The theater has been on this site for a long time - since 1708. True, small. It was demolished in 1735 and a new, more luxurious theater was built. But the build failed. ground water eroded the foundation. In 1816, the chief architect of Madrid, Antonio Lopez Aguado, on behalf of the mayor's office of Madrid, began the project of the future Royal Theater. But on different reasons construction was delayed and the theater was opened only in November 1850, just in time for the name day of Queen Isabella II, who was considered a big fan of opera art.
Directly opposite the Royal Palace in Madrid, on the Plaza de Oriente, is the building of the Royal Theater (Teatro Real), a solid building, moreover, another 24 meters underground.
The first performance that was shown on new stage, became Donizetti's "Favorite". It seemed that the theater, which received a magnificent building, would develop, taking its rightful place among the opera houses of Europe, but politics intervened. Stormy political life left no place for the muses: the parliament sat in the building, gunpowder was stored in it, and even a barracks was built.
Endless restructuring, changing the architectural appearance of the building, deprived it of any architectural style. In 1966 it housed the National Orchestra and Chorus of Spain, but in 1977 the building was recognized historical monument, A Royal Theater again became what it was originally intended to be - the opera house.
Auditorium The Royal Theater is decorated in red and gold colors, it can accommodate 1746 people. The hall has 28 boxes on different floors, as well as a royal bunk box. The hall and other rooms of the theater are decorated with valuable sculptures and paintings that belong to the national treasure of Spain.
The luxurious foyer, decorated with paintings and rich chandeliers, is covered with custom-made carpets. There is a restaurant on the second floor, the ceiling of which displays the night sky over the city. In the hall where the restaurant is now located, Queen Isabella II used to give balls. There is also a cafe on the sixth floor in the building, with a magnificent view of the Royal Palace.
New artistic director theatre, Belgian Gerard Mortier, who previously headed the Paris Opera, believes that in the next few years the Royal Theater of Madrid will be able to take its rightful place among the best opera houses in Europe. “Madrid owns one of the best theater buildings in the world,” says Mortier. - The theater is superbly equipped technically, which opens up room for experimentation, the stage allows you to change the scenery in front of the audience, almost instantly. Both the hall and the stage are large enough, but retain a certain intimacy.” Mortier intends to cooperate extensively with other leading theaters in Europe, including Bolshoi Theater Moscow.
Among the sights of Madrid, it is impossible not to mention its theaters. The oldest of the Madrid theaters is located in the Plaza de Santa Ana - Teatro Español . In the 16th century, on the site of the modern theater building, small performances were held under open air. Subsequently, it was decided to build a building and on September 21, 1583, the Prince Comedy Theater was opened. In 1849, it was renamed the Teatro Espagnol and retains this name to this day. The building has been rebuilt several times, the last expansion was in 1995, when new rehearsal rooms and a theater cafe appeared.
The theater can accommodate 763 spectators. The repertoire includes performances of plays by the most outstanding classics Spanish Literature such as Federico Garcia Lorca or Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
- Address: Calle del Principe, 25, 28012 Madrid
- Website: teatroespanol.es
One of the most important in Spain and Europe today is the Royal Theater (Teatro Real de Madrid). The theater is located on the Plaza de Oriente in front of the Royal Palace and is also one of the most emblematic monuments of the city.
Since the opening of the Royal Theater in 1850, due to various political events in the country, it has hosted not only theatrical performances, but also the meetings of Parliament, it was a powder warehouse and even barracks. It was not until October 11, 1997 that it was reopened as opera house.
The auditorium for up to 1854 people is equipped with maximum comfort for the public. It houses 28 boxes on different floors and a two-tier royal box. The floor for the public consists of four halls, decorated unique paintings and sculptures that constitute the national treasure of Spain. The stage area has an area of 1430 square meters, where the most complex changes of scenery are carried out.
At the time of the last revival of the theater, two works by Manuel de Falla were staged - the ballet "Cocked Hat" and the opera "Life is Short". Since then, the number of its own performances has been constantly increasing, in addition, the theater hosts productions of the most outstanding foreign groups. The theater premiered, for example, the opera "Cleopatra" by Jules Massenet, where the role of Cleopatra is performed by the famous Spanish singer Montserrat Caballe or a production of Abril's opera "Divine Words" by Anton Garcia with the participation of Placido Domingo.
- Address: Plaza Isabel II, s/n, 28013 Madrid
- Website: www.teatro-real.com
National Theater of Zarzuela
National Theater Zarzuela (Teatro de la Zarzuela) also has a unique history.
Zarzuela is called Spanish theatrical genre, which combines vocal performances, dancing, conversational dialogues and close to operetta. The genre got its name from the royal residence of Zarzuela, located near Madrid, where the first performance of this genre took place in the 17th century - "Falerina's Garden".
This is a very popular art form in Spain to this day. He is highly regarded for light style performance, spontaneity and improvisation. During the performance, the actors communicate with the audience, as if involving them in the action, which makes the performance especially interesting. Zarzuela reflects many aspects of Spanish life and society: holidays, traditions, legends. Its form can change, responding to current issues of society or using modern genres music.
- Address: Calle de Jovellanos, 4, 28014 Madrid
Royal Opera House in Madrid (Madrid, Spain) - repertoire, ticket prices, address, phone numbers, official website.
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The Royal Opera House (Teatro Real) is the main opera house in Madrid and one of the most popular in Spain, as well as one of the symbols of the city. His productions are frequented The Royal Family, however, tickets are quite affordable for everyone. The theater is located on East Square, directly opposite the Royal Palace.
A bit of history
The Royal Opera House was built in 1850 by order of Queen Elizabeth II. She really wanted the royal court to have its own theater, so she issued a decree so that the construction process would be accelerated, and the theater would be ready in exactly 6 months.
The architects Don Antonio López Aguado and Don Custodio Moreno did an excellent job with their task and in six months they built a hexagonal building with a facade facing the Eastern Square. The theater was built in the image and likeness of other popular European theaters: San Carlo in Naples and La Scala in Milan. In addition to the theater arena, the building has dance halls, salons, a cafe-confectionery, an orchestra and a cloakroom.
The opening of the theater took place on October 10, 1850, on the birthday of Queen Isabella II. On this day, the first opera was staged on the stage of the theater - "The Favorite" (La favoritа) by Donizetti.
The theater building has been rebuilt several times, so there is no single architectural style in it. It first needed repair when it almost collapsed during the construction of the Madrid metro in 1925. Forty years later, the theater was rebuilt into concert hall where the National Orchestra of Spain performed at that time. In 1969, the popular Eurovision Song Contest was held here, and the hall was decorated with works by Salvador Dali. The architect Flores Urdanpilleta insisted that the concert hall be decorated in the pharaonic style, but the money for such large-scale reconstruction was not enough, so I had to be content with a simple restoration.
Another (and this moment the last) reconstruction took place in 1997, after which the theater again became an opera house and solemnly opened with the premiere of the opera contemporary composer Garcia Abril.
Opera House today
Since 1997, the Royal Opera House has remained virtually unchanged. His outer and interior decoration is a combination of several architectural styles at once. The hall accommodates 1854 spectators, of which 28 are VIP boxes and one two-tier royal box with natural gold decor elements.
Despite the fact that this theater is one of the main city attractions, getting here is not difficult at all. For performances that are not the most popular, tickets can be purchased the same day, and they will cost from 9 EUR. Tickets for popular operas and good places will cost more, but also not prohibitive: from 100 EUR. The acoustics in the hall are excellent, so the sound does not depend on the place.
Today in the repertoire of the theater there are works by Verdi "Rigoletto", "Aida" and "La Traviata", Rossini - " barber of seville”, Wagner - “Lohengrin” and others. Concerts are also often held here. popular artists: Sting, Pet Shop Boys, etc.
The Royal Theater Real is an opera and ballet theater and is considered one of the important monuments in the city and cultural institutions in Europe.
It was built by order of King Ferdinand VII on the site of the old Peral Theatre. Due to lack of funds, the construction of the theater lasted from 1830 to 1850. Its construction was led by the Spanish architect Antonio Lopez Aguado, who gave the theater building a unique hexagonal shape. After the death of Antonio López Aguado, the project was taken over by Teodoro Moreno.
The main facade of the theater faces the Piazza de Oriente. Externally, the theater is a three-story gray building, decorated with arches and columns. The second floor is reserved for guest rooms. In the design of the interior, made in the best traditions of the XIX century, participated famous artists and decorators including Eugenio Lucaa and Filastra Humanite-Rene, who worked on the ceilings and curtains.
Royal Theater of Madrid
In 1818, the City Hall of Madrid commissioned the chief architect of the city, Antonio López Aguado, to design the future Royal Theatre. Due to many troubles, the opening of the theater took place only on November 19, 1850, on the birthday of Queen Isabella II, a big fan of opera art. Honor to start opera history theater went to "Favorite" by Donizetti. It seemed that the theater was destined for a brilliant long fate, but the turbulent political life of Spain drove the muses out of these walls for a long time. The temple of music had to be a place for parliamentary meetings, a powder warehouse and even a barracks. But nothing could prevent the theater from taking a prominent place on the Olympus of European opera houses.
Since the theater has been endlessly rebuilt, it does not have a single architectural style. In 1966, after restoration, the Royal Theater opened as a concert hall for the National Orchestra and Chorus of Spain, and later for the Orchestra and Chorus of the Spanish Radio and Television. In 1977, the building was declared a historical monument, and the theater was returned to its original purpose, and since 1997 the Royal Theater has again become what its creators intended - the temple of the opera.
The auditorium of the theater can accommodate up to 1854 people, it has 28 boxes on different floors and a two-tier royal box. The four halls reserved for the public are decorated with rare and valuable paintings and sculptures that constitute the national treasure of Spain.
The art of opera in Spain has deep roots, and although great tradition in terms of creating works of this genre, the Iberian kingdom does not have - all its musical talent the Spanish people sent to create a completely amazing art zarzuela, full incendiary rhythms and charming melodies, in terms of opera, being content with the operas of closely related Italians that are always popular here - the Spaniards have always had a sincere love for vocal art: it is not for nothing that this land has given the world outstanding vocalists, perhaps as many as Italy. Add to this that the action of many operas takes place precisely on the Iberian lands, and in every significant city in Spain, as well as in the Apennines, there is always an opera house - and the picture will be exhaustive: this southern country is no less hospitable home for opera art than Italy, France or Germany.
Tem more surprising fate metropolitan opera house, which does not fit into the logic of the above. The Royal Theater of Madrid, or Teatro Real, has a history perhaps unlike any other opera house Europe.
Knowing the love of the Spaniards for opera, it is not surprising that this art has long lived at the royal court, and under one of the most significant queens Isabella II, an impressive building of gray stone was built on the square of her name, opposite the Royal Palace - the building Royal Opera. In this capacity, the theater existed for three quarters of a century, eminent singers of all nationalities toured on its stage, but first of all, famous Italian and Spanish vocalists.
However, in 1925 the building was closed for reconstruction, which lasted ... more than forty years. At first it was bad with finances in connection with the impending Great Depression, then the revolution and Civil War they did not allow to remember the fate of great art, then the Second World War, in which Spain, although it did not participate, still lived in constant expectation of the need to join it (as you know, Franco supported Hitler and Mussolini, and only preserved neutrality allowed him to sit out his party at the pinnacle of power for a good thirty years). In 1966, the building was nevertheless opened, but not as an opera house, but as a concert hall: the stern caudillo did not really like opera art. Only in 1997 "Real" regained its original status - the life of the opera house resumed.
Over the past decade and a half, Real Madrid has been actively earning a reputation as a metropolitan opera stage. With the coming to power of the well-known theatrical figure of European scale, Gerard Mortier, the process of integration into the European opera space only intensified. Mortier is a supporter of the director's theatre, but he is also the author of non-trivial programs on the Real Madrid stage, the initiator of an unworn repertoire and cooperation with other European opera companies. It was under Mortier that Russian music appeared on the Real Madrid playbill (today there are Boris Godunov, Iolanthe, Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district”), it was under him that modern opera often began to sound here. True, there are costs - the mainstream repertoire at Real Madrid is not rich, especially the operas of Verdi and Puccini were unlucky: as if in spite of the whole world, Mortier wants to develop Real Madrid differently, to follow unbeaten paths ...
