Teatro Pérez Galdós: the heart of opera in Las Palmas

The Teatro Pérez Galdós is the main theatrical venue in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and is the permanent home of the Alfredo Kraus Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Opera Festival. While the city lacked a suitable venue for performances until the mid-19th century, the idea for a new theatre was conceived as early as 1830. The first theatre in the province, the Teatro Cairasco, suffered from construction deficiencies and a lack of space, which soon necessitated the construction of a new building.

To meet this need, a site was chosen at the mouth of the Guiniguada ravine, and the project was assigned to architect Francisco Jareño y Alarcón. Construction began in 1867 and lasted for over two decades due to economic problems. The first curtain was finally raised in 1890 with Verdi's La Traviata, although the Italian tenor Stagno had already offered a benefit concert on a provisional stage in 1888.

Originally known as Teatro Nuevo and later Teatro Tirso de Molina, the building was renamed Teatro Pérez Galdós in 1902 to honor the writer Benito Pérez Galdós. The theatre faced a great fire in 1918, but reopened in 1928 with Verdi's Aida. After a period of cultural activity, the building underwent integral rehabilitation starting in 2004. The theatre now focuses on the premiere of opera productions, such as those featured in the Festival de Ópera Alfredo Kraus.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons