Madrid Symphony Orchestra facts for kids

The Madrid Symphony Orchestra (in Spanish, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid) is a famous group of musicians based in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. This orchestra first started playing music in 1903.

The orchestra played its very first public concert on February 7, 1904. It was led by a conductor named Alonso Cordelás at the Teatro Real. The next year, Enrique Fernández Arbós became the orchestra's conductor. He stayed with them for over 30 years! The orchestra played a lot of Spanish music. They also performed music by composers from other European countries.

Some very famous musicians, like Igor Stravinsky and Richard Strauss, even conducted this orchestra. The Madrid Symphony Orchestra was the first to perform some well-known pieces. These included Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain (in 1916) and Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto (in 1935).

Challenges and Changes

During the Spanish Civil War, it was very hard for the orchestra to keep playing concerts. After the war, in June 1939, Arbós passed away. Many musicians had to leave Spain because of the new government led by General Francisco Franco. The conductor Enrique Jordá helped keep the orchestra going until 1945, when World War II ended.

From 1958, the orchestra often played for Spanish comic operas called zarzuelas. They also traveled a lot, performing concerts across Spain and in Portugal and Latin America.

In 1965, a new orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, was formed. This made things a bit difficult for the Madrid Symphony Orchestra. They spent a lot of their time playing for the Teatro de la Zarzuela. In the 1970s, they made many recordings of zarzuelas and Spanish operas. These recordings were very good, but it meant they had less time for regular orchestral concerts.

After Franco's death, the orchestra became the official orchestra for the Teatro de la Zarzuela. Later, a new concert hall called the Auditorio Nacional de Música opened. This gave the orchestra more chances to play orchestral concerts. In 1997, the Orchestra moved from the Teatro de la Zarzuela to the Teatro Real. They are expected to stay there at least until 2009. The orchestra now has special programs to help young children enjoy music and learn to play instruments.

Today, the orchestra is led by Jesús López Cobos.

Principal Conductors of the Orchestra

• Alonso Cordelás (1903–1904)
• Enrique Fernández Arbós (1905–1939)
• Enrique Jordá (1940–1945)
• Conrado del Campo (1946–1950)
• José María Franco (1951–1958)
• Vicente Spiteri (1958–1977)
• Luis Antonio García Navarro (1999–2001)
• Jesús López Cobos (2002–present)

See also

In Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid para niños