Madrid Brings The Culture This Fall

While it's certainly no secret that Madrid is a major culture capital whose cache extends beyond Spain, sometimes there's so many great options going on that every traveler can find the perfect activity. This fall season is one of those times.

In addition to world-class museum offerings, Madrid will welcome 35 major concerts, including appearances from international stars such as Diana Krall and the Jonas Brothers. The 26th Annual Jazz Festival starts at the end of October and there are plenty of theatre, dance, and family entertainment options going on as well.

Here's the full scoop from the Tourist Office of Spain:

Kicking off September 29 at the Thyssen Bornemisza is a major exhibition of 70 paintings by Henri Fantin-Latour. The Museo del Prado is presenting a show about Maíno, one of the most original and least known 17th century Spanish painters on October 20. One of the most important figures in Croatia’s contemporary art scene, David Maljkovic, will be the subject of a show running through January 18 at the Reina Sofía. The focus is on architecture at the CaixaForum Madrid with a review of Richard Rogers obra running through October 18 and Palladio the Architect, the first exhibition in Spain devoted to this 16th century Italian architect which kicks off October 7.

On October 13, Diana Krall will perform at the Palacio de Congresos. The Jonas Brothers are set to appear at the Sports Palace on November 11 and Depeche Mode will be there on the 16.

Kicking off November 4, the city’s Autumn Festival celebrates its 26th year with 35 concerts, theatre, dance and circus performances. Thirty-five companies from 19 countries including: Spain, the U.S., Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, Portugal and Morocco, among many others, will perform at 11 theatres in Madrid and in ten municipalities. On the program are:

• Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (11/, 4, 5, 7, and 8)
• Compañía Israel Galván (11/5-8) (flamenco)
• Norwegian singer and guitarist Hanne Hukkelberg (11/5)
• Whale Watching Tour, musicians from the U.S., Australia and Iceland (11/6)
• Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto (11/11)
• Les ballets C de la B (11/12-14)
• The San Quentin Drama Workshop with Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape (11/21)
• Spanish soprano Marina Bollaín singing The Three Penny Opera by Brecht and Weill (11/27-29)

The 26th International Jazz Festival will kick off around the end of October and while the schedule has not yet been announced, there are usually 15 concerts and world-renowned musicians perform at some 20 jazz clubs.

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NYTimes Covers Matadors In NE Spain

The New York Times published an excellent piece this morning on the fate of matadors in Northeast Spain. Facing an aging, brutal event with high ticket prices (think opera), the public is slowly mandating that bullfighting needs to slip away from both global and national consciousness. There's one notable exception: José Tomás.

Tomás was at the absolute height of his game when he retired seven years ago. Like many famous athletes, the game called him back and he returned with a stunning streak of sellout performances that are keeping the crowds talking. Last Sunday, he might have participated in the last bullfight ever in Catalonia.

"Over the last three decades or so, dwindling interest among young Catalans has combined with pressure from animal-rights advocates and from Catalan nationalists to cripple toreo in Catalonia," writes Michael Kimmelman in the Times. "Across the region’s four provinces, bullrings have closed; Barcelona’s is the only one still active."

The Catalan Parliament recently introduced a high-profile referendum that would end bullfighting all together. The subject has been on the tips of tongues for so long that it's not really surprising to anyone involved. Long the dream of animal fights activists, now even aficionados feel the days of bullfighting are numbered."

Kimmelman continues, "Sunday’s corrida — the term refers to an afternoon’s regular card of three matadors and six bulls — was more than just the last bullfight of the season. It was possibly the end of an era. And José Tomás (José Tomás Román Martín, but everybody knows him by his double-barreled first name) had come, in what seemed almost like a last-ditch attempt, to lend his box office appeal and artistry to the anti-ban side."

We recommend heading over to the New York Times website to read the full article.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.