Essential Guide To Music In Madrid
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This page is full of venues where you'll find music in Madrid. You will find several different types of music, including jazz, opera, classical and flamenco, and you'll discover some of the hottest spots to go to listen. You'll also find out here How To Travel To each venue. Some of the bars detailed below attract famous faces, which tells you how good they are.
Madrid Airport Transport
Jazz Music In Madrid
Jazz can be heard in many bars and clubs in Madrid. Aficionados will find that both legendary and new performers play, and even if you're not totally into jazz, I think you'll enjoy the chance to listen. There are three jazz bars recommended by the tourist information centre because they are amongst the most popular.
Café Central
Plaza del Ángel, 10
28012 Madrid, España.
Tel: +34 91 369 4143
Metro: Sol (Red Line, L2)
Daily performances: 20:00 - 22:00
You'll find both jazz and blues in this bar. Las Huertas is an excellent street at night time and gets filled with people. It's also central so it's easy to find transport back to your accommodation at any time.
Opera Music in Madrid
Opera fans will love Madrid. In a city that has a whole square named 'Opera', you can't fail to find an excellent variety of performances. The three main theatres that show opera performances are:
Teatro Pradillo
Calle de Pradillo, 12
28002 Madrid, España.
Metro: Concha Espina
(Purple Line, L9)
Teatro Real
Plaza de Isabel II
28013 Madrid, España.
Metro:
Opera (Red Line, L2)
Círculo de Bellas Artes
Alcalá, 42
28014 Madrid, España.
Metro: Banco de Espana (Red Line, L2)
The shows change regularly so the best thing to do is check with either the theatre directly, or the tourist information service.
For the tourist information call
Tel: +34 91 360 5400
The unique thing about going to see opera in Madrid is that Madrid has its own unique form of opera called zarzuela. It is similar to operetta in genre but is all about Spanish life and it is humorous. Most zarzuela's incorporate music from renowned composers. Try visiting Teatro de la Zarzuela.
Teatro de la Zarzuela
Calle de Jovellanos, 4
28014 Madrid, España.
Metro: Banco de Espana (Red Line, L2).
Classical Music
Classical music in Madrid is easy to find. If you visit the tourist information centre in the Plaza mayor, they will be able to give you details of more than 8 theatres where classical music is performed.
Metro: Sol (Red Line, L2) Plus 5 minutes walk.
Every level of classical music performance is covered from local musicians, to symphony orchestras. A friend of mine went to a concert at the Teatro Real to hear the Castilla y Leon Symphony Orchestra, and he loved it. He said that the acoustics in this theatre are particularly good.
Flamenco Music
Madrid is the capital of flamenco music nowadays. You can see flamenco festivals here that attract some of the biggest artists, and in between festivals there are always 'tablaos' or flamenco bars that have live acts. Many of these 'tablaos' are surprisingly good. People will tell you that the essence of flamenco is its spontaneity and therefore a rehearsed show is not flamenco, but I know a bit about flamenco and I would still recommend the following:
Some of the most talked about 'tablaos' are:
Casa Patas, Flamenco en Vivo
Calle de los Cañizares, 10
28012 Madrid, España.
Tel: +34 91 369 0496
Metro: Anton Martin (Light Blue Line, L1)
You can eat here as well as there is a restaurant that serves typical Mediterranean food. On Friday's and Saturday's there are two shows.
Café de Chinitas
Calle Torija, 7
28013 Madrid, España.
Tel: +34 91 547 1501
Metro: Santo Domingo (Red Line, L2)
Live Flamenco Show
Start times: 20:15 - 22:00, 22:30 - 00:00 Midnight
The Chinitas venue is closed on Sundays but the rest of the week it has good live flamenco.
Music In Madrid Offers Variety
You'll find everything from flamenco and jazz, to rock n roll and pop in Madrid. The venues detailed above give you a taster of what is available. Always keep a look-out for flyers in bars and hotels that will tell you about live performances and new venues. There are many theatre shows and musicals to choose from.