The Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid opened on 10 October 1856, the birthday of Queen Isabella II. It was promoted by zarzuela composers such as Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, Joaquín Gaztambide and Cristóbal Oudrid. Architect Jerónimo de la Gándara modelled it on La Scala in Milan, with a horseshoe auditorium and three tiers of boxes. After a fire on 9 November 1909 left only the facade standing, Cesáreo Iradier rebuilt the theatre, which reopened in 1914. While the Teatro Real was closed from 1925 to 1997, it was Madrid's leading opera venue. State-owned since 1963 and a listed monument since 1994, it was restored in 1998. Today it is devoted to zarzuela, Spanish music theatre that alternates spoken and sung scenes; its resident orchestra is the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid.
The Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, opened in 1856, is home to the Spanish zarzuela — a musical genre combining opera, drama, and folk music that is part of Spain's cultural heritage.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Madrid, Spain
More venues in Madrid
- Auditorio Nacional de Música · Multi-genre theatre, Madrid
- Salto Escénico · Theatre, Madrid
- Teatro Real · Opera house, Madrid
More venues in Spain
- Gran Teatre del Liceu · Opera house, Barcelona
- Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía · Opera house, Valencia
- Teatre Nacional de Catalunya · Theatre, Barcelona
- Teatro Arriaga · Opera house, Bilbao
- Teatro de la Maestranza · Opera house, Sevilla