Bolshoi Theater short description. About the big theater
In continuation of a series of stories about the world's opera houses, I want to tell you about the Bolshoi Opera Theater in Moscow. The State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Russia, or simply the Bolshoi Theater, is one of the largest in Russia and one of the largest opera and ballet theaters in the world. Located in the center of Moscow, on Theater Square. The Bolshoi Theater is one of the main assets of the city of Moscow
The birth of the theater dates back to March 1776. This year, Groti ceded his rights and obligations to Prince Urusov, who undertook to build a stone public theater in Moscow. With the assistance of the famous M.E. Medox, a place was chosen in Petrovskaya Street, in the parish of the Church of the Savior in Spear. By the vigilant labors of Medox, in five months, was built big theater, according to the plan of the architect Rozberg, which cost 130,000 rubles. The Petrovsky Theater of Medox stood for 25 years - on October 8, 1805, during the next Moscow fire, the theater building burned down. The new building was built by K. I. Rossi on Arbat Square. But it, being wooden, burned down in 1812, during the invasion of Napoleon. In 1821, the construction of the theater began on the original site according to the project of O. Bove and A. Mikhailov.
The theater opened on January 6, 1825 with a performance of The Triumph of the Muses. But on March 11, 1853, the theater burned down for the fourth time; the fire preserved only the stone outer walls and the colonnade of the main entrance. Within three years, the Bolshoi Theater was restored under the guidance of the architect A.K. Kavos. Instead of the alabaster sculpture of Apollo that died in the fire, a bronze quadriga by Peter Klodt was placed over the entrance portico. The theater was reopened on August 20, 1856.
In 1895, a major overhaul of the theater building was carried out, after which many wonderful operas were staged in the theater, such as Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Rimsky-Korsakov's The Maid of Pskov with Chaliapin as Ivan the Terrible and many others. In 1921-1923, another reconstruction of the theater building took place, the building was also reconstructed in the 40s and 60s
Above the pediment of the Bolshoi Theater is a sculpture of Apollo, patron of the arts, in a chariot drawn by four horses. All figures of the composition are hollow, made of sheet copper. The composition was made by Russian masters in the 18th century according to the model of the sculptor Stepan Pimenov
The theater includes a ballet and opera troupe, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and the Brass Band. At the time of the creation of the theater, the troupe included only thirteen musicians and about thirty artists. At the same time, the troupe initially had no specialization: dramatic actors took part in operas, and singers and dancers - in dramatic performances. So, at different times, the troupe included Mikhail Shchepkin and Pavel Mochalov, who sang in operas by Cherubini, Verstovsky and other composers 
Throughout the history of the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow, its artists, apart from admiration and gratitude from the public, have repeatedly received various recognition from the state. During the Soviet period, more than 80 of them received the title of People's Artists of the USSR, the Stalin and Lenin Prizes, eight were awarded the title of Heroes of Socialist Labor. Among the soloists of the theater are such outstanding Russian singers as Sandunova, Zhemchugova, E. Semyonova, Khokhlov, Korsov, Deisha-Sionitskaya, Salina, Nezhdanova, Chaliapin, Sobinov, Zbrueva, Alchevsky, E. Stepanova, V. Petrov, the Pirogov brothers, Katulskaya, Obukhova, Derzhinskaya, Barsova, L. Savransky, Ozerov, Lemeshev, Kozlovsky, Reizen, Maksakova, Khanaev, M. D. Mikhailov, Shpiller, A. P. Ivanov, Krivchenya, P. Lisitsian, I. Petrov, Ognivtsev, Arkhipova, Andzhaparidze, Oleinichenko, Mazurok, Vedernikov, Eisen, E. Kibkalo, Vishnevskaya, Milashkina, Sinyavskaya, Kasrashvili, Atlantov, Nesterenko, Obraztsova and others.
Of the singers of the younger generation who came to the fore in the 80-90s, I. Morozov, P. Glubokoy, Kalinina, Matorin, Shemchuk, Rautio, Tarashchenko, N. Terentyeva should be noted. Major conductors Altani, Suk, Cooper, Samosud, Pazovsky, Golovanov, Melik-Pashaev, Nebolsin, Khaikin, Kondrashin, Svetlanov, Rozhdestvensky, Rostropovich worked at the Bolshoi Theater. He performed here as a conductor Rachmaninov (1904-06). Among the best directors of the theater are Bartsal, Smolich, Baratov, B. Mordvinov, Pokrovsky. The Bolshoi Theater hosted tours of the world's leading opera houses: La Scala (1964, 1974, 1989), the Vienna State Opera (1971), the Berlin Comische Opera (1965)
Bolshoi Theater repertoire
During the existence of the theater, more than 800 works have been staged here. The repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater includes such operas as Meyerbeer's Robert the Devil (1834), Bellini's The Pirate (1837), Marschner's Hans Heiling, Adana's The Postman from Longjumeau (1839), Donizetti's The Favorite (1841), Aubert's "Mute from Portici" (1849), Verdi's "La Traviata" (1858), Verdi's "Il Trovatore", "Rigoletto" (1859), Gounod's "Faust" (1866), Thomas's "Mignon" (1879), "Masquerade Ball Verdi (1880), Wagner's Siegfried (1894), Berlioz's Trojans in Carthage (1899), Wagner's The Flying Dutchman (1902), Verdi's Don Carlos (1917), Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream ( 1964), Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Ravel's Spanish Hour (1978), Gluck's Iphigenia in Aulis (1983) and others. 
The Bolshoi Theater hosted world premieres of Tchaikovsky's operas The Voyevoda (1869), Mazeppa (1884), Cherevichki (1887); Rachmaninov's operas Aleko (1893), Francesca da Rimini and The Miserly Knight (1906), Prokofiev's The Gambler (1974), a number of operas by Cui, Arensky and many others. 
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the theater reached its peak. Many St. Petersburg artists seek the opportunity to participate in performances of the Bolshoi Theater. The names of F. Chaliapin, L. Sobinov, A. Nezhdanova are becoming widely known all over the world. In 1912 Fyodor Chaliapin staged Mussorgsky's opera Khovanshchina at the Bolshoi Theatre.
In the photo Fedor Chaliapin 
During this period, Sergei Rachmaninov collaborated with the theater, who proved himself not only as a composer, but also as an outstanding opera conductor, attentive to the peculiarities of the style of the work being performed and achieving in the performance of operas a combination of ardent temperament with fine orchestral decoration. Rachmaninov improves the organization of the conductor's work - so, thanks to Rachmaninoff, the conductor's stand, which was previously located behind the orchestra (facing the stage), is transferred to its modern place.
In the photo Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov
The first years after the revolution of 1917 are characterized by the struggle to preserve the Bolshoi Theater as such and, secondarily, to preserve part of its repertoire. Operas such as The Snow Maiden, Aida, La Traviata, and Verdi in general were attacked for ideological reasons. There were also proposals for the destruction of the ballet, as "a relic of the bourgeois past." However, despite this, both opera and ballet continued to develop in Moscow. The opera is dominated by works by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky. In 1927, director V. Lossky created a new version of Boris Godunov. Operas by Soviet composers are staged - "Trilby" by A. Yurasovsky (1924), "Love for Three Oranges" by S. Prokofiev (1927).
In the 1930s, Joseph Stalin's demand for the creation of "Soviet opera classics" appeared in the press. Works by I. Dzerzhinsky, B. Asafiev, R. Gliere are staged. At the same time, a strict ban on works by foreign composers is introduced. In 1935, the premiere of D. Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was held with great success with the public. However, this work, highly appreciated around the world, causes sharp discontent at the top. The well-known article "Muddle instead of Music", authored by Stalin, caused the disappearance of Shostakovich's opera from the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater
During the Great Patriotic War, the Bolshoi Theater was evacuated to Kuibyshev. The theater celebrates the end of the war with bright premieres of S. Prokofiev's ballets Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet, where Galina Ulanova shone. In subsequent years, the Bolshoi Theater turns to the work of the composers of the "fraternal countries" - Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary, and also reviews the productions of classical Russian operas (new productions of "Eugene Onegin", "Sadko", "Boris Godunov", "Khovanshchina" and many other). Most of these productions were staged by opera director Boris Pokrovsky, who came to the Bolshoi Theater in 1943. His performances in these years and the next few decades served as the "face" of the Bolshoi Opera
The troupe of the Bolshoi Theater often tours, having success in Italy, Great Britain, the USA and many other countries. 
At present, the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater has retained many classical productions of opera and ballet performances, but at the same time the theater is striving for new experiments. Directors who have already gained fame as film directors are involved in the work on operas. Among them are A. Sokurov, T. Chkheidze, E. Nyakroshus and others. Some of the new productions of the Bolshoi Theater caused disapproval of a part of the public and honored masters of the Bolshoi. Thus, the scandal accompanied the staging of L. Desyatnikov's opera "Children of Rosenthal" (2005), in connection with the reputation of the author of the libretto, the writer V. Sorokin. The famous singer Galina Vishnevskaya expressed her indignation and rejection of the new play "Eugene Onegin" (2006, director D. Chernyakov), refusing to celebrate her anniversary on the stage of the Bolshoi, where such performances take place. At the same time, the mentioned performances, in spite of everything, have their fans.
GRAND THEATRE, The State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia, a leading Russian theater that has played an outstanding role in the formation and development of the national tradition of opera and ballet art. Its origin is associated with the flourishing of Russian culture in the second half of the 18th century, with the emergence and development of professional theater. Created in 1776 by the Moscow philanthropist Prince P.V. Urusov and the entrepreneur M. Medox, who received a government privilege for the development of theatrical business. The troupe was formed on the basis of the Moscow theater troupe of N. Titov, theater artists of the Moscow University and serf actors P. Urusov. In 1778-1780 performances were given in the house of R.I. Vorontsov on Znamenka. In 1780, Medox built in Moscow on the corner of Petrovka, a building that became known as the Petrovsky Theater. It was the first permanent professional theatre. His repertoire consisted of drama, opera and ballet performances. Not only singers, but also dramatic actors took part in opera performances.
On the opening day of the Petrovsky Theater on December 30, 1780, a pantomime ballet was shown magic shop(post. J. Paradise). At that time, choreographers F. and C. Morelli, P. Penyucci, D. Solomoni worked in the theater, staging performances A celebration of female pleasures, The feigned death of Harlequin, or the Deceived Pantalone, Medea and Jason, Toilet of Venus. Ballets with national color were popular: rustic simplicity, Gypsy ballet, Capture of Ochakov. G. Raikov, A. Sobakina stood out from the dancers of the troupe. The ballet troupe was replenished with pupils of the ballet school of the Moscow Orphanage (since 1773), and serf actors of the troupe E.A. Golovkina.
The first Russian operas were also staged here: Melnik - a sorcerer, a deceiver and a matchmaker Sokolovsky (later edited by Fomin) libretto by Ablesimov, Trouble from the carriage Pashkevich, lib. princess, Saint Petersburg Gostiny Dvor Matinsky and others. Of the 25 Russian operas written in 1772-1782, more than a third were staged on the Moscow stage of the Petrovsky Theater.
In 1805, the building of the Petrovsky Theater burned down, and from 1806 the troupe passed into the administration of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters, playing in various rooms. The Russian repertoire was limited, giving way to Italian and French performances.
In 1825 prologue Celebration of the Muses staged by F. Gyllen-Sor, performances began in the new building of the Bolshoi Theater (architect O. Bove). In the 1830s and 1840s, the Bolshoi Ballet was dominated by the principles of Romanticism. The dancers of this direction are E. Sankovskaya, I. Nikitin. The performances of operas were of great importance for the formation of national principles of performing arts. Life for the king(1842) and Ruslan and Ludmila(1843) M.I. Glinka.
In 1853, a fire destroyed the entire interior of the Bolshoi Theatre. The building was restored in 1856 by the architect A.K. Kavos. In the 1860s, the Directorate leases the Bolshoi Theater to the Italian entrepreneur Merelli for 4–5 performances a week: foreign repertoire is on.
Simultaneously with the expansion of the domestic repertoire, the theater staged the best works of Western European composers: Rigoletto, Aida, La Traviata G. Verdi, Faust, Romeo and Juliet C. Gounod, Carmen J. Bizet, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Valkyrie R. Wagner. ().
The history of the Bolshoi Theater includes the names of many outstanding opera singers who passed on the traditions of the Russian vocal school from generation to generation. A.O. Bantyshev, N.V. Lavrov, P.P. Bulakhov, A.D. Alexandrova-Kochetova, E.A. Lavrovskaya and others performed at the Bolshoi Theatre. L.V. Sobinova, A.V. Nezhdanova opened a new page in the history of performing arts.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century. ballet art is associated with the names of choreographers: J. Perrot, A. Saint-Leon, M. Petipa; dancers - S. Sokolova, V. Geltser, P. Lebedev, O. Nikolaev, later - L. Roslavlev, A. Dzhuri, V. Polivanov, I. Khlyustin. The ballet repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater included the following performances: The Little Humpbacked Horse Puni (1864) Don Quixote Minkus (1869), Fern, or the night under Ivan Kupala Gerber (1867) and others.
In the 1900s, the operatic repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater was replenished with artistically outstanding productions: the first performances of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas - Pskovityanka(1901), Sadko (1906), Mozart and Salieri(1901) with the participation of F.I. Chaliapin, Pan Governor(conducted by Rachmaninoff, 1904) Koschei the Immortal(with the participation of A.V. Nezhdanova, 1917); new productions were carried out: operas by Glinka - Life for the king(with the participation of Chaliapin and Nezhdanova, conducted by Rachmaninoff, 1904), Ruslan and Ludmila(1907), Mussorgsky - Khovanshchina(1912). Operas by young composers were staged - Raphael A.S. Arensky (1903), ice house A.N. Koreshchenko (1900), Francesca da Rimini Rachmaninoff (1906). In addition to Chaliapin, Sobinov, Nezhdanova, such singers as G.A. Baklanov, V.R. Petrov, G.S. Pirogov, A.P. Bonachich, I.A. 2000s, choreographer A.A. Gorsky came to the Bolshoi Ballet Company, who developed the traditions of Russian ballet and brought it closer to dramatic art. Together with Gorsky, the dancer and choreographer V.D.Tikhomirov worked, who brought up a whole generation of dancers. At that time in the ballet troupe worked: E.V. Geltser, A.M. Balashova, S.F. Fedorova, M.M. Mordkin, M.R. Reizen, later L.P. Zhukov, V.V. Kriger , A.I. Abramova, L.M. Bank. The performances were conducted by S.V. Rakhmaninov, V.I. Suk, A.F. Anders, E.A. Golovin.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolshoi Theater occupied a prominent place in the cultural life of the country. In 1920 the theater was awarded the title of academic. In 1924, a branch of the Bolshoi Theater was opened in the premises of the former Zimin Private Opera (it worked until 1959). Along with the preservation of the classical repertoire, operas and ballets by Soviet composers were staged: Decembrists V.A.Zolotareva (1925), Breakthrough S.I. Pototsky (1930), Troupe artist I.P. Shishova (1929), son of the sun S.N. Vasilenko (1929), Mother V.V. Zhelobinsky (1933), Bela An. Alexandrova (1946), Quiet Don(1936) and Upturned virgin soil(1937) I.I. Dzerzhinsky, Decembrists Yu.A.Shaporina (1953), Mother T.N. Khrennikova (1957), The Taming of the Shrew V.Ya.Shebalina, War and Peace S.S. Prokofiev (1959). On the stage of the Bolshoi Theater and its branch there were operas by composers of the peoples of the USSR: Almast A.A. Spendiarova (1930), Abesalom and Eteri Z.P. Paliashvili (1939).
The performing culture of the Bolshoi Opera Company during the years of Soviet power is represented by the names of K. G. Derzhinskaya, N. A. Obukhova, V. V. Barsova, E. A. Stepanova, I. S. Kozlovsky, A. S. Pirogov, M. O. Reizen, M. D. Mikhailov, S. Ya. Davydova, I.I. Maslennikova, A.P. Ognevtsev.
Significant stages in the history of Soviet choreography were the productions of ballets by Soviet composers: Red poppy(1927, 1949) R. M. Gliere, Flames of Paris(1933) and Bakhchisarai fountain(1936) B.V. Asafyeva, Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev (1946). The glory of the Bolshoi Ballet is associated with the names of G.S. Ulanova, R.S. Struchkova, O.V. Lepeshinsky, M.M. Plisetskaya, A.N. .M.Messerer, Yu.G.Zhdanova, N.B.Fadeecheva and others ()
Conducting art of the Bolshoi Theater is represented by the names of N.S. Golovanov, S.A. Samosud, L.P. Steinberg, A.Sh. Melik-Pashaev, Yu.F. E.F. Svetlanova, A.M. Zhyuraitis and others. In the opera direction of the Bolshoi Theater - V.A. Lossky, L.V. Baratov, B.A. Pokrovsky. Ballet performances were staged by A.A. Gorsky, L.M. Lavrovsky, V.I. Vainonen, R.V. Zakharov, Yu.N. Grigorovich.
The staging culture of the Bolshoi Theater of those years was determined by the artistic and decorative design of F.F. Fedorovsky, P.V. Williams, V.M. Dmitriev, V.F. Ryndin, B.A. Messerer, V.Ya. ).
In 1961, the Bolshoi Theater received a new stage - the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, which contributed to the wider activities of the ballet troupe. At the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, E.S. Maksimova, N.I. Bessmertnova, E.L. Ryabinkina, N.I. Sorokina, V.V. Vasiliev, M.E. Liepa, M. L. Lavrovsky, Yu. V. Vladimirov, V. P. Tikhonov.
In 1964, Yu.N. Grigorovich became chief choreographer, whose name is associated with a new milestone in the history of the Bolshoi Ballet. Almost every new performance was marked by new creative searches. They appeared in sacred spring I.F. Stravinsky (choreographer N. Kasatkina and Vasiliev, 1965) Carmen suite Bizet-Shchedrin (A. Alonso, 1967), Spartacus A.I. Khachaturian (Grigorovich, 1968), Icarus S.M. Slonimsky (Vasiliev, 1971), Anna Karenina R.K. Shchedrina (M.M. Plisetskaya, N.I. Ryzhenko, V.V. Smirnov-Golovanov, 1972), Those enchanting sounds... to music by G. Torelli, A. Corelli, J.-F. Rameau, W.-A. Mozart (Vasiliev, 1978), Gull Shchedrin (Plisetskaya, 1980), Macbeth K. Molchanova (Vasiliev, 1980) and others.
In the opera troupe of those years, the names of G.P. Vishnevskaya, I.K. Arkhipova, E.V. Obraztsova, M. Kasrashvili, Z. Sotkilava, V. N. Redkin, V. A. Matorin, T. S. Erastova , M.A. Shutova, E.E. Nesterenko and others.
The general trend of the Bolshoi Theater in the 1990s–2000s was to invite foreign directors and performers to stage productions at the Bolshoi Theatre: ballets Cathedral of Notre Dame, Three cards(R. Petit, 2002–2003), Light stream D. D. Shostakovich (A. Ratmansky, 2003), operas by G. Verdi Force of Destiny(P.-F.Maestrini, 2002) and Nabucco(M.S. Kislyarov), Turandot G. Puccini (2002), The Rake's Adventures I.F. Stravinsky (D. Chernyakov), Love for three oranges S.S. Prokofiev (P. Ustinov). During this period, ballets were resumed Swan Lake Tchaikovsky, Raymond A.K. Glazunova, The legend of love A.D. Melikov (staged by Grigorovich), operas Eugene Onegin Tchaikovsky (B. Pokrovsky), Khovanshchina Mussorgsky, Ruslan and Ludmila(A. Vedernikova), Player Prokofiev (Rozhdestvensky).
The Bolshoi Ballet Company is represented by the names of: N. Tsiskaridze, M. Peretokin, A. Uvarov, S. Filin, N. Gracheva, A. Goryacheva, S. Lunkina, M. Alexandrova and others. Opera - I. Dolzhenko, E. Okolisheva , E. Zelenskaya, B. Maisuradze, V. Redkin, S. Murzaev, V. Matorin, M. Shutova, T. Erastova and others. The opera troupe of the theater has a trainee group.
The post of artistic director of the theater in the 1990s was occupied by V. Vasiliev and G. Rozhdestvensky, since 2001 the chief conductor and musical director of the Bolshoi Theater is A. A. Vedernikov, the conductors of opera and ballet performances are P. Sh. Sorokin, A. A. Vedernikov , A.A.Kopylov, F.Sh.Mansurov, A.M.Stepanov, P.E.Klinichev.
The modern building of the Bolshoi Theater is the main building of the architectural ensemble of Theater Square (architect A.K. Kavos). According to the internal structure, the theater consists of a five-tiered auditorium that can accommodate more than 2100 spectators and is distinguished by high acoustic qualities (the length of the hall from the orchestra to the back wall is 25 m, the width is 26.3 m, the height is 21 m). The stage portal is 20.5 x 17.8 m, the depth of the stage is 23.5 m. Above the stage there is a scoreboard for titles.
In 2003 performance Snow Maiden Rimsky-Korsakov (staged by D. Belov) a new stage of the Bolshoi Theater was opened. The premieres of 2003 were ballet Light stream Shostakovich, opera The Rake's Adventures Stravinsky and opera Macbeth Verdi.
Nina Revenko
The Bolshoi Theater was solemnly opened 185 years ago.
March 28 (March 17) 1776 is considered to be the founding date of the Bolshoi Theater, when the well-known philanthropist, the Moscow prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Urusov, received the highest permission "to maintain ... theatrical performances of all kinds." Urusov and his companion Mikhail Medox created the first permanent troupe in Moscow. It was organized from the actors of the previously existing Moscow theatrical troupe, pupils of the Moscow University and from the newly accepted serf actors.
The theater initially did not have an independent building, so performances were staged in Vorontsov's private house on Znamenka Street. But in 1780, the theater moved to a stone theater building specially built according to the project of Christian Rozbergan on the site of the modern Bolshoi Theater. For the construction of the theater building, Medox bought a land plot at the beginning of Petrovsky Street, which was in the possession of Prince Lobanov-Rostotsky. The stone three-story building with a plank roof, the building of the so-called Madox Theater, was erected in just five months.
According to the name of the street on which the theater was located, it became known as "Petrovsky".
The repertoire of this first professional theater in Moscow consisted of drama, opera and ballet performances. But operas enjoyed special attention, so the Petrovsky Theater was often called the Opera House. The theater troupe was not divided into opera and drama: the same artists performed in both drama and opera performances.
In 1805, the building burned down, and until 1825 performances were staged at various theater venues.
In the early 20s of the 19th century, Petrovsky Square (now Teatralnaya) was completely rebuilt in the classicist style according to the plan of the architect Osip Bove. According to this project, her current composition arose, the dominant of which was the building of the Bolshoi Theater. The building was built according to the project of Osip Bove in 1824 on the site of the former Petrovsky. The new theater partially included the walls of the burned down Petrovsky Theatre.
The construction of the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater was a real event for Moscow at the beginning of the 19th century. A beautiful eight-column building in the classical style with the chariot of the god Apollo above the portico, decorated in red and gold tones inside, according to contemporaries, was the best theater in Europe and was second in scale only to La Scala in Milan. Its opening took place on January 6 (18), 1825. In honor of this event, the prologue "The Triumph of the Muses" by Mikhail Dmitriev was given with music by Alexander Alyabyev and Alexei Verstovsky. It allegorically depicted how the Genius of Russia, with the help of the muses, creates a new beautiful temple of art - the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater on the ruins of the Medox Theater.
The townspeople called the new building "Coliseum". The performances that took place here were invariably a success, bringing together high-society Moscow society.
On March 11, 1853, for some unknown reason, a fire started in the theater. Theatrical costumes, scenery of performances, the troupe archive, part of the musical library, rare musical instruments perished in the fire, and the theater building was also damaged.
A competition was announced for the restoration project of the theater building, in which the plan submitted by Albert Cavos won. After the fire, the walls and columns of the porticos were preserved. When developing a new project, the architect Alberto Cavos took the three-dimensional structure of the Beauvais Theater as a basis. Kavos carefully approached the issue of acoustics. He considered the structure of the auditorium according to the principle of a musical instrument to be optimal: the deck of the plafond, the deck of the parterre floor, wall panels, and balcony structures were wooden. The acoustics of Kavos were perfect. He had to endure many battles with both his contemporaries-architects and firefighters, proving that the construction of a metal ceiling (as, for example, in the Alexandrinsky Theater by the architect Rossi) could be detrimental to the acoustics of the theater.
Keeping the layout and volume of the building, Kavos increased the height, changed the proportions and redesigned the architectural decoration; slender cast-iron galleries with lamps were erected on the sides of the building. During the reconstruction of the auditorium, Kavos changed the shape of the hall, narrowing it to the stage, changed the size of the auditorium, which began to accommodate up to 3 thousand spectators. The alabaster group of Apollo, which adorned the theater of Osip Bove, died in a fire. To create a new Alberto Cavos invited the famous Russian sculptor Pyotr Klodt, the author of the famous four equestrian groups on the Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka River in St. Petersburg. Klodt created the now world-famous sculptural group with Apollo.
The new Bolshoi Theater was rebuilt in 16 months and opened on August 20, 1856 for the coronation of Alexander II.
The Kavos Theater did not have enough space to store scenery and props, and in 1859 the architect Nikitin made a project for a two-story extension to the northern facade, according to which all the capitals of the northern portico were blocked. The project was realized in the 1870s. And in the 1890s, another floor was added to the extension, thereby increasing the usable area. In this form, the Bolshoi Theater has survived to this day, with the exception of small internal and external reconstructions.
After the Neglinka River was taken into the pipe, the groundwater receded, the wooden piles of the foundation were exposed to atmospheric air and began to rot. In 1920, the entire semi-circular wall of the auditorium collapsed right during the performance, the doors jammed, the audience had to be evacuated through the barriers of the boxes. This forced the architect and engineer Ivan Rerberg in the late 1920s to bring under the auditorium a concrete slab on a central support, shaped like a mushroom. However, the concrete ruined the acoustics.
By the 1990s, the building was extremely dilapidated, its deterioration was estimated at 60%. The theater fell into decay both in terms of design and decoration. During the life of the theater, something was endlessly attached to it, it was improved, they tried to make it more modern. Elements of all three theaters coexisted in the theater building. Their foundations were at different levels, and accordingly, cracks began to appear on the foundations, and on the walls, and then on the interior decoration. The brickwork of the facades and the walls of the auditorium were in disrepair. The same with the main portico. The columns deviated from the vertical up to 30 cm. The slope was recorded at the end of the 19th century, and since then it has been increasing. These columns of blocks of white stone tried to "cure" the entire twentieth century - the humidity caused visible black spots at the bottom of the columns at a height of up to 6 meters.
The technology was hopelessly behind the modern level: for example, until the end of the 20th century, a winch for the scenery of the Siemens company, manufactured in 1902, worked here (now it has been handed over to the Polytechnic Museum).
In 1993, the Russian government adopted a resolution on the reconstruction of the complex of buildings of the Bolshoi Theater.
In 2002, with the participation of the Moscow government, the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater was opened on Theater Square. This hall is more than two times smaller than the historical one and is able to accommodate only a third of the theater's repertoire. The launch of the New Stage made it possible to begin the reconstruction of the main building.
According to the plan, the appearance of the theater building will hardly change. Only the northern façade, which for many years has been closed by warehouses where scenery is stored, will lose its outbuildings. The building of the Bolshoi Theater will go deep into the ground by 26 meters, in the old-new building there will even be a place for huge scenery structures - they will be lowered to the third underground level. The Chamber Hall for 300 seats will also be hidden underground. After the reconstruction, the New and Main stages, which are located at a distance of 150 meters from each other, will be connected to each other and to the administrative and rehearsal buildings by underground passages. In total, the theater will have 6 underground tiers. The storage will be moved underground, which will bring the rear facade into proper shape.
Unique work is underway to strengthen the underground part of the theater structures, with a guarantee from the builders for the next 100 years, with parallel placement and modern technical equipment of parking lots under the main building of the complex, which will make it possible to unload from cars the most difficult interchange of the city - Theater Square.
Everything that was lost in Soviet times will be recreated in the historical interior of the building. One of the main objectives of the reconstruction is to restore the original, largely lost, legendary acoustics of the Bolshoi Theater and make the stage floor covering as convenient as possible. For the first time in a Russian theater, the floor will change depending on the genre of the performance being shown. Opera will have its gender, ballet will have its own. In terms of technological equipment, the theater will become one of the best in Europe and the world.
The building of the Bolshoi Theater is a monument of history and architecture, so a significant part of the work is scientific restoration. The author of the restoration project, Honored Architect of Russia, Director of the Research and Restoration Center "Restaurator-M" Elena Stepanova.
According to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Alexander Avdeev, the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater will be completed by the end of 2010 - beginning of 2011.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources.
View of the royal box of the Bolshoi Theatre. 1856 watercolorThe theater began with a small private troupe of Prince Peter Urusov. The performances of the talented group often pleased Empress Catherine II, who thanked the prince with the right to direct all the entertainment events of the capital. March 17, 1776 is considered the founding date of the theater - the day when Urusov received this privilege. Already six months after the will of the Empress, the prince erected a wooden building of the Petrovsky Theater on the banks of the Neglinka. But before it could open, the theater burned down. The new building required large financial investments, and Urusov got a partner - the Russified Englishman Medox, a successful entrepreneur and ballet dancer. The construction of the theater cost the British 130,000 silver rubles. The new three-story brick theater opened its doors to the public in December 1780. A few years later, due to financial troubles, the Englishman had to transfer the management of the theater to the state, after which the Melpomene temple began to be called Imperial. In 1805, the building built by Medox burned down.
For several years, the theater troupe performed on the home stage of the Moscow nobility. The new building, which appeared on the Arbat in 1808, was designed by the architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi. But this theater was also destroyed by fire in 1812.
Ten years later, the restoration of the theater began, ending in 1825. But, according to a sad tradition, this building could not escape the fire that happened in 1853 and left behind only the outer walls. The revival of the Bolshoi lasted three years. The chief architect of the Imperial Theatres, Albert Cavos, who supervised the restoration of the building, increased its height, added columns in front of the entrance and a portico, above which towered the bronze quadriga of Apollo by Peter Klodt. The pediment was decorated with a double-headed eagle - the coat of arms of Russia.
In the early 60s of the 19th century, the Bolshoi was rented by an Italian opera troupe. The Italians performed several times a week, while only one day remained for the Russian productions. The competition between the two theater groups benefited Russian vocalists, who were forced to hone and improve their skills, but the administration's inattention to the national repertoire prevented Russian art from gaining popularity with the audience. A few years later, the directorate had to heed the demands of the public and resume the operas Ruslan and Lyudmila and Rusalka. The year 1969 was marked by the production of The Voyevoda, the first opera by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, for whom the Bolshoi became the main professional venue. In 1981, the theater's repertoire was enriched with the opera Eugene Onegin.
In 1895, the theater underwent a major overhaul, the end of which was marked by such productions as Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Rimsky-Korsakov's The Maid of Pskov with Fyodor Chaliapin as Ivan the Terrible.
At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Bolshoi became one of the leading centers of theatrical and musical world culture. The theater's repertoire includes the world's best works ("Valkyrie", "Tannhäuser", "Pagliacci", "La Boheme") and outstanding Russian operas ("Sadko", "The Golden Cockerel", "The Stone Guest", "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh" ). On the stage of the theater, great Russian singers and singers shine with their talent: Chaliapin, Sobinov, Gryzunov, Savransky, Nezhdanova, Balanovskaya, Azerskaya; famous Russian artists Vasnetsov, Korovin and Golovin are working on the scenery.
The Bolshoi managed to completely preserve its troupe during the revolutionary events and the Civil War. During the 1917-1918 season, the public saw 170 opera and ballet performances. And in 1919 the theater was awarded the title of "Academic".
The 20s and 30s of the last century became the time of the emergence and development of Soviet opera art. For the first time, Love for Three Oranges, Trilby, Ivan the Soldier, Katerina Izmailova by Shostakovich, Quiet Don, Battleship Potemkin are staged at the Bolshoi for the first time.
During the Great Patriotic War, part of the Bolshoi troupe was evacuated to Kuibyshev, where new performances continued to be created. Many theater artists went to the front with concerts. The post-war years were marked by talented productions by the outstanding choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, each performance of which was a notable event in the cultural life of the country.
From 2005 to 2011, a grandiose reconstruction was carried out in the theater, thanks to which a new foundation appeared under the Bolshoi building, legendary historical interiors were recreated, the technical equipment of the theater was significantly improved, and the rehearsal base was increased.
More than 800 performances were born on the stage of the Bolshoi, the premieres of operas by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Arensky, Tchaikovsky took place in the theater. The ballet troupe has always been and remains a welcome guest in any country. Actors, directors, artists and conductors of the Bolshoi have been awarded the most prestigious state and international awards many times.
Description
The Bolshoi Theater has three auditoriums open to the public:
- Historical (main) stage, accommodating 2500 people;
- New stage, opened in 2002 and designed for 1000 spectators;
- Beethoven Hall with 320 seats, famous for its unique acoustics.
The historical stage appears to visitors in the form in which it was in the second half of the century before last and is a semicircular hall with four tiers, decorated with gold and red velvet. Above the heads of the audience is the legendary chandelier with 26,000 crystals, which appeared in the theater in 1863 and illuminates the hall with 120 lamps.
The new stage is open at: Bolshaya Dimitrovka Street, Building 4, Building 2. During the large-scale reconstruction, all repertoire performances of the Bolshoi were staged here, and at present foreign and Russian theaters are touring on the New Stage.
The Beethoven Hall was opened in 1921. Spectators are fascinated by its interior in the style of Louis XV: walls upholstered in silk, magnificent crystal chandeliers, Italian stucco, walnut floors. The hall is designed for chamber and solo concerts.
Every spring, two varieties of tulips bloom in front of the theater building - rich pink "Galina Ulanova" and bright red "Bolshoi Theatre", bred by the Dutch breeder Lefeber. At the beginning of the last century, the florist saw Ulanova on the stage of the Bolshoi. Lefeber was so impressed with the talent of the Russian ballerina that he created new varieties of tulips specifically in honor of her and the theater in which she shone. The image of the Bolshoi Theater building can be seen on many postage stamps and on hundred-ruble banknotes.
Information for visitors
Theater address: Theater Square, 1. You can get to the Bolshoi by walking along Teatralnaya Proyezd from the Teatralnaya and Okhotny Ryad metro stations. From the station "Revolution Square" you will reach the Bolshoi by crossing the square of the same name. From the station "Kuznetsky most" you need to go along Kuznetsky most street, and then turn to the Theater Square.
Bronze quadriga by Peter Klodt
You can buy tickets for the Bolshoi's productions both on the theater's website - www.bolshoi.ru, and at the box office opened in the Administration Building (daily from 11.00 to 19.00, break from 15.00 to 16.00); in the building of the Historical Stage (daily from 12.00 to 20.00, break from 16.00 to 18.00); in the building of the New Stage (daily from 11.00 to 19.00, break from 14.00 to 15.00).
The cost of tickets varies from 100 to 10,000 rubles, depending on the performance, the time of the performance and the place in the auditorium.
The Bolshoi Theater has a comprehensive security system, which includes video surveillance and the mandatory passage of all visitors through a metal detector. Do not take piercing and sharp objects with you - they will not let you into the theater building with them.
Children are allowed to evening performances from the age of 10. Until this age, the child can attend morning performances on a separate ticket. Children under 5 years old are not allowed in the theater.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, guided tours are held in the Historical Theater Building, telling about the architecture of the Bolshoi and its past.
For those wishing to buy something to remember the Bolshoi Theater daily, from 11.00 to 17.00, a souvenir shop is open. To get into it, you need to enter the theater through entrance number 9A. Visitors who come to the performance can enter the store directly from the Bolshoi building before or after the performance. Landmark: left wing of the theatre, ground floor, next to the Beethoven Hall.
Photo and video filming is not allowed in the theatre.
When going to the Bolshoi Theater, calculate your time - after the third call you will not be able to enter the hall!
The Bolshoi Theater is one of the main symbols of the greatness of the culture of our state.
It was on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater that the first Russian operas and ballets were staged. Thanks to the productions of the Bolshoi Theater, the Russian vocal and ballet schools have earned recognition throughout the world.
The year of foundation of the theater is considered to be 1776, when Pyotr Urusov received permission from Catherine II “to keep him theatrical performances of all kinds, as well as concerts, vocals and masquerades, and besides him, no one should be allowed any such entertainment at all the time appointed by privilege, so that he would not undermine It was". The construction of the Bolshoi Theater began three years later on Pokrovka Street. But this project was not destined to come true, even before the completion of construction, the building burned down. The construction of the theater was continued by Urusov's companion. But this building also burned down during the capture of Moscow by Napoleon in 1812.
The new building of the Bolshoi Theatre, erected in 1825 by architects O. Bove and A. Mikhailov, has become one of the most beautiful theater buildings in the world. However, the fire did not spare this building either. In the 1850s, the architect Kavos made significant changes to the building.
Now it is a magnificent eight-column building, above the portico of which there is a sculpture of the chariot of the god Apollo. From the inside, the room is decorated in red and gold tones, which gives the theater a special splendor and solemnity. The auditorium is designed for 2155 seats.
The Bolshoi Theater hosted world premieres of famous operas: P.I. Tchaikovsky "Voevoda", "Mazeppa"; S.V. Rachmaninoff "Aleko", "The Miserly Knight"; S.P. Prokofiev "The Gambler" and many other composers. The modern repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater includes classical masterpieces of world art. The Bolshoi Theater, intended for staging serious operas and ballets, does not forget about small fans.
Here is how the posters of the Bolshoi Theater tell about the Cipollino ballet: “More than a quarter of a century has passed since the day when the cheerful onion family from Gianni Rodari’s beloved fairy tale settled on the Moscow stage. The simple-minded fairy tale about the struggle of the garden people with fruit oppressors is in everything similar to a real adult ballet. The play consists of two acts. Classical dance is cleared of conventionality and "arranged" in a modern way. There is no lingering explanation in sign language here - the action is rapidly flying forward, and each hero is endowed with his own unique choreographic language. Perhaps that is why the most famous masters of the Bolshoi Theater did not refuse the “matinee”.
The Bolshoi Theater has a children's choir. It consists of gifted children over five years of age who have passed the audition.