Art of the Canary Islands
Monument lovers may be a bit disappointed in the Canary Islands. There are more miracles created by the forces of nature on the islands than by the hand of man, that's why, apart from a few nice cities, you should rather not focus on classic sightseeing.
Architecture
All major architectural styles in Europe arrived on the islands with some delay, that is why you can find baroque buildings here, neo-gothic, neoclassical, but also combining several different styles.
The first buildings, erected by European settlers, it is mainly coastal castles and fortresses, to protect them from pirate attacks. Along with the conquistadors, colonial architecture appeared on the islands, which combines Andalusian influences, Galician and Portuguese. Traditional popular and rural architecture vary from island to island, although the main motif are the settlements of white houses with flat roofs and green shutters in the villages and rich city properties, which are distinguished by characteristic wooden balconies (canary balcony) outside and in the inner courtyards (canary patio).
Undoubtedly, the most important figure of contemporary Canarian architecture is Cesar Manriąue from Lanzarote, which put special emphasis on maintaining harmony with the environment. The futuristic auditorium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is an icon of contemporary architecture, designed by the famous Spanish architect Santiaga Calatrava, oraz Alfredo Kraus Auditorium w Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Music and dances
Who expects to hear flamenco in the Canary Islands, this one will not be disappointed. They are performed mainly during special shows for tourists, though you have to admit, that traditional Canarian music contains elements of music from southern Spain. Generally speaking, it's a mixture of Portuguese influences, Spanish and Latin American with elements of Guanche culture, who, according to chroniclers, attached great importance to singing. Most of the traditional songs and dances are performed to the accompaniment of flutes, drums and fint ple – traditional instrument, looking like a small four-string guitar. Several different dances are performed on the islands, e.g.. isa,folia i tajaraste – The dancers from El Hierro make an extraordinary impression, who, on the occasion of major religious holidays, present a dance of rhythmic jumps to the sound of drums.
Several important and interesting festivals take place in the Canary Islands throughout the year. Music lovers will enjoy the Festival de Mósica de Canarias (Canary Music Festival; www.festivaldecanarias.com; I-III), as part of which are organized numerous classical music concerts in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, oraz Opera Festival (Opera Festival; www.operalaspalmas.org; II — VI) in Gran Canaria. Tenerife is not lagging behind with its Tenerife Opera Festival (www.auditoriodetenerife.com; IX — XI) The Folk Music Festival of the World is also becoming more and more popular (www.womad.org; XVII), Hundreds of young people come to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Canarias Jazz Festival (www.canariasjazz.com; WE). From 10 The Festival Cine Internacional is organized in Las Palmas (International Film Festival; www.festivaicinelaspalmas.com; III). Information on all festivals can be found at www.canarytours.es (in Spanish) and on the information pages of the individual islands.