The RTVE Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 50th anniversary with a Gala Concert at the Monumental Theater

The director Carlos Kalmar gave a nod to the inaugural concert on May 27, 1965, with the performance of works that were offered that night at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, such as the Symphony no. 5 by Beethoven or The three-cornered hat-suite, by Falla.

The RTVE Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 50th anniversary this Thursday with a Gala Concert at the Monumental Theater, which could be followed live on La 2, Radio Clásica and the RTVE website. Under the baton of its principal conductor, Carlos Kalmar, the Symphony performed some works from the inaugural concert offered by the RTVE musical group in 1965, such as Symphony no. 5 by Beethoven or The three-cornered hat-suite by Manuel de Falla, among others. Furthermore, the RTVE Choir joined this event with the God bless you by Haydn.

Queen Sofía attended the concert, and was received by the president of RTVE, José Antonio Sánchez, the director of Communication and Institutional Relations, Manuel Ventero, the managing director of the Orchestra, Mikaela Vergara, and the directors of the RTVE Orchestra and Choir, Carlos Kalmar and Javier Corcuera. The gala was also attended by the Secretary of State for Communication, Carmen Martínez de Castro, the former president of the Corporation, Leopoldo González-Echenique, and the former general directors of RTVE Rafael Ansón, Jesús Aparicio and Mónica Ridruejo.

The RTVE musical group celebrated its half-century of history with a Spanish music festival. Carlos Kalmar gave a nod to the inaugural concert on May 27, 1965, with the performance of works that were offered that night at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, such as the Symphony no. 5 by Beethoven or The three-cornered hat-suite, by Falla.

The concert program was completed with a sample of the most universal Spanish repertoire with pages such as Orgy, of the fantastic dances by Joaquín Turina, or the Intermediate of Luis Alonso's wedding, by Gerónimo Giménez. The RTVE Choir joined this celebration with a song of praise and performed, together with the Orchestra, the God bless you, by Haydn.

Radio Clásica journalists Eva Sandoval, Martín Llade and Diego Requena presented this festive gala.

50 years of music

The RTVE Orchestra was born on May 27, 1965 as one of the youngest on European radio and television. It was officially presented at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid together with its Founding Director, Igor Markevitch, with a program that included works by Prokofiev, Wagner, Falla and Beethoven.

The RTVE Symphony has participated in the main Spanish festivals and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York or the Royal Festival Hall in London. Igor Markevitch, Antoni Ros-Marbà, Enrique García Asensio, Odón Alonso, Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, Arpad Joó, Sergiu Comissiona, Adrian Leaper and Carlos Kalmar have been its directors. The Choir, with more than 60 years of history, is considered one of the best in Spain.

In these years the musical training has received recognitions such as the Codalario award for the Best Musical Entity 2013 "for the great work it has done throughout its years of existence and for the important value of its human factor." He has also recently collected the 'Personality' award from the Spanish Brass Alzira Festival for his contribution to the Spanish music scene. And the Festival Governing Council of the Granada International Music and Dance Festival has recently agreed to award its Medal of Honor to the RTVE Orchestra, coinciding with its 50th anniversary.