The Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) is an

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain. Located at the

Plaza de Oriente The Plaza de Oriente is a square in the historic center of Madrid, Spain. Rectangular in shape and monumental in character, it was designed in 1844 by Narciso Pascual y Colomer. The square was propagated by King Joseph I, who ordered the demolit ...

, opposite the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

, and known colloquially as ''El Real'', it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts in the country and one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe. The

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

of the Teatro Real was on 23 April 1818, under the reign of King Ferdinand VII, and it was formally opened by his daughter Queen Isabella II on 19 November 1850. It closed in 1925 due to damage to the building and reopened on 13 October 1966 as a symphonic music venue. Beginning in 1991, it underwent major refurbishment and renovation works and finally reopened as an opera house on 11 October 1997 with a floor area of and a maximum capacity of 1,958 seats. Since 1995, the theatre is managed by a public foundation in whose Board of Trustees are represented the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain, the Government of the Community of Madrid and the City Council of Madrid. Since 1998, its principal orchestra is the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. In addition to its regular annual program of opera, dance, concerts and recitals, the theatre has hosted other special events throughout its history, such as the 14th Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, the

25th Goya Awards The 25th Goya Awards were given on 13 February 2011 to honour the best in Spanish films of 2010. ''Black Bread'' (''Pa negre'') by Agustí Villaronga won nine awards, including Best Film and Best Director. Nominees Major awards Other award ...

in 2011 or the Lotería Nacional's Christmas special draw since 2012. The Teatro Real received the "Opera Company of the Year" award at the 2020/21

International Opera Awards The International Opera Awards is an annual awards ceremony honouring excellence in opera around the world. Origins The International Opera Awards was founded in 2013 by Harry Hyman, a UK businessman, philanthropist and supporter of opera, and ...

. The building is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1993.

History

Background

The former Teatro de los Caños del Peral was a theatre, built over an earlier corral de comedias, and opened in 1738 under the reign of King Philip V. It got its name from the nearby

Fountain of the Pear Tree Canals The Fountain of the Pear Tree Canals ('' es, Fuente de los Caños del Peral'') is an ancient fountain discovered buried under the Plaza de Isabel II in Madrid, Spain, in 2009. The name comes from a 13th-century pear tree that shaded the source ...

. The theater was demolished in 1817 to clear the space for the current Teatro Real.

Early years

The current theatre was founded by King Ferdinand VII in 1818, and after thirty-two years of planning and construction, a Royal Order on 7 May 1850, decreed the immediate completion of the "Teatro de Oriente" and the building works were finished within five months. The opera house, located just opposite the Palacio Real, the official residence of the royal family, was finally inaugurated by Queen Isabella II on 19 November 1850, attending the performance of Donizetti's '' La favorite''. The Teatro soon became one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe. For over five decades it hosted the most renowned singers and composers of the time. In the early period, it saw famous opera singers such as Alboni, Frezzolini, Marietta Gazzaniga,

Rosina Penco Rosina Penco (born in Naples in 1823, died in Poretta, near Bologna in 1894) was an Italian operatic soprano. She is most notable for creating the role of Leonora in "Il trovatore" by Verdi in Rome in 1853. Career Rosina Penco sang in operas by R ...

, Giulia Grisi,

Giorgio Ronconi Giorgio Ronconi (6 August 1810 – 8 January 1890) was an Italian operatic baritone celebrated for his brilliant acting and compelling stage presence. In 1842, he created the title-role in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Nabucco'' at La Scala, Milan. Personal ...

Italo Gardoni Italo Gardoni (12 March 1821 – 26 March 1882) was a leading operatic tenore di grazia singer from Italy who enjoyed a major international career during the middle decades of the 19th century. Along with Giovanni Mario, Gaetano Fraschini, Enric ...

, Mario de Candia and

Antonio Selva Antonio Selva (1824 - September 1889) was an Italian operatic bass who had an active international career from the 1840s through the 1870s. He was particularly associated with the works of Giuseppe Verdi. Life and career Born with the name Anton ...

among many others. In 1863,

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

visited the theatre for the Spanish premiere of his ''

La forza del destino ' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...

''. At its peak, in the last quarter of the 19th century, the Teatro hosted world renowned artists such as Adela Borghi, Marie Sasse,

Adelina Patti Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was an Italian 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, and gave her la ...

Christina Nilsson Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, also called Christine Nilsson (20 August 1843 – 22 November 1921) was a Swedish dramatic coloratura soprano. Possessed of a pure and brilliant voice of first three then two and a half octaves tra ...

, Luisa Tetrazzini,

Mattia Battistini Mattia Battistini (27 February 1856 – 7 November 1928) was an Italian operatic baritone, referred to as the "King of Baritones" in multiple publications.Steane, J.B., 1998. Singers of the Century, vol. 2. Amadeus Press, Portland, pp.&nbs ...

Julián Gayarre Sebastián Julián Gayarre Garjón (9 January 1844 in Roncal, Navarre, Spain – 2 January 1890 in Madrid, Spain), better known as Julián Gayarre, was a Spanish opera singer who created the role of Marcello in Donizetti's '' Il Duca d'Alba'' ...

, Angelo Masini,

Francesco Tamagno Francesco Tamagno (28 December 1850 – 31 August 1905) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America.Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages, On 5 February ...

and Enrico Tamberlick. In 1925, the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

of Diaghilev performed in the theatre with the presence of Nijinsky and

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

As a concert hall

In December 1925 a Royal Order ordered its activities to be discontinued owing to the damage that the construction of the

Metro de Madrid The Madrid Metro (Spanish: ''Metro de Madrid'') is a rapid transit system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the 14th longest rapid transit system in the world, with a total length of 293 km (182 mi). Its gro ...

had caused to the building. The government set out to restore it and ordered numerous projects to be drawn out for its renovation, such as that from architect Antonio Flórez Urdapilleta, who proposed a monumental remodeling of the building. However, the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and the post-war financial difficulties prevented the completion of these projects and led to a simple restoration, sponsored by the

Juan March Institute The Instituto Carlos III-Juan March (IC3JM), formerly the Advanced Center for Social Science Studies (CEACS), is a research and postgraduate institute for the social sciences. It is based at the Getafe campus of Carlos III University in the south ...

, and carried out first by the architect Manuel Gonzalez Valcárcel, and later by architects Miguel Verdú Belmonte and Francisco Rodriguez Partearroyo. The theatre reopened on 13 October 1966 as a concert hall as well as the main concert venue for the

Spanish National Orchestra The Orquesta Nacional de España (Spanish National Orchestra) is a symphonic orchestra that is based in Madrid, Spain. History Although the orchestra originated as of 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, it was legally founded in 1940, by the mergin ...

and the

RTVE Symphony Orchestra The RTVE Symphony Orchestra (''Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española''), also known as the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra is a Spanish radio orchestra servicing RTVE, the Spanish national broadcasting network. The O ...

. The reopening was celebrated with a concert of the Spanish National Orchestra, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, in which it was performed

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's '' Symphony No. 9'' –together with the

Orfeón Donostiarra The Orfeón Donostiarra is a concert choir based in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain. History The choir was formed in 1897 in San Sebastián. The first music directors were Miguel Oñate, Luzuriaga and Esnaola. In June 1906 the group was a ...

– and Manuel de Falla's ''Homenajes''. The venue closed for renovations with a last concert by the Spanish National Orchestra on 13 October 1988. From 1867 to 1925 and from 1966 to 1990, the Teatro Real also housed the Madrid Royal Conservatory and the Royal Higher College of Performing Arts.

Remodeling

Starting on 2 January 1991, the house was remodeled to host opera again. The building was completed in late 1995, then the process of technical, administrative, artistic and functional organization began which led to the opening of the theatre by

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

and Queen Sofía on 11 October 1997. The opera program performed at the reopening was ''

El sombrero de tres picos ''El sombrero de tres picos'' (''The Three-Cornered Hat'' or ''Le tricorne'') is a ballet choreographed by Léonide Massine to music by Manuel de Falla. It was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev and premiered in 1919. It is not only a ballet with ...

'' and '' La vida breve'' by Manuel de Falla, which was immediately followed by the world premiere of the opera ''Divinas Palabras'' by

Antón García Abril Antón García Abril OAXS (19 May 1933 – 17 March 2021) was a Spanish composer and musician. He composed many classical orchestral works, chamber and vocal pieces, as well as over 150 scores for film and television. Biography Between 1974 ...

–actually commissioned to open the house– with

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

in the cast. The remodeling was based on the old classical style of opera house with only basic modernization leaving many seats without a view of the stage. A considerable percentage of seats have a limited or zero view of the stage and a live stream of operas and ballets is projected on the upper side walls of the house so that the entire audience can follow the performance regardless of their view of the stage. The theatre reopened with a floor area of , with a stage of and a maximum capacity, depending on the

orchestra pit An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...

, of 1,958 seats.

Productions

The theatre stages around seventeen opera titles and two or three major ballets per annual season, from September to July, both own productions or co-productions with other major opera houses abroad, as well as concerts and recitals. The most popular operas at the Teatro Real have included

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's '' Rigoletto'' with 387 performances, followed by '' Aida'' with 361 and '' Il trovatore'' with 342. Two works by Meyerbeer ''

L'Africaine ''L'Africaine'' (''The African Woman'') is an 1865 French ''grand opéra'' in five acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Eugène Scribe. Meyerbeer and Scribe began working on the opera in 1837, using the title ''L'Africaine'', bu ...

'' –with 268– and ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work suc ...

'' –with 243– have been shown to draw audiences, although the former work has not been performed since the 1920s, being no longer considered mainstream repertory. Donizetti's ''

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...

'' has been given some 218 performances since its debut in the house in 1919.

World premieres

In addition of the world premiere of ''Divinas Palabras'' by Antón García Abril, the Teatro Real has staged another sixteen world opera premieres since its reopening: ''Don Quijote'' by

Cristóbal Halffter Cristóbal Halffter Jiménez-Encina (24 March 1930 – 23 May 2021) was a Spanish classical composer. He was the nephew of two other composers, Rodolfo and Ernesto Halffter and is regarded as the most important Spanish composer of the gener ...

(2000), ''La señorita Cristina'' by

Luis de Pablo Luis de Pablo Costales (28 January 1930 – 10 October 2021) was a Spanish composer belonging to the generation that Cristóbal Halffter named ''the Generación del 51''. Mostly self-taught as a composer and influenced by Maurice Ohana and Max ...

(2001), ''Dulcinea'' by

Mauricio Sotelo Mauricio Sotelo (born 2 October 1961 in Madrid) is a Spanish composer and conductor. Sotelo began his musical studies as a self-taught player of the guitar, and later at the Real Conservatorio de Música de Madrid. In 1979 he moved to Vienna to s ...

(2006), ''El viaje a Simorgh'' by

José María Sánchez-Verdú José María Sánchez-Verdú (born 1968 in Algeciras) is a Spanish composer. Sánchez-Verdú graduated in ''Orchestra Conducting, Musicology and Composition'' at Madrid's Royal Conservatory and has a degree in Law from Universidad Complutense ...

(2007), ''Faust-Bal'' by

Leonardo Balada Leonardo Balada Ibáñez (born September 22, 1933) is a Catalan American classical composer, who is noted for his operas and orchestral works. Life Balada was born in Barcelona, Spain. After studying piano at the Conservatori Superior de Mús ...

(2009), ''La página en blanco'' by Pilar Jurado (2011), ''

The Perfect American ''The Perfect American'' is an opera in two acts composed in 2011–12 by Philip Glass. It is an adaptation of the Peter Stephan Jungk novel, ', a fictional work that re-imagines Walt Disney in his later years as a power-hungry racist. It was co ...

'' by

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

(2013), ''

Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by O ...

'' by

Charles Wuorinen Charles Peter Wuorinen (; June 9, 1938 – March 11, 2020) was an American composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City. He performed his works and other 20th-century music as pianist and conductor. He composed more than ...

(2014), ''

The Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

'' by Mauricio Sotelo (2015), ''La ciudad de las mentiras'' by Elena Mendoza (2017), ''El Pintor'' by

Juan J. Colomer Juan José Colomer (born Juan José Revueltas Colomer in Alzira, Valencia, Alzira, Valencia (province), Valencia, Spain, 1966) is a Spanish composer. Personal life Juan Colomer started his music studies at age eight in his local music school, " ...

(2018), ''Je suis narcissiste'' by

Raquel García-Tomás Raquel García-Tomás (born in Barcelona, 1984) is a Spanish composer specialized in multidisciplinary and collaborative creation. In 2020 she was awarded the Premio Nacional de Música in the Composition category, annually granted by the Ministry ...

(2019), ''Marie'' by Germán Alonso (2020), ''Tránsito'' by Jesús Torres (2021), ''El abrecartas'' by Luis de Pablo (2022) and ''Extinción'' by Señor Serrano Group (2022). The company also premiered the first complete staging, with sets and scenography, of Isaac Albéniz's ''

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

'' in 2003 –101 years after its completion–, the first modern revival of Vicente Martín y Soler's ''

Il burbero di buon cuore ''Il burbero di buon cuore'' (''The Good-Hearted Curmudgeon'') is an opera dramma giocoso in two acts by Vicente Martín y Soler. The Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte is based on the French comedy ''Le bourru bienfaisant'' by Carlo Goldoni. ...

'' in 2007 and ''Poppea e Nerone'', a new orchestration for a modern chamber orchestra of

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

's '' L'incoronazione di Poppea'', by

Philippe Boesmans Philippe Boesmans (17 May 1936 – 10 April 2022) was a Belgian pianist, composer and academic teacher. He studied to be a pianist at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, and was self-taught as a composer, influenced by the Liège Group of Henri Pou ...

in 2012.

Bicentenary

The Teatro Real celebrated its bicentenary with a special programme from 2016 through 2018. One of the operas featured was Bellini's '' I puritani'', a co-production with the Teatro Municipal of Santiago, Chile. A performance of this work was streamed in July 2016 via the Teatro Real's Facebook page, an example of the theatre extending its reach by digital services. The event was also relayed to a number of venues and was a national trending topic on Twitter. The same production has been performed by the company –including orchestra and chorus– in August 2017 at the

Savonlinna Opera Festival Savonlinna Opera Festival ( fi, Savonlinnan oopperajuhlat) is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's Castle), built in 1475. The castle is located amid spectacular lake ...

Company

Since 1998, the principal orchestra of the Teatro Real is the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. The current artistic manager is Joan Matabosch, former director of

Gran Teatre del Liceu Gran may refer to: People *Grandmother, affectionately known as "gran" * Gran (name) Places * Gran, the historical German name for Esztergom, a city and the primatial metropolitan see of Hungary * Gran, Norway, a municipality in Innlandet coun ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. The current music director of the company is Ivor Bolton, since 2015. The current principal guest conductors are Pablo Heras-Casado and

Nicola Luisotti Nicola Luisotti (born 26 November 1961, in Viareggio, Italy) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds the title "Director Principal Invitado" (principal guest conductor) of Madrid's Teatro Real. Biography Luisotti grew up in Bargecchia. He ...

. Bolton is scheduled to stand down as music director at the close of the 2024–25 season. In July 2022, the company announced the appointment of

Gustavo Gimeno Gustavo Gimeno (born 1976, Valencia, Spain) is a Spanish conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Biography The son of a clarinetist, Gimeno studied ...

as its next music director, effective with the 2025–26 season, with an initial contract of five years.

Artistic directors (partial list)

Stéphane Lissner Stéphane Lissner (born 23 January 1953) is a French theatre director. He was formerly the director of the Paris Opera. His tenure lasted from 2014 to 2020. Life Born in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, son of a company manager, Lissner is a ...

(1995–1997) *

Luis Antonio García Navarro Luis Antonio García Navarro (30 April 1941 in Chiva, Valencian Community, Spain – 10 October 2001 in Madrid, Spain), was a Spanish conductor. Biography García Navarro was born in Chiva (Spain), and studied in Valencia and the Madrid Royal ...

(1997–2001, artistic and music director) * Emilio Sagi (2001–2005) * Antonio Moral (2005–2010) *

Gerard Mortier Gerard Alfons August, Baron Mortier (25 November 1943 – 8 March 2014) was a Belgian opera director and administrator of Flemish origin. Biography Born in Ghent, the son of a baker, Mortier attended in youth the Jesuit private school Sint-Barbar ...

(2010–2013) (artistic advisor from 2014) * Joan Matabosch (2014–present)

Music directors (partial list)

(1997–2001, artistic and music director) *

Jesús López Cobos Jesús López Cobos (25 February 1940 – 2 March 2018) was a Spanish conductor. Early life and career López Cobos was born in Toro, Zamora, Spain. He studied at Complutense University of Madrid and graduated with a degree in philosophy. La ...

(2003–2010) * Ivor Bolton (2015–present)

Special Events

The Teatro Real has hosted some special events throughout its history. On 29 March 1969,

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

held the at the theatre, featuring an onstage metal sculpture created by surrealist Spanish artist . On 13 February 2011, the

Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain The Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain ( es, Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, links=no) is a professional organisation dedicated to the promotion and development of Spanish cinema. Founded in 198 ...

held the

ceremony at the theatre. Every 22 December since 2012,

Loterías y Apuestas del Estado Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (Spanish language, Spanish for "''State Society for State Lotteries and Bets",'' SELAE) is a Spain, Spanish state-owned company. Assigned to the Spanish Ministry of Finance (Spain), Ministry of Fin ...

holds its Lotería Nacional's Christmas special draw there.

Tours of the building

The Opera House offers daily different types of guided tours, lasting between 50 and 90 minutes and given in various languages. This gives the public the opportunity to learn about the building, including the stage area, the workshops and the rehearsal spaces. Guided tour information
Teatro Real. (in Spanish & English) Retrieved 25 July 2020.

References

External links

Teatro Real official web site

Teatro Real at Google Cultural Institute
{{authority control Entertainment venues in Madrid Opera houses in Spain Theatres in Spain Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid Theatres completed in 1850 Music venues completed in 1850 Buildings and structures in Palacio neighborhood, Madrid