm

Wine Tour Urbano Recoleta

Starting March 14th, 2008, and on the third Friday of April and May, from 7 to 10 pm, Wine Tour Urbano returns to Arenales Street, between Cerrito and Uruguay, with a new wine tasting concept. In every fashion and interior design store on Arenales St., strollers will have the opportunity of tasting a different Argentine winery, while doing some shopping at the same time.
The first date will be dedicated to red wines, with the Malbecs and Merlots of every winery. On April 18th it will be the turn of Syrahs and Cabernets, and on May 16th, wineries will present their best labels.
At the end of the tasting time there will be a special place, "After WTU", for guests to go on with the night.
To participate, buy your Italian crystal glass at the stands on Arenales Street. The cost is AR$ 40 for unlimited samples.
To see pictures of previous events, click here.

"La Gran Via de Mayo": revitalizing Avenida de Mayo

For six weekends, starting April 12th, and through May 18th, 2008, over 200 cultural activities in open air stages, book stores, notable bars, and historical buildings will be part of the program for the revitalizing andvalue enhancement strategy of Avenida de Mayo, called "La Gran Via de Mayo", organized by the City's Government. The main goals of this program are: creating a bond between tourism and culture, celebrating the inheritance of Spanish culture in Buenos Aires, promote Tango in the avenue, and make visitors know the value of notable bars on the Avenue.
Free guided visits in Spanish and English to the Governmental Palace and Casa de la Cultura, exhibitions, tango and flamenco shows, Celtic and Spanish folk dances, lyric and symphonic concerts, theatrical plays, Changing of the Guard at the Cabildo, book fairs, are just some of the activities planned every weekend from 11 am to 11 pm. The avenue will remain closed to the traffic during weekends and will be only pedestrian to allow street performances and the installation of tables in the street.
La Casa de la Cultura; the Café Tortoni; Bar Los 36 Billares; Bar Iberia; Cantares, Tablao Flamenco; La Clac; Restaurant El Avila; the London City; the Avenida Theater, the bookstores El Túnel and El Ventanal, Hotel Castelar, among others, will be the protagonists of this celebration, that every weekend will also feature two open air stages: one facing Casa de la Cultura (Av. de Mayo 575) and the other on Avenida de Mayo and Salta.
Information of the event can be found at Tourist Information centers, line A of subway, shops on Avenida de Mayo, Academia del Tango, Cafes and Notable bars, Asociacion Amigos de la Avenida de Mayo, and Spanish associations.

34th Buenos Aires International Book Fair

The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is the largest of its kind in the Spanish speaking world. It is considered as one of the most important cultural and editorial events in Latin America, and as a meeting point for authors, editors, book sellers, distributors, teachers, librarians, scientists, and over 1,200,000 readers from around the world.

Just as in last year's edition, the Fair will occupy the whole of the 45,000 sqm of La Rural exhibition complex, in its "Ocre", "Azul", "Verde", "Amarillo", "Rojo", "Blanco", and Nº 9 pavilions.
The Fair runs conferences, round-tables, talks with prestigious national and international intellectuals, book presentations, shows, activities for children and teenagers, events for specialists and publishing professionals, and book sales of literature in all languages.
The special activities this year include: a Book Reading Marathon; the 3rd International Poetry Festival; the International Meeting "The space of the reader"; a Story-telling meeting; the cooking course "Pleasures and flavors", with the participation of authors-cooks, who will prepare their favorite dishes and cocktails for the public, every day at 6 pm.
There will also be art and photographic exhibitions at the different areas of the Fair.
Other countries, international organisms and communities are represented by their respective publishing industries, the presence of their intellectuals, and their own folk music and dance. As traditional, the participating countries celebrate their own day at the Fair. The countries present this year are: Germany, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Korea, Cuba, Denmark, El Salvador, Slovenia, Spain, United States, Finland, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, México, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Argelia, Bahreim, Egypt, Irak, Comoros Islands, Jordania, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Siria, Somalia, Sudan, Túnez, Yemen, Yibuti, Panamá, Paraguay, Portugal, Sweden, Ucrania, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the United Nations.
On Wednesday April 30th, the fair will stay open from 2 pm to 2 am, celebrating "The night of the city at the fair". On that date the entrance will be free after 9 pm.

Location: La Rural Exhibition Center, Ave. Santa Fe and Sarmiento, Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Dates: April 24th through May 12th, 2008

Opening hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 2 pm to 10 pm
Friday and Saturday: 2 pm to 11 pm
Wednesday April 30th: 2 pm to 2 am

Entry fee:
Monday to Thursday: AR$ 8.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and May 1st (holiday): AR$ 10
Children under 12, free (except May 1st).
Wednesday April 30th, after 9 pm: free.

For further information, visit the 34th International Buenos Aires Book Fair official website (in Spanish only).