With a population just short of three and a half million in the city and seven million in its surrounding region, Madrid offers an ever-increasing range of options for enjoying live music of all kinds. From theatres and concert halls to public libraries, conservatoires and schools, and even private clubs, you’re sure to find something to suit you near your home or your favourite spot in the city.
Madrid’s epicentre of opera is situated in the Austrias district, the oldest part of Madrid: the Teatro Real, one of Europe’s most important opera houses and the Opera Company of the Year at the 2021 Opera Awards. The Teatro Real stages both its own and brought in productions; it puts on major operatic works ranging from Handel to Shostakovich, the occasional rarity, and a certain amount of contemporary opera, including some world premieres. The Teatro Real commands a beautiful, spacious square – the Plaza de Oriente – with gardens and upmarket terrace bars, directly opposite the Royal Palace. Several urban renovations to the theatre and development projects in the surrounding area have taken place since the original theatre was built, following the demolition of the Teatro de los Caños del Peral, which stood between 1738 and 1818. It is well worth taking the behind the scenes tour, which will give you an insight into the workings behind an opera or dance production and, in particular, how they manage to work on several productions at once in such a constrained space.
Also in the Austrias district is the Teatro de la Zarzuela, which is unique in the world for its focus on the Spanish genre from which it takes its name. The zarzuela’s origins date back to the 17th century; it’s a form in which spoken dialogue alternates with sung or instrumental music. In its broadest sense, the genre also encompasses operettas, revues and sainetes (short music theatre “morsels”, often farcical). The Teatro Real and the Teatro de la Zarzuela are the also the main places to see ballet, with productions from leading European companies as well as the domestic Spanish Compañía Nacional de Danza and the Ballet Nacional de España.
The second key centre of classical music in Madrid is the Auditorio Nacional, which opened its doors in 1987. It was designed by José María García de Paredes, the architect of many of Spain's most inportant halls, and it is dedicated to symphonic and chamber music. Its two venues, the Symphony Hall and the Chamber Hall, both boast exceptional acoustics; they host the seasons of Madrid’s leading classical music promoters as well as orchestras such as the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the Community of Madrid Symphony Orchestra. The Auditorio Nacional is also the home of the Spanish National Orchestra, which stages its entire programme here, with symphonic concerts on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as interesting performances by the orchestra’s musicians in a smaller ensemble format, which are almost always held on Tuesdays in the Chamber Hall. The Symphony Hall houses a magnificent organ built in 1990 by the workshop of leading German organ builder Gerhard Grenzing. As well as being used for symphonic and choral works, the Auditorio Nacional often comes to life on Sundays thanks to the successful “Bach Vermut” series, organised by the CNDM, the Spanish government cultural body that promotes, commissions and presents classical and contemporary music throughout the country.
Managed by the regional government, the Community of Madrid, there are several theatres both in the city and the surrounding area, notably the Teatros del Canal, a modern complex dating from 2009 which focuses on avant-garde performing arts. They also serve as a platform for festivals such as Arte Sacro, Suma Flamenca and the Festival de Otoño a Primavera. The town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is home to the Real Coliseo Carlos III, which has had an eventful history from its inauguration in 1771 to its restoration to its current state in 2010 – it's the oldest covered theatre in Spain and the only court theatre still in use. Music is not, for the time being, the most frequently programmed genre, but the venue hosts some of the events in the Festival de Arte Sacro. Usually organised around holy week, this festival stages most of its events in the magnificent Basilica of San Miguel in the Austrias district, bringing us back to the city centre.
The chapel of the Palacio Real is another beautiful venue for both organ concerts and performances by small ensembles, run under the auspices of Spanish National Heritage. Here stands a magnificent Bosch organ, begun by Fernández Dávila and completed by one of his pupils, Jorge Bosch, who was, at the time, the most notable organ builder in Spain. The instrument, which has survived to the present day with hardly any alterations, resounds with the performances of leading Spanish and international organists throughout the year. Early music ensembles round off the programme, alongside choral concerts held in the nearby Chapel of the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales.
On one side of the square separating the Teatro Real from the Royal Palace stands the Reina Sofía School of Music. It boasts the excellent Sony Auditorium, where concerts by the most talented students are staged most weeks. Tickets are sometimes free and otherwise very affordable. These students also take part in the musical programme at the Auditorio del Museo de la Casa de la Moneda, an institution which organises evening performances featuring students from various conservatoires across the region, or as part of the cultural programme at the Real Casino de Madrid. If you’re running late for your appointment at the Casino, don’t worry: next door is the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, where, as well as exhibitions or lectures, you can enjoy a concert by students from the Caterina Gurska Higher Centre and other educational institutions, chamber music groups or vocal recitals.
The Prado Museum is a unique venue which stages unique events. Frequently, it creates a dialogue between pieces of music and the works on display in its galleries, offering a cross-disciplinary approach to both art forms. The Reina Sofía Museum contains a magnificent auditorium in its extension designed by Jean Nouvel, who also designed the Philharmonie de Paris. The playbill usually features contemporary music, with some of the finest performers presenting premieres and works composed in recent decades. The museum also organises musical or performance events linked to specific aspects of its programming.
Two cultural venues of a different sort have a long-standing tradition in Madrid: the Círculo de Bellas Artes and the Ateneo de Madrid. The former is a multidisciplinary centre hosting activities ranging from the visual arts to literature, science, philosophy, cinema and the performing arts. Music features in the "Círculo de Cámara” series, held on Sundays in the exceptional acoustics of the Teatro Fernando de Rojas. The series name translates as "Chamber Circle", and indeed, it presents chamber music recitals featuring some of today’s most notable national and international artists.
The Ateneo offers a range of musical events including concerts by instrumental soloists or chamber ensembles, vocal recitals and flamenco series, as part of an interesting revitalisation programme. Whilst the Círculo de Bellas Artes is an imposing building designed by Antonio Palacios, situated on a wide avenue complete with a terrace and views, the Ateneo is rather the opposite. Its Modernist façade in a narrow street isn't exactly eye-catching, but step into the entrance hall and you'll see the spacious rooms: it's a welcoming setting whose panelled walls and paintings by Arturo Mélida exude history.
Another truly welcoming and unique building is the Juan March Foundation. Its musical programme, which is always free of charge, is curated with particular care and is incredibly varied, ranging from chamber opera and dance to duos, trios and quartets from various periods, as well as premieres and musicological revivals. With the aim of reaching every corner of the city, a percentage of tickets are raffled off, another portion is distributed before the concert, or the performance can be viewed via a live feed in the adjoining hall or from the café. Furthermore, all its content is available on YouTube. Welcome additions to your visit are the regular exhibitions of visual arts, as well as a beautiful and peaceful courtyard featuring sculptures by Gustavo Torner and Martín Chirino.
Also in the northern part of the city, surrounded by buildings, lies a small natural paradise that has been preserved, possibly because it has never changed hands. This is the Olivar de Castillejo, an estate with over 100 olive trees which are centuries old. The foundation that looks after it, established in memory of José de Castillejo (a lawyer and educator who championed the modernisation of educational institutions in Spain), works to preserve this key site from the “Silver Age” of Spanish culture (the early decades of the 20th century). The sounds of the musical programme fill the spaces between the branches almost every summer evening with solo, duet or trio recitals featuring piano, violin, singing, clarinet or even marimba.
With this idyllic image in mind, we draw the curtain – but only briefly, as the variety of performances on stage will keep music lovers satisfied with live music throughout the season.
Translated/adapted from Spanish by David Karlin
