Spain is famous for the art of opera. A lot of places here offered inspiration for compositors and nowadays cities provide the perfect features and precious venues for the performance of national and international plays. If you are passionate about these classical music performances you should definitely visit the venues of Sevilla, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Bilbao.

Source: Spain Premium Magazine

Sevilla:

Some of the most famous interprets of internationally popular operas have been inspired by this beautiful Andalusian city, therefore it is also known as the “city of opera”. The character Don Juan Tenori, for example was created by Beaumarchais and influenced the operas of Mozart and Rossini.

Teatro de la Maestranza

Presenting the first performance in 1991 and hosting the Sevilla expo one year later, the theatre Teatro de la Maestranza gained a lot of cultural and touristic importance for the city. The programme does not only include worldwide known operas, but also symphonic concerts, soloist recitals, international stars, classical ballet, modern dance, flamenco and chamber music. In the year 2005 the building got refurnished and equipped with the most modern techniques to assure the high quality of the performance. Due to the renovation it is nowadays considered as a state-of-the-art theatre.

Source: a.i

Barcelona:

The capital of Catalunya, Barcelona is famous around the world due to a wide variety of different offers. One of it, is it’s exceptional architecture, which is also reflected in its theatres Gran Teatre del Liceu and Palau de la Musica Catalana.

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Built in 1847 by the architect Miquel Garriga i Roca, it is one of the oldest and most important opera house worldwide. Reconstructed with the old plans after a big fire in 1994, it is now certified with ISO-14001 standards for the environmental Management system. You can visit it during a tour or enjoying one of the famous operas, dance performances or symphonic music.

Palau de la Musica Catalana

The incomparable theatre Palau de la Musica Catalana was designed in Catalan Art nouveau. Marked by sculptures, mosaic, stained glass and ironwork it looks like a magical music box when daylight is shining through the coloured windows. It received the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 because of its stunning design.

Source: Ticketea

Madrid:

Inaugurated in 1850, the Teatro Real got built under the order of Queen Isabel II and is know the most important place for operas in the capital of Spain.

Teatro Real

With the practical situation in the city centre, it has one of the most beautiful locations in Madrid, between the Plaza de Isabel II and Plaza de Oriente in front of the Royal Palace. It has a special importance in Madrid, protecting and promoting the Spanish artistic heritage with its programme including national and international operas, music and dance shows.

Source: Wikipedia

Valencia:

The coastal city in the east of Spain, offers a combination of historic old town and buildings constructed in contemporary art. The theatre Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia is one of its modern flagships.

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia

The Valician architecht Santiago Calatrava designed the theatre in 2005. The idea of Santiago was to reflect water and the sea in a modern style. The building has floating structures surrounded by more than 60.000 square meters of gardens, pathways and 11.000 square meters of water in reflecting pools.

Source: Wikipedia

Bilbao:

Situated in the North of Spain, the capital of the Basque country is known for the Bilbao Association of Friends of the Opera (ABAO-OLBE), which features every year an opera season programme including one of the most famous international performances. The main venue for operas in Bilbao is the Euskalduna conference centre, located in the heart of the city.

Euskalduna conference centre

The building was opened in 1999 and designed by the architects Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios. It won the Enric Miralles award for architecture at the 6th Spanish Architecture Biennial in 2001. Besides operas organized by the association ABAO-OLBE it also hosts different economic, business, academic, political, institutional, social and cultural events and orchestras.

Source: BiDC

Spain is always a good idea, when you are interested in musical culture. The cities above perfectly combine opera performances with the great architecture of the theatres.

With the recently launched opera packages of us you will have the ultimate experience of the most important sites including one of the best operas.