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The Symphonic Band returns to El Retiro this Sunday with a free concert
Madrid Municipal Symphonic Band returns this Sunday, 6 September, to the El Retiro Music Pavilion after the August break. The concert will start at 12:00 and be free, as part of the outdoor series the municipal ensemble maintains during the spring and summer season.
The programme will be conducted by Sergio Casas and will include works by Pascual Marquina, Ruperto Chapí, José Luis Turina and Federico Chueca. There is no need to buy a ticket: it is a free-admission performance at the park bandstand.
The event revives a tradition common on Sundays in El Retiro. During the fair-weather months, the Banda Sinfónica moves part of its programme to this open-air venue, with repertoires that combine symphonic music with genres especially associated with Madrid and Spanish popular music.
The concert on the 6th will not be the only one in September either. The Band will return to the bandstand on Sunday the 13th, also at 12:00, with pieces by Franz von Suppé, Leonard Bernstein, Miguel Asins Arbó, José Serrano and Bernardo Adam Ferrero.
The last performance announced for this summer season will be on Sunday the 20th. That day, compositions by Manuel Morales, Gustav Holst, Claude T. Smith, José María Usandizaga, Tomás Bretón and Gerónimo Giménez will be heard, again with free admission.
The ensemble currently has around 80 musicians specialising in woodwind, brass, percussion and strings. Its history dates back to 1909, and the Retiro concerts have become one of its most recognisable programmes outside concert halls.
The setting adds to the appeal of these events. The Music Bandstand is surrounded by trees inside El Retiro, and the audience gathers in front of the kiosk to listen to the concert outdoors, so arriving a little early is advisable if you want to find a good spot.
The first opportunity will be this Sunday at midday. After the August break, Madrid will still have three consecutive Sundays — 6, 13 and 20 September — to hear the Banda Sinfónica Municipal for free in El Retiro.