‘We are giving hope to the arts back in Britain’
Operas, concerts, film festivals, exhibitions – culture is flourishing in Madrid despite Covid. Marianka Swain reports
The British arts sector has been offered a glimmer of hope by the Government’s roadmap, with the potential reopening of venues in mid-may heralding a summer of recovery. However, over in Madrid, reopening is old news. Thanks to its comparatively relaxed Covid rules, the Spanish capital has had thriving cultural activity since last summer when arts venues welcomed back visitors.
Unlike in the UK, Spain’s Covid response varies dramatically across the country. There are some national measures in place after their Marchmay 2020 lockdown, including a curfew (from 11pm to 6am) and compulsory mask-wearing on public transport and in indoor public spaces, but otherwise Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, has given sizeable decision-making powers to the country’s 17 autonomous communities. That variation is particularly noticeable in the arts sector – for example, in Castilla-la Mancha, the region next to Madrid, all theatres, cinemas and museums are closed.
“The decision to keep culture open has been a very strong statement from the community of Madrid,” says Joan Matabosch, artistic director of the Teatro Real opera house. “We have no doubt that it has boosted the reputation of the city internationally.”
But this gung-ho attitude has come at great financial cost. The Teatro Real has spent nearly €1million on improving its infrastructure, from ventilation and air purification systems to installing temperature-measuring arches and disinfectant mats at theatre entrances. Regular Covid measures include antibody tests, masks, hand sanitiser, ultraviolet lamps for disinfection, and the use of plexiglass panels.
The chorus is required to wear masks while performing, though the soloists can remove theirs. Under the regional rules, the 1,875-seat venue is allowed up to 75 per cent of its audience capacity, but the Teatro Real has a self-imposed 66 per cent (1,210 seats) cap, says Ignacio Garcíabelenguer, its managing director. There’s a noticeable measure of trust in venue owners to make these decisions for themselves, and he’s grateful for the authorities’ mix of “encouragement” and “understanding”.
The Teatro Real reopened on July 1 2020 and has hosted various shows including a new production of Dvorak’s Rusalka, directed by Christof Loy, and, appropriately enough, an interpretation of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (masked ball). In rehearsal, and due to open next month, is Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, directed by Deborah Warner – who is flying the flag for British opera while our own opera houses remain dormant.
Like so many, Warner saw her 2020 projects cancelled or postponed, so is relieved to be back in a rehearsal room. “This is a big show: big set, big numbers on stage, and huge resources at every turn, so our days can be beset with extraordinary challenges,” she says. That includes a cast of 12, chorus of 60, 20 actors, two children and an 83-strong orchestra. One added challenge has been getting British cast members – including the leading man Allan Clayton – to Spain during the post-brexit visa confusion. “We had to produce a mound of paperwork, from bank statements to three years of tax records, proof of employment and accommodation, and invitation letters from the Ministry of Culture,” says Warner. They had to visit the Spanish Consulate, too.
Stranding artists in this bureaucratic nightmare is “scandalous negligence from the UK negotiators”, says Warner. “It’s a deeply serious moment for our profession with far-reaching consequences, which need to be urgently addressed.”
Mounting such a big production with a capped audience also means “a devastating loss of income”, she says. However, the venue has more resources than most, thanks to the €60 million it receives annually from a combination of public subsidy and private sponsorship. And, “on the plus side”, says Warner, “audience appetite is tremendous”. No doubt it would be in the UK, too, and we can look forward to seeing this Peter Grimes, a co-production with the Royal Opera House, in a future season. For now, says Warner, “I like to think that the fact this is happening at all gives hope to others back home”.
Circulo de Bellas Artes is a multidisciplinary arts centre that hosted the city’s first classical concert post-lockdown in May. Its current offering includes a Banksy exhibition, an American film festival and a children’s theatre festival. Visitors are capped at 66 per cent, though its director, Valerio Rocco Lozano, is confident that they will be running at 100 per cent by autumn. Having welcomed more than half a million visitors from Spain in 2020 (it was a million in 2019), Lozano is pleased that the interest from Spaniards has helped “heal the wound” from the loss of tourism. Many visitors were young people, who saw this as a fun outing while nightclubs remain closed.
Lozano thinks that the importance of the arts to Madrid’s tourism is a significant factor for local authorities, but also argues that “culture’s main mission is giving spiritual and intellectual resources to the public. People in Madrid are happier than anywhere else. We’re doing good work.”
He also says that international colleagues are calling to ask “not just how are we managing it, but can we host this concert they had planned”.
For the city’s museums and galleries, it has been marginally less tough. They are more easily controlled, safer spaces. At the Prado, Spain’s flagship cultural institution, selected works from the permanent collection were rehung in the vast central gallery, and ticket sales reduced from 9,000 a day to about 1,800, with visitors all temperature tested, socially distanced and masked. “We have a responsibility to offer light and hope at the worst of times,” says Carlos Chaguaceda, its head of press. He notes the Prado hadn’t experienced a closure like that “since the Spanish Civil War”.
Usually, 85 per cent of Prado visitors are foreign, but right now, it’s a chance for locals to enjoy its treasures. Naturally, visitor numbers and revenue are down, from
3.3 million (€22 million in ticketing) in 2019 to 800,000 (€3.5 million) in 2020. But Chaguaceda believes it isn’t simply about the sums. He says the Prado wants to offer people “some sense of normality. We have a role to play in society.”
It’s worth noting that, once again, Britain’s cultural venues are involved. A current Prado exhibition,
Mythological Passions, features significant Titian loans from the National Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland and the Wellington and Wallace collections.
Yet, it would be wrong to suggest that Madrid’s cultural scene is enjoying a full renaissance.
The multiplexes are struggling, and some big concerts have gone ahead, but not without criticism. In December, the seasoned Spanish superstar Raphael played to 5,000 fans at the Wizink Center, drawing ire on social media – although organisers were quick to point out that they were operating at a third of the venue’s capacity.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the regional president of Madrid, also weighed in, noting that “more cases are being recorded at private gatherings” than at shows.
Yet, Madrid is a fascinating case study in showing what can be achieved with a mixture of common sense, caution and, yes, artistic passion. As Lozano says, their regional government “had the courage to defend the cultural sector. They believe it’s not just safe for the public, but necessary.”
‘People in Madrid are happier than anywhere else. We are doing good work’