The Bolshoi Theater was solemnly opened 185 years ago.
The founding date of the Bolshoi Theater is considered to be March 28 (March 17), 1776, when well-known philanthropist the Moscow prosecutor, Prince Peter 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 more 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, Petrovskaya 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 early XIX century. A beautiful eight-column building in the classical style with the chariot of the god Apollo above the portico, inside decorated in red and gold tones, 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 architects and firefighters, proving that the installation of a metal ceiling (as, for example, in Alexandrinsky theater architect Rossi) can 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 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 affected 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. late XIX century, and has been increasing ever since. 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.
Hopelessly lagged behind the modern level of technology: for example, until the end of the twentieth 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. Start new scene 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 parking lots under the main building of the complex, which will make it possible to unload from the cars the most difficult junction 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 Russian theater the gender 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.
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 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. Auditorium designed for 2155 seats.
The Bolshoi Theater hosted world premieres of famous operas: P.I. Tchaikovsky "Voevoda", "Mazeppa"; S.V. Rachmaninov "Aleko" Miserly knight»; S.P. Prokofiev "The Gambler" and many other composers. In the modern repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater classic masterpieces 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.
Story
The Bolshoi Theater began as a private theater of the provincial prosecutor Prince Peter Urusov. On March 28, 1776, Empress Catherine II signed a “privilege” to the prince for the maintenance of performances, masquerades, balls and other amusements for a period of ten years. This date is considered the founding day of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. At the first stage of the existence of the Bolshoi Theater, the opera and drama troupes formed a single whole. The composition was the most diverse: from serf artists to stars invited from abroad.
In the formation of an opera and drama troupe big role played Moscow University and the gymnasiums established under it, in which good musical education. Theater classes were established at the Moscow Orphanage, which also supplied personnel to the new troupe.
The first theater building was built on the right bank of the Neglinka River. It overlooked Petrovka Street, hence the theater got its name - Petrovsky (later it will be called the Old Petrovsky Theater). Its opening took place on December 30, 1780. They gave a solemn prologue "Wanderers", written by A. Ablesimov, and a large pantomimic ballet "Magic School", staged by L. Paradis to the music of J. Startzer. Then the repertoire was formed mainly from Russian and Italian comic operas with ballets and individual ballets.
The Petrovsky Theatre, built in record time - less than six months, became the first public theater building of such size, beauty and convenience built in Moscow. By the time it was opened, Prince Urusov, however, had already been forced to cede his rights to a partner, and later on the “privilege” was extended only to Medox.
However, he was also disappointed. Forced to constantly ask for loans from the Board of Trustees, Medox did not get out of debt. In addition, the opinion of the authorities - previously very high - about the quality of his entrepreneurial activity has changed radically. In 1796, Madox's personal privilege expired, so that both the theater and its debts were transferred to the Board of Trustees.
In 1802-03. the theater was given at the mercy of Prince M. Volkonsky, the owner of one of the best Moscow home theater troupes. And in 1804, when the theater again came under the jurisdiction of the Board of Trustees, Volkonsky was actually appointed its director "on a salary."
Already in 1805, a project arose to create a theater directorate in Moscow "in the image and likeness" of St. Petersburg. In 1806, it was implemented - and the Moscow theater acquired the status of an imperial theater, passing under the jurisdiction of a single Directorate of Imperial Theaters.
In 1806, the school that the Petrovsky Theater had was reorganized into the Imperial Moscow Theater School for the training of opera, ballet, drama and musicians theater orchestras(in 1911 it became choreographic).
In the autumn of 1805 the building of the Petrovsky Theater burned down. The troupe began to perform on private stages. And since 1808 - on the stage of the new Arbat Theater, built according to the project of K. Rossi. This wooden building also perished in the fire - during Patriotic War 1812
In 1819, a competition was announced for the design of a new theater building. The project of Andrei Mikhailov, professor of the Academy of Arts, won, however, it was recognized as too expensive. As a result, the Moscow governor, Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, ordered the architect Osip Bove to fix it, which he did, and significantly improved it.
In July 1820, the construction of a new theater building began, which was to become the center of the town-planning composition of the square and adjacent streets. The facade, decorated with a powerful portico on eight columns with a large sculptural group- Apollo on a chariot with three horses, “looked” at the Theater Square under construction, which contributed a lot to its decoration.
In 1822–23 Moscow theaters were separated from the general Directorate of Imperial Theaters and transferred to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Governor-General, who received the authority to appoint Moscow directors of the Imperial Theaters.
“Even closer, on a wide square, rises the Petrovsky Theater, a work latest art, a huge building, made according to all the rules of taste, with a flat roof and a majestic portico, on which rises the alabaster Apollo, standing on one leg in an alabaster chariot, motionlessly driving three alabaster horses and looking with annoyance at the Kremlin wall, which jealously separates him from the ancient shrines of Russia!
M. Lermontov, youthful composition "Panorama of Moscow"
On January 6, 1825, the grand opening of the new Petrovsky Theater took place - much larger than the lost old one, and therefore called the Bolshoi Petrovsky. The prologue “The Triumph of the Muses” written specially for the occasion in verse (M. Dmitrieva), with choirs and dances to the music of A. Alyabyev, A. Verstovsky and F. Scholz, as well as the ballet “Sandrillon” staged by a dancer invited from France and choreographer F. .IN. Güllen-Sor to the music of her husband F. Sor. The Muses triumphed over the fire that destroyed the old theater building, and, led by the Genius of Russia, whose role was played by the twenty-five-year-old Pavel Mochalov, they revived a new temple of art from the ashes. And although the theater was really very large, it could not accommodate everyone. Emphasizing the importance of the moment and condescending to the suffering of the suffering, the triumphant performance was repeated in its entirety the next day.
The new theatre, which surpassed in size even the St. Petersburg Bolshoy Kamenny Theatre, was notable for its monumental grandeur, proportionality of proportions, harmony of architectural forms and richness of interior decoration. It turned out to be very convenient: the building had galleries for the passage of spectators, stairs leading to the tiers, corner and side lounges and spacious dressing rooms. The huge auditorium could accommodate over two thousand people. The orchestra pit was deepened. At the time of masquerades, the floor of the stalls was raised to the level of the proscenium, the orchestra pit was covered with special shields, and a wonderful “dance floor” turned out.
In 1842, the Moscow theaters were again placed under the control of the General Directorate of the Imperial Theaters. A. Gedeonov was then the director, and the famous composer A. Verstovsky was appointed the manager of the Moscow theater office. The years when he was "in power" (1842–59) were called the "epoch of Verstovsky."
And although dramatic performances continued to be staged on the stage of the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater, operas and ballets began to occupy an increasing place in its repertoire. Works by Donizetti, Rossini, Meyerbeer, the young Verdi, Russian composers - both Verstovsky and Glinka were staged (in 1842 the Moscow premiere of A Life for the Tsar took place, in 1846 - the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila).
The building of the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater existed for almost 30 years. But he also suffered the same sad fate: on March 11, 1853, a fire broke out in the theater, which lasted three days and destroyed everything that it could. Theatrical machines, costumes, musical instruments, notes, scenery burned down... The building itself was almost completely destroyed, from which only charred stone walls and columns of the portico remained.
Three prominent Russian architects took part in the competition for the restoration of the theater. It was won by the professor of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, the chief architect of the imperial theaters, Albert Cavos. He specialized mainly in theatrical buildings, was well versed in theatrical technology and in the design of multi-tiered theaters with a box stage and with Italian and French types of boxes.
Restoration work progressed rapidly. In May 1855, the dismantling of the ruins was completed and the reconstruction of the building began. And in August 1856 it had already opened its doors to the public. This speed was explained by the fact that the construction had to be completed by the celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Alexander II. The Bolshoi Theater, practically rebuilt and with very significant changes compared to the previous building, opened on August 20, 1856 with the opera I Puritani by V. Bellini.
The total height of the building has increased by almost four meters. Despite the fact that the porticos with Beauvais columns have been preserved, the appearance of the main facade has changed quite a lot. A second pediment appeared. The troika of Apollo was replaced by a quadriga cast in bronze. An alabaster bas-relief appeared on the inner field of the pediment, representing flying geniuses with a lyre. The frieze and capitals of the columns have changed. Over the entrances of the side facades, inclined canopies were installed on cast-iron pillars.
But the theatrical architect, of course, paid the main attention to the auditorium and the stage part. In the second half of the 19th century, the Bolshoi Theater was considered one of the best in the world in terms of its acoustic properties. And he owed this to the skill of Albert Cavos, who designed the auditorium as a huge musical instrument. Wooden panels from resonant spruce were used to decorate the walls, a wooden ceiling was made instead of an iron ceiling, and a picturesque ceiling was made of wooden shields - everything in this hall worked for acoustics. Even the decor of the boxes, made of papier-mâché. In order to improve the acoustics of the hall, Cavos also filled in the rooms under the amphitheater, where the wardrobe was placed, and moved the hangers to the level of the stalls.
The space of the auditorium was significantly expanded, which made it possible to make front lodges - small living rooms furnished to receive visitors from the stalls or boxes located in the neighborhood. The six-tier hall accommodated almost 2300 spectators. On both sides, near the stage, there were letter boxes intended for the royal family, the ministry of the court and the theater directorate. The ceremonial royal box, protruding slightly into the hall, became its center, opposite the stage. The barrier of the Royal Lodge was supported by consoles in the form of bent atlantes. The raspberry-gold splendor amazed everyone who entered this hall, both in the first years of the existence of the Bolshoi Theater and decades later.
“I tried to decorate the auditorium as splendidly and at the same time as lightly as possible, in the taste of the Renaissance, mixed with the Byzantine style. White color, strewn with gold, bright crimson draperies of the inner boxes, various plaster arabesques on each floor and the main effect of the auditorium - a large chandelier of three rows of lamps and candelabra decorated with crystal - all this deserved universal approval.
Albert Cavos
The chandelier of the auditorium was originally lit by 300 oil lamps. To light the oil lamps, it was raised through a hole in the ceiling into a special room. A circular ceiling composition was built around this hole, on which Academician A. Titov painted "Apollo and the Muses". This painting is “with a secret” that opens only to a very attentive eye, which, in addition to everything, should belong to a connoisseur of ancient Greek mythology: instead of one of the canonical muses - the muse of the sacred hymns of Polyhymnia, Titov depicted the muse of painting invented by him - with a palette and a brush in his hands.
The ceremonial lifting and lowering curtain was created by an Italian artist, a professor at the Petersburg Imperial Academy fine arts Kazroe Duzi. Of the three sketches, the one that depicted "The entry of Minin and Pozharsky into Moscow" was chosen. In 1896 it was replaced by a new one - "View of Moscow from the Sparrow Hills" (performed by P. Lambin based on a drawing by M. Bocharov), which was used at the beginning and at the end of the performance. And for the intermissions, another curtain was made - "The Triumph of the Muses" according to the sketch of P. Lambin (the only curtain of the 19th century that has survived today in the theater).
After the revolution of 1917, the curtains of the imperial theater were sent into exile. In 1920 theater artist F. Fedorovsky, working on the production of the opera Lohengrin, made a sliding curtain made of bronze-painted canvas, which then began to be used as the main one. In 1935, according to the sketch of F. Fedorovsky, a new curtain was made, on which revolutionary dates were woven - “1871, 1905, 1917”. In 1955, the famous golden "Soviet" curtain of F. Fedorovsky reigned in the theater for half a century - with woven state symbols of the USSR.
Like most of the buildings on Theater Square, the Bolshoi Theater was built on stilts. Gradually the building decayed. Drainage works have lowered the groundwater level. The top of the piles rotted and this caused the building to settle heavily. In 1895 and 1898 the foundations were repaired, which temporarily helped to stop the ongoing destruction.
The last performance of the Imperial Bolshoi Theater took place on February 28, 1917. And already on March 13, the State Bolshoi Theater opened.
After the October Revolution, not only the foundations, but the very existence of the theater was threatened. It took several years for the power of the victorious proletariat to abandon forever the idea of closing the Bolshoi Theater and ruining its building. In 1919, she awarded him the title of academician, which at that time did not even guarantee safety, since a few days later the issue of its closure was again hotly debated.
However, in 1922, the Bolshevik government still finds the closure of the theater economically inexpedient. By that time, it was already "adapting" the building to its needs with might and main. The Bolshoi Theater hosted the All-Russian Congresses of Soviets, meetings of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and congresses of the Comintern. And education new country- The USSR - was also proclaimed from the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
Back in 1921, a special government commission, having examined the theater building, found its condition catastrophic. It was decided to launch anti-emergency work, the head of which was appointed architect I. Rerberg. Then the bases under the annular walls of the auditorium were strengthened, the wardrobe rooms were restored, the stairs were replanned, new rehearsal rooms and artistic latrines were created. In 1938, a major reconstruction of the stage was also carried out.
General plan for the reconstruction of Moscow in 1940-41. called for the demolition of all houses Bolshoi Theater up to the Kuznetsky bridge. On the vacated territory it was supposed to build the premises necessary for the work of the theater. And in the theater itself, fire safety and ventilation had to be established. In April 1941, the Bolshoi Theater was closed for necessary repairs. And two months later, the Great Patriotic War began.
Part of the staff of the Bolshoi Theater was evacuated to Kuibyshev, part remained in Moscow and continued to play performances on the stage of the branch. Many artists performed as part of front-line brigades, others went to the front themselves.
On October 22, 1941, at four in the afternoon, a bomb hit the building of the Bolshoi Theater. The blast wave passed obliquely between the columns of the portico, broke through the front wall and caused significant damage in the vestibule. Despite the hardships of wartime and the terrible cold, in the winter of 1942, restoration work began in the theater.
And already in the autumn of 1943, the Bolshoi Theater resumed its activities with a production of M. Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar, which was removed from the stigma of the monarchist and recognized as patriotic and popular, however, for this it was necessary to revise its libretto and give a new trustworthy name - "Ivan Susanin ".
Cosmetic repairs in the theater were carried out annually. More large-scale works were regularly undertaken. But there was still a catastrophic lack of rehearsal space.
In 1960, a large rehearsal hall was built and opened in the theater building - under the very roof, in the premises of the former scenery hall.
In 1975, for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the theater, some restoration work was carried out in the auditorium and Beethoven halls. However, the main problems - the instability of the foundations and the lack of space inside the theater - were not resolved.
Finally, in 1987, by a decree of the Government of the country, a decision was made on the need for an urgent reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater. But it was clear to everyone that in order to preserve the troupe, the theater should not stop its creative activity. We needed a branch. However, eight years passed before the first stone was laid in the foundation of its foundation. And seven more before the New Stage building was completed.
On November 29, 2002, the new stage opened with the premiere of the opera The Snow Maiden by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, a production that fully corresponds to the spirit and purpose of the new building, that is, innovative, experimental.
In 2005, the Bolshoi Theater was closed for restoration and reconstruction. But this is a separate chapter of the annals of the Bolshoi Theater.
To be continued...
The full name is the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia (GABT).
Opera history
One of the oldest Russian musical theaters, the leading Russian opera and ballet theater. The Bolshoi Theater played an outstanding role in establishing the national realistic traditions of opera and ballet art, and in shaping the Russian musical stage performing school. The Bolshoi Theater traces its history back to 1776, when the Moscow provincial prosecutor, Prince P. V. Urusov, received the government privilege "to be the owner of all theatrical performances in Moscow ...". From 1776 performances were staged in the house of Count R. I. Vorontsov on Znamenka. Urusov, together with the entrepreneur M. E. Medoks, built a special theater building (at the corner of Petrovka Street) - the Petrovsky Theater, or " opera house”, where in 1780-1805 there were opera, drama and ballet performances. It was the first in Moscow permanent theater(burned down in 1805). In 1812, another building of the theater was also destroyed by fire - on the Arbat (architect K. I. Rossi) and the troupe performed in temporary premises. On January 6 (18), 1825, the Bolshoi Theater (designed by A. A. Mikhailov, architect O. I. Bove), built on the site of the former Petrovsky, opened with the prologue “The Triumph of the Muses” with music by A. N. Verstovsky and A. A. Alyabyev. The room - the second largest in Europe after the La Scala theater in Milan - was significantly rebuilt after the fire of 1853 (architect A.K. Kavos), acoustic and optical shortcomings were corrected, the auditorium was divided into 5 tiers. The opening took place on August 20, 1856.
The theater staged the first Russian folk-everyday musical comedies - "Melnik - a sorcerer, a deceiver and a matchmaker" by Sokolovsky (1779), "St. gostiny dvor» Pashkevich (1783) and others. The first pantomime ballet, The Magic Shop, was shown in 1780 on the opening day of the Petrovsky Theatre. Conventional fantasy-mythological spectacular productions prevailed among ballet performances, but performances were also staged, including Russian folk dances who had big success from the public (“Village Holiday”, “Village Picture”, “The Capture of Ochakov”, etc.). The repertoire also included the most significant operas foreign composers 18th century (J. Pergolesi, D. Cimarosa, A. Salieri, A. Gretry, N. Daleiraka and others).
Late 18th - early 19th centuries opera singers played in dramatic performances, and dramatic actors performed in operas. The troupe of the Petrovsky Theater was often replenished with talented serf actors and actresses, and sometimes entire groups of serf theaters, which the theater management bought from the landowners.
The troupe of the theater included the serf actors of Urusov, the actors of the theater troupes of N. S. Titov and the Moscow University. Among the first actors were V. P. Pomerantsev, P. V. Zlov, G. V. Bazilevich, A. G. Ozhogin, M. S. Sinyavskaya, I. M. Sokolovskaya, later E. S. Sandunova and others. ballet dancers - pupils of the Orphanage (in which a ballet school was founded in 1773 under the direction of choreographer I. Valberkh) and serf dancers of the troupes of Urusov and E. A. Golovkina (among them: A. Sobakina, D. Tukmanov, G. Raikov, S. Lopukhin and others).
In 1806, many of the theater's serf actors were given their freedom, and the troupe was placed at the disposal of the Directorate of the Moscow Imperial Theaters and turned into a court theater that was directly subordinate to the Ministry of the Court. This determined the difficulties in the development of advanced Russian musical art. Vaudevilles, which were very popular, initially dominated the domestic repertoire: Alyabyev’s Village Philosopher (1823), Teacher and Student (1824), Khlopotun and Caliph’s Fun (1825) by Alyabyev and Verstovsky and others. In the 1990s, operas by A. N. Verstovsky (since 1825 the music inspector of Moscow theaters) were staged at the Bolshoi Theater, marked by national romantic tendencies: “Pan Tvardovsky” (1828), “Vadim, or the Twelve Sleeping Virgins” (1832), “Askold’s Grave "(1835), which has long been in the repertoire of the theater, "Sickness for the Motherland" (1839), "Churova Valley" (1841), "Thunderbolt" (1858). Verstovsky and the composer A. E. Varlamov, who worked in the theater in 1832-44, contributed to the education of Russian singers (N. V. Repina, A. O. Bantyshev, P. A. Bulakhov, N. V. Lavrov, and others). The theater also hosted operas by German, French and Italian composers, including Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, Fidelio by Beethoven, The Magic Shooter by Weber, Fra Diavolo, Fenella and The Bronze Horse by Aubert, Robert the Devil by Meyerbeer , " barber of seville» Rossini, «Anna Boleyn» by Donizetti and others. In 1842, the Management of Moscow Theaters became subordinate to the St. Petersburg Directorate. Staged in 1842, Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar (Ivan Susanin) turned into a lavish performance on solemn court holidays. With the help of the artists of the St. Petersburg Russian Opera Company (transferred to Moscow in 1845-50), this opera was performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in an incomparably the best production. Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila was staged in the same performance in 1846, and Dargomyzhsky's Esmeralda in 1847. In 1859, the Bolshoi Theater staged The Mermaid. The appearance on the stage of the opera theater of Glinka and Dargomyzhsky outlined new stage its development and was of great importance in shaping realistic principles vocal- performing arts.
In 1861, the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters leased the Bolshoi Theater to an Italian opera troupe, which performed 4-5 days a week, effectively leaving the Russian opera 1 day. The competition between the two groups brought certain benefits to Russian singers, forcing them to stubbornly improve their skills and borrow some principles of Italian music. vocal school, but the neglect of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters to approve the national repertoire and the privileged position of the Italians made it difficult for the Russian troupe to work and prevented the Russian opera from winning public recognition. The new Russian opera theater could only be born in the fight against Italian mania and entertainment trends for the assertion of the national identity of art. Already in the 1960s and 1970s, the theater was forced to listen to the voices of the progressive figures of the Russian musical culture, to the demands of the new democratic audience. The operas Rusalka (1863) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1868) were resumed and established themselves in the theatre's repertoire. In 1869, the Bolshoi Theater puts on the first opera by P. I. Tchaikovsky "Voevoda", in 1875 - "Oprichnik". In 1881, Eugene Onegin was staged (the second production, 1883, was fixed in the theater's repertoire).
From the mid-80s of the 19th century, a turning point began in the attitude of the theater management towards Russian opera; performances were made outstanding works Russian composers: "Mazepa" (1884), "Cherevichki" (1887), " Queen of Spades"(1891) and" Iolanta "(1893) by Tchaikovsky, first appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Opera Composers" mighty handful"- "Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky (1888), "The Snow Maiden" by Rimsky-Korsakov (1893), "Prince Igor" by Borodin (1898).
But the main attention in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater in these years was still given to French operas (J. Meyerbeer, F. Aubert, F. Halevi, A. Thomas, Ch. Gounod) and Italian (G. Rossini, V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, G. Verdi) composers. In 1898, Bizet's Carmen was staged for the first time in Russian, and in 1899, Berlioz's The Trojans in Carthage. The German opera is represented by the works of F. Flotov, “ magic shooter” Weber, single productions of “Tannhäuser” and “Lohengrin” by Wagner.
Among the Russian singers of the middle and 2nd half of the 19th century are E. A. Semyonova (the first Moscow performer of the parts of Antonida, Lyudmila and Natasha), A. D. Aleksandrova-Kochetova, E. A. Lavrovskaya, P. A. Khokhlov (who created images of Onegin and the Demon), B. B. Korsov, M. M. Koryakin, L. D. Donskoy, M. A. Deisha-Sionitskaya, N. V. Salina, N. A. Preobrazhensky and others. but also as productions and musical interpretations of operas. In 1882-1906 the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater was I. K. Altani, in 1882-1937 the chief choirmaster was U. I. Avranek. P. I. Tchaikovsky and A. G. Rubinshtein conducted their operas. More serious attention is given decorative design and staging culture of performances. (In 1861-1929 K. F. Waltz worked as a decorator and mechanic at the Bolshoi Theater).
By the end of the 19th century, the reform of the Russian theater was brewing, its decisive turn to the depth of life and historical truth, to the realism of images and feelings. The Bolshoi Theater is entering its heyday, gaining fame as one of the largest centers of musical and theatrical culture. The theater repertoire includes the best works world art, at the same time, Russian opera occupies a central place on its stage. For the first time, the Bolshoi Theater staged productions of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas The Maid of Pskov (1901), Pan Voyevoda (1905), Sadko (1906), The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh (1908), The Golden Cockerel (1909) , as well as Dargomyzhsky's Stone Guest (1906). At the same time, the theater staged such significant works by foreign composers as The Valkyrie, The Flying Dutchman, Wagner's Tannhäuser, Berlioz's Trojans in Carthage, Leoncavallo's The Pagliacci, Mascagni's Rural Honor, Puccini's La Boheme, and others.
The heyday of the performing school of Russian art came after a long and intense struggle for Russian opera classics and is directly related to the deep development of the Russian repertoire. At the beginning of the 20th century, a constellation of great singers appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater - F. I. Chaliapin, L. V. Sobinov, A. V. Nezhdanova. Outstanding singers performed together with them: E. G. Azerskaya, L. N. Balanovskaya, M. G. Gukova, K. G. Derzhinskaya, E. N. Zbrueva, E. A. Stepanova, I. A. Alchevsky, A V. Bogdanovich, A. P. Bonachich, G. A. Baklanov, I. V. Gryzunov, V. R. Petrov, G. S. Pirogov, L. F. Savransky. In 1904-06 SV Rachmaninov conducted at the Bolshoi Theatre, giving a new realistic interpretation of Russian opera classics. Since 1906 V. I. Suk became the conductor. The choir under the direction of U. I. Avranek achieves perfected mastery. Prominent artists A. M. Vasnetsov, A. Ya. Golovin, K. A. Korovin are involved in the design of performances.
Great October socialist revolution opened a new era in the development of the Bolshoi Theatre. In difficult years civil war the theater troupe was completely preserved. The first season began on November 21 (December 4), 1917 with the opera Aida. By the first anniversary of October was prepared special program, which included the ballet "Stepan Razin" to the music symphonic poem Glazunov, the scene "Veche" from the opera "Pskovityanka" by Rimsky-Korsakov and the choreographic picture "Prometheus" to the music of A. N. Scriabin. During the 1917/1918 season, the theater gave 170 opera and ballet performances. From 1918, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra gave cycles of symphony concerts with the participation of solo singers. In parallel, there were chamber instrumental concerts and concerts of singers. In 1919 the Bolshoi Theater was awarded the title of academic. In 1924, a branch of the Bolshoi Theater was opened in the premises of the former private opera Zimin. Performances were staged on this stage until 1959.
In the 1920s, operas appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater Soviet composers- Yurasovsky's "Trilby" (1924, 2nd production 1929), Zolotarev's "Decembrists" and Triodin's "Stepan Razin" (both in 1925), Prokofiev's "Love for Three Oranges" (1927), Korchmarev's "Ivan the Soldier" (1927) ), “Son of the Sun” by Vasilenko (1928), “Zagmuk” by Crane and “Breakthrough” by Pototsky (both in 1930), etc. At the same time, a lot of work is being done on opera classics. New productions of the operas by R. Wagner took place: The Rhine Gold (1918), Lohengrin (1923), The Nuremberg Mastersingers (1929). In 1921 G. Berlioz's oratorio "The Condemnation of Faust" was performed. Of fundamental importance was the staging of M. P. Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov (1927), performed for the first time in its entirety with scenes Pod Kromy And Basil the Blessed(the latter, orchestrated by M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, has since been included in all productions of this opera). In 1925, the premiere of Mussorgsky's opera The Sorochinskaya Fair took place. Among the significant works of the Bolshoi Theater of this period are: The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh (1926); The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart (1926), as well as the operas Salome by R. Strauss (1925), Cio-Cio-san by Puccini (1925) and others staged in Moscow for the first time.
Significant events in creative history The Bolshoi Theater of the 30s are associated with the development of Soviet opera. In 1935 D. D. Shostakovich’s opera “Katerina Izmailova” (based on the story “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” by N. S. Leskov) was staged, then “ Quiet Don"(1936) and "Virgin Soil Upturned" by Dzerzhinsky (1937), "Battleship Potemkin" by Chishko (1939), "Mother" by Zhelobinsky (after M. Gorky, 1939) and others. Works by composers are staged Soviet republics- “Almast” by Spendiarov (1930), “Abesalom and Eteri” by Z. Paliashvili (1939). In 1939 the Bolshoi Theater revived the opera Ivan Susanin. New production(libretto by S. M. Gorodetsky) revealed the folk-heroic essence of this work; mass choral scenes acquired special significance.
In 1937, the Bolshoi Theater was awarded the Order of Lenin, and its leading masters were awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR.
In the 20-30s, outstanding singers performed on the stage of the theater - V. R. Petrov, L. V. Sobinov, A. V. Nezhdanova, N. A. Obukhova, K. G. Derzhinskaya, E. A. Stepanova, E. K. Katulskaya, V. V. Barsova, I. S. Kozlovsky, S. Ya. Lemeshev, A. S. Pirogov, M. D. Mikhailov, M. O. Reizen, N. S. Khanaev, E. D. Kruglikova, N. D. Shpiller, M. P. Maksakova, V. A. Davydova, A. I. Baturin, S. I. Migai, L. F. Savransky, N. N. Ozerov, V. R. Slivinsky and others. Among the theater's conductors are V. I. Suk, M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, N. S. Golovanov, A. M. Pazovsky, S. A. Samosud, Yu. Shteinberg, V. V. Nebolsin. The performances of opera and ballet performances of the Bolshoi Theater were staged by directors V. A. Lossky, N. V. Smolich; choreographer R. V. Zakharov; choirmasters U. O. Avranek, M. G. Shorin; artist P. V. Williams.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), part of the Bolshoi Theater troupe was evacuated to Kuibyshev, where in 1942 Rossini's opera William Tell premiered. On the stage of the branch (the main building of the theater was damaged by a bomb) in 1943, the opera On Fire by Kabalevsky was staged. In the postwar years, the opera troupe turned to the classical heritage of the peoples socialist countries, the operas The Bartered Bride by Smetana (1948) and Pebbles by Moniuszko (1949) were staged. The performances Boris Godunov (1948), Sadko (1949), Khovanshchina (1950) are noted for the depth and integrity of the musical and stage ensemble. Bright examples Soviet ballet classics were the ballets Cinderella (1945) and Romeo and Juliet (1946) by Prokofiev.
Since the mid-40s, the role of directing in the disclosure of ideological content and the embodiment of the author's intention of the work, in the education of an actor (singer and ballet dancer), capable of creating deeply meaningful, psychologically truthful images. The role of the ensemble in solving the ideological and artistic tasks of the performance becomes more significant, which is achieved thanks to the high skill of the orchestra, choir and other theater groups. All this determined the performing style of the contemporary Bolshoi Theatre, bringing it worldwide fame.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the theatre's work on operas by Soviet composers became more active. In 1953 Shaporin's monumental epic opera The Decembrists was staged. The opera "War and Peace" by Prokofiev (1959) entered the golden fund of the Soviet musical theater. Were staged - "Nikita Vershinin" by Kabalevsky (1955), "The Taming of the Shrew" by Shebalin (1957), "Mother" by Khrennikov (1957), "Jalil" by Zhiganov (1959), "The Tale of a Real Man" by Prokofiev (1960), "Fate Man" by Dzerzhinsky (1961), "Not Only Love" by Shchedrin (1962), "October" by Muradeli (1964), "Unknown Soldier" by Molchanov (1967), "Optimistic Tragedy" by Kholminov (1967), "Semyon Kotko" by Prokofiev (1970 ).
Since the mid-1950s, the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater has been replenished with modern foreign operas. The works of composers L. Janáček (Her Stepdaughter, 1958), F. Erkel (Bank-Ban, 1959), F. Poulenc (The Human Voice, 1965), B. Britten (A Midsummer Dream) were staged for the first time. night", 1965). The classical Russian and European repertoire has expanded. To the number outstanding works opera group includes Beethoven's Fidelio (1954). Operas were also staged - Falstaff (1962), Don Carlos (1963) by Verdi, The Flying Dutchman by Wagner (1963), The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh (1966), Tosca (1971), Ruslan and Lyudmila (1972), Troubadour (1972); ballets - "The Nutcracker" (1966), " Swan Lake» (1970). In the opera troupe of this time, the singers are I. I. and L. I. Maslennikovs, E. V. Shumskaya, Z. I. Andzhaparidze, G. P. Bolshakov, A. P. Ivanov, A. F. Krivchenya, P. G. Lisitsian, G. M. Nelepp, I. I. Petrov and others. The conductors - A. Sh. Melik-Pashaev, M. N. Zhukov, G. N. Rozhdestvensky, E. F. Svetlanov worked on the musical stage embodiment of the performances; directors - L. B. Baratov, B. A. Pokrovsky; choreographer L. M. Lavrovsky; artists - R. P. Fedorovsky, V. F. Ryndin, S. B. Virsaladze.
The leading masters of the opera and ballet troupes of the Bolshoi Theater have performed in many countries of the world. The opera troupe toured Italy (1964), Canada, Poland (1967), East Germany (1969), France (1970), Japan (1970), Austria, Hungary (1971).
In 1924-59 the Bolshoi Theater had two stages - the main stage and a branch. The main stage of the theater is a five-tiered auditorium with 2155 seats. The length of the hall, taking into account the orchestra shell, is 29.8 m, the width is 31 m, the height is 19.6 m. The depth of the stage is 22.8 m, the width is 39.3 m, the size of the stage portal is 21.5 × 17.2 m. In 1961, the Bolshoi Theater received a new stage platform - the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (an auditorium for 6000 seats; the stage size in plan is 40 × 23 m and the height to the grate is 28.8 m, the stage portal is 32 × 14 m; tablet stage is equipped with sixteen lifting and lowering platforms). Solemn meetings, congresses, decades of arts, etc. are held at the Bolshoi Theater and the Palace of Congresses.
Literature: The Bolshoi Moscow Theater and a review of the events that preceded the foundation of the correct Russian theater, M., 1857; Kashkin N. D., Opera stage of the Moscow Imperial Theatre, M., 1897 (on the region: Dmitriev N., Imperial Opera Stage in Moscow, M., 1898); Chayanova O., "The Triumph of the Muses", Memo of historical memories for the centennial anniversary of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater (1825-1925), M., 1925; her own, Madox Theater in Moscow 1776-1805, M., 1927; Moscow Bolshoi Theatre. 1825-1925, M., 1925 (collection of articles and materials); Borisoglebsky M., Materials on the history of Russian ballet, vol. 1, L., 1938; Glushkovsky A.P., Memoirs of a choreographer, M. - L., 1940; State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, M., 1947 (collection of articles); S.V. Rachmaninoff and Russian opera, Sat. articles ed. I. F. Belzy. Moscow, 1947. Theater, 1951, No 5 (dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre); Shaverdyan A. I., Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, M., 1952; Polyakova L. V., Youth opera stage Bolshoi Theatre, M., 1952; Khripunov Yu. D., Architecture of the Bolshoi Theatre, M., 1955; Bolshoi Theater of the USSR (collection of articles), M., 1958; Grosheva E. A., Bolshoi Theater of the USSR in the past and present, M., 1962; Gozenpud A. A., Musical theater in Russia. From the origins to Glinka, L., 1959; his, Russian Soviet Opera Theater (1917-1941), L., 1963; his own, Russian Opera Theater of the 19th century, vol. 1-2, L., 1969-71.
L. V. Polyakova
Music Encyclopedia, ed. Yu.V.Keldysha, 1973-1982
History of ballet
The leading Russian musical theater, which played an outstanding role in the formation and development of national traditions ballet art. Its origin is associated with the flourishing of Russian culture in the 2nd half of the 18th century, with the emergence and development of professional theater.
The troupe began to form in 1776, when the Moscow philanthropist Prince P. V. Urusov and the entrepreneur M. Medox received a government privilege to develop theatrical business. Performances were given in the house of R. I. Vorontsov on Znamenka. In 1780 Medox was built in Moscow on the corner of st. Petrovka theater building, which became known as the Petrovsky Theatre. There were drama, opera and ballet performances. It was the first permanent professional theater in Moscow. His ballet troupe was soon replenished with pupils of the ballet school of the Moscow Orphanage (which existed since 1773), and then with serf actors of the troupe of E. A. Golovkina. The first ballet performance was The Magic Shop (1780, choreographer L. Paradise). It was followed by: "The Triumph of the Pleasures of the Female", "The Feigned Death of the Harlequin, or the Deceived Pantaloon", "The Deaf Mistress" and "The Feigned Anger of Love" - all productions by choreographer F. Morelli (1782); “Village morning entertainments at the awakening of the sun” (1796) and “The Miller” (1797) - choreographer P. Pinyucci; “Medea and Jason” (1800, after J. Nover), “Toilet of Venus” (1802) and “Vengeance for the death of Agamemnon” (1805) - choreographer D. Solomoni, and others. These performances were based on the principles of classicism, in comic ballets ("The Deceived Miller", 1793; "Cupid's Deceptions", 1795) began to show features of sentimentalism. G. I. Raikov, A. M. Sobakina and others stood out from the dancers of the troupe.
In 1805 the building of the Petrovsky Theater burned down. In 1806, the troupe came under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters, and played in various rooms. Its composition was replenished, new ballets were staged: Guishpan Evenings (1809), Pierrot's School, Algerians, or Defeated Sea Robbers, Zephyr, or Anemone, which has become permanent (all - 1812), Semik, or Walking in the Maryina Grove ”(to music by S. I. Davydov, 1815) - all staged by I. M. Ablets; " New heroine, or Cossack Woman" (1811), "Feast in the camp of the allied armies in Montmartre" (1814) - both to the music of Kavos, choreographer I. I. Valberkh; "Festival on Vorobyovy Gory"(1815)," The Triumph of the Russians, or Bivok under the Red" (1816) - both to the music of Davydov, choreographer A. P. Glushkovsky; "Cossacks on the Rhine" (1817), "Neva Walk" (1818), "Old Games, or Christmas Evening" (1823) - all to the music of Scholz, the choreographer is the same; "Russian swing on the banks of the Rhine" (1818), "Gypsy camp" (1819), "Festivities in Petrovsky" (1824) - all choreographer I. K. Lobanov, and others. Most of these performances were divertissements with extensive use of folk rituals And characteristic dance. Of particular importance were performances dedicated to the events of the Patriotic War of 1812 - the first ballets on a modern theme in the history of the Moscow stage. In 1821 Glushkovsky created the first ballet based on a work by A. S. Pushkin (Ruslan and Lyudmila to music by Scholz).
In 1825, performances began in the new building of the Bolshoi Theater (architect O. I. Bove) with the prologue "The Triumph of the Muses" staged by F. Güllen-Sor. She also staged the ballets Fenella to the music of the opera of the same name by Aubert (1836), The Boy with Finger (The Sly Boy and the Cannibal) by Varlamov and Guryanov (1837), and others. T. N. Glushkovskaya, D. S. Lopukhina, A. I. Voronina-Ivanova, T. S. Karpakova, K. F. Bogdanov and others. the principles of romanticism had a decisive influence on the ballet of the Bolshoi Theater (the activities of F. Taglioni and J. Perrot in St. Petersburg, the tours of M. Taglioni, F. Elsler, etc.). Outstanding dancers of this direction are E. A. Sankovskaya, I. N. Nikitin.
Of great importance for the formation of the realistic principles of stage art were the productions at the Bolshoi Theater of the operas Ivan Susanin (1842) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1846) by Glinka, which contained detailed choreographic scenes that played an important dramatic role. These ideological and artistic principles were continued in Dargomyzhsky's Mermaid (1859, 1865), Serov's Judith (1865), and then in productions of operas by P. I. Tchaikovsky and composers of The Mighty Handful. In most cases, dances in operas were staged by F. N. Manokhin.
In 1853, a fire destroyed all the interior of the Bolshoi Theatre. The building was restored in 1856 by the architect A.K. Kavos.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the ballet of the Bolshoi Theater was significantly inferior to the Petersburg one (there was no such talented leader, like M.I. Petipa, nor the same favorable material conditions for development). The Little Humpbacked Horse by Pugni, staged by A. Saint-Leon in St. Petersburg and transferred to the Bolshoi Theater in 1866, was a huge success; this manifested the long-standing attraction of the Moscow ballet to the genre, comedy, everyday and national characteristics. But there were few original performances. A number of productions by K. Blazis (“Pygmalion”, “Two Days in Venice”) and S. P. Sokolov (“The Fern, or the Night under Ivan Kupala”, 1867) testified to a certain decline in the creative principles of the theater. Only the play Don Quixote (1869), staged on the Moscow stage by M. I. Petipa, became a significant event. The deepening of the crisis was associated with the activities of choreographers V. Reisinger (The Magic Slipper, 1871; Kashchei, 1873; Stella, 1875) and J. Hansen (The Maiden of Hell, 1879) invited from abroad. The staging of Swan Lake by Reisinger (1877) and Hansen (1880), who failed to understand the innovative essence of Tchaikovsky's music, was also unsuccessful. During this period, the troupe included strong performers: P. P. Lebedeva, O. N. Nikolaeva, A. I. Sobeshchanskaya, P. M. Karpakova, S. P. Sokolov, V. F. Geltser, and later L. N. Geiten, L. A. Roslavleva, A. A. Dzhuri, A. N. Bogdanov, V. E. Polivanov, I. N. Khlyustin, and others; talented mimic actors - F. A. Reishausen and V. Vanner worked, the best traditions were passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Manokhins, Domashovs, Yermolovs. The reform carried out by the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters in 1882 led to a reduction in the ballet troupe and exacerbated the crisis (especially evident in the eclectic productions of India, 1890, Daita, 1896, by choreographer H. Mendez, invited from abroad).
Stagnation and routine were overcome only with the arrival of the choreographer A. A. Gorsky, whose activity (1899-1924) marked an entire era in the development of the Bolshoi Ballet. Gorsky sought to free the ballet from bad conventions and clichés. Enriching ballet with the achievements of modern drama theater and visual arts, he carried out new productions of Don Quixote (1900), Swan Lake (1901, 1912) and other ballets by Petipa, created Simon’s midrama Gudula’s Daughter (based on V. Hugo’s Notre Dame Cathedral, 1902), ballet “ Salambo" by Arends (according to novel of the same name G. Flaubert, 1910) and others. In striving for the dramatic fullness of a ballet performance, Gorsky sometimes exaggerated the role of the script and pantomime, sometimes underestimated the music and effective symphonic dance. At the same time, Gorsky was one of the first directors of ballets at symphonic music, not intended for dancing: "Love is fast!" to the music of Grieg, "Schubertiana" to the music of Schubert, divertissement "Carnival" to the music of various composers - all 1913, "The Fifth Symphony" (1916) and "Stenka Razin" (1918) to the music of Glazunov. In the performances of Gorsky, the talent of E. V. Geltser, S. V. Fedorova, A. M. Balashova, V. A. Koralli, M. R. Reizen, V. V. Krieger, V. D. Tikhomirova, M M. Mordkina, V. A. Ryabtseva, A. E. Volinina, L. A. Zhukova, I. E. Sidorova, etc.
At the end of 19 - early. 20th century ballet performances of the Bolshoi Theater were conducted by I. K. Altani, V. I. Suk, A. F. Arends, E. A. Cooper, theatrical decorator K. F. Waltz, artists K. A. Korovin, A. Ya. Golovin and others.
The Great October Socialist Revolution opened new paths for the Bolshoi Theater and determined its heyday as the leading opera and ballet company in the artistic life of the country. During the Civil War, the theater troupe, thanks to the attention Soviet state, has been saved. In 1919 the Bolshoi Theater entered the group of academic theaters. In 1921-22 performances of the Bolshoi Theater were also given in the premises of the New Theatre. In 1924, a branch of the Bolshoi Theater was opened (it worked until 1959).
Before the ballet troupe from the first years Soviet power has become one of the most important creative tasks- to preserve the classical heritage, to convey it to a new viewer. In 1919, The Nutcracker (choreographer Gorsky) was staged for the first time in Moscow, then new productions of Swan Lake (Gorsky, with the participation of V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, 1920), Giselle (Gorsky, 1922), Esmeralda "(V. D. Tikhomirov, 1926)," The Sleeping Beauty "(A. M. Messerer and A. I. Chekrygin, 1936), etc. Along with this, the Bolshoi Theater sought to create new ballets - one-act works were staged to symphonic music (“Spanish Capriccio” and “Scheherazade”, choreographer L. A. Zhukov, 1923, etc.), the first experiments were made to embody a modern theme (children’s ballet extravaganza “Forever Living Flowers” to the music of Asafiev and others, choreographer Gorsky , 1922; the allegorical ballet "Smerch" by Ber, choreographer K. Ya. Goleizovsky, 1927), the development of choreographic language ("Joseph the Beautiful" Vasilenko, ballet. Goleizovsky, 1925; "Football Player" Oransky, ballet. L. A. Lashchilin and I. A. Moiseev, 1930, etc.). The play The Red Poppy (choreographer Tikhomirov and L. A. Lashchilin, 1927) acquired a landmark significance, in which the realistic disclosure of a modern theme was based on the implementation and renewal of classical traditions. The creative searches of the theater were inseparable from the activities of artists - E. V. Geltser, M. P. Kandaurova, V. V. Krieger, M. R. Reizen, A. I. Abramova, V. V. Kudryavtseva, N. B. Podgoretskaya , L. M. Bank, E. M. Ilyushenko, V. D. Tikhomirova, V. A. Ryabtseva, V. V. Smoltsova, N. I. Tarasova, V. I. Tsaplina, L. A. Zhukova and others .
1930s in the development of the Bolshoi Ballet were marked by major successes in the embodiment of the historical and revolutionary theme (The Flames of Paris, ballet by V. I. Vainonen, 1933) and the images of literary classics (The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, ballet by R. V. Zakharov, 1936) . In ballet, a direction triumphed, bringing it closer to literature and drama theater. The importance of directing and acting has increased. The performances were distinguished by the dramatic integrity of the development of the action, the psychological development of the characters. In 1936-39, the ballet troupe was headed by R. V. Zakharov, who worked at the Bolshoi Theater as a choreographer and opera director until 1956. Performances on a modern theme were created - The Stork (1937) and Svetlana (1939) Klebanov (both - ballet by A. I. Radunsky, N. M. Popko and L. A. Pospekhin), as well as Asafiev’s Prisoner of the Caucasus (after A. S. Pushkin, 1938) and Taras Bulba by Solovyov-Sedoy (after N. V. Gogol, 1941, both - ballet. Zakharov), Oransky's "Three Fat Men" (after Yu. K. Olesha, 1935, ballet. I. A. Moiseev), etc. During these years, the art of M. T flourished at the Bolshoi Theater Semyonova, O. V. Lepeshinsky, A. N. Ermolaev, M. M. Gabovich, A. M. Messerer, the activity of S. N. Golovkina, M. S. Bogolyubskaya, I. V. Tikhomirnova, V. A. Preobrazhensky, Yu.G.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Bolshoi Theater was evacuated to Kuibyshev, but the part of the troupe that remained in Moscow (headed by M. M. Gabovich) soon resumed performances at the theater branch. Along with showing the old repertoire, a new performance was created " Scarlet Sails» Yurovsky (ballet dancer A. I. Radunsky, N. M. Popko, L. A. Pospekhin), staged in 1942 in Kuibyshev, in 1943 transferred to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Brigades of artists repeatedly went to the front.
In 1944-64 (with interruptions) the ballet troupe was headed by L. M. Lavrovsky. The following choreographers' names were staged (in brackets): Cinderella (R. V. Zakharov, 1945), Romeo and Juliet (L. M. Lavrovsky, 1946), Mirandolina (V. I. Vainonen, 1949), The Bronze Horseman (Zakharov, 1949), Red Poppy (Lavrovsky, 1949), Shurale (L. V. Yakobson, 1955), Laurencia (V. M. Chabukiani, 1956) and others. The Bolshoi Theater and the revivals of the classics - Giselle (1944) and Raymonda (1945) staged by Lavrovsky, etc. expressiveness. A new generation of artists has grown up; among them are M. M. Plisetskaya, R. S. Struchkova, M. V. Kondratieva, L. I. Bogomolova, R. K. Karelskaya, N. V. Timofeeva, Yu. T. Zhdanov, G. K. Farmanyants, V. A. Levashov, N. B. Fadeechev, Ya. D. Sekh and others.
In the mid 1950s. in the productions of the Bolshoi Theater became palpable negative consequences choreographers’ passion for one-sided dramatization of a ballet performance (everydayism, the prevalence of pantomime, underestimation of the role of effective dance), which was especially reflected in the performances of Prokofiev’s The Tale of the Stone Flower (Lavrovsky, 1954), Gayane (Vainonen, 1957), Spartacus (I A. Moiseev, 1958).
A new period began in the late 1950s. The repertoire included Y. N. Grigorovich's landmark performances for the Soviet ballet - "The Stone Flower" (1959) and "The Legend of Love" (1965). In the productions of the Bolshoi Theater, the circle of images and ideological and moral problems expanded, the role of the dance principle increased, the forms of dramaturgy became more diverse, the choreographic vocabulary was enriched, and interesting searches began to be carried out in the embodiment of a modern theme. This was manifested in the productions of choreographers: N. D. Kasatkina and V. Yu. Vasilev - “Vanina Vanini” (1962) and “Geologists” (“ heroic poem", 1964) Karetnikova; O. G. Tarasova and A. A. Lapauri - "Lieutenant Kizhe" to the music of Prokofiev (1963); K. Ya. Goleizovsky - “Leyli and Majnun” by Balasanyan (1964); Lavrovsky - "Paganini" to the music of Rachmaninov (1960) and "Night City" to the music of Bartok's "Wonderful Mandarin" (1961).
In 1961, the Bolshoi Theater received a new stage - the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, which contributed to the wider activities of the ballet troupe. Along with the mature masters - Plisetskaya, Struchkova, Timofeeva, Fadeechev and others - the leading position was occupied by talented young people who came to the Bolshoi Theater at the turn of the 50-60s: E. S. Maksimova, N. I. Bessmertnova, N. I. Sorokina, E. L. Ryabinkina, S. D. Adyrkhaeva, V. V. Vasiliev, M. E. Liepa, M. L. Lavrovsky, Yu. V. Vladimirov, V. P. Tikhonov and others.
Since 1964, the chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater has been Yu. N. Grigorovich, who consolidated and developed progressive tendencies in the activities of the ballet troupe. Almost every new performance of the Bolshoi Theater is marked by interesting creative searches. They appeared in The Rite of Spring (ballet by Kasatkina and Vasilev, 1965), Bizet-Shchedrin's Carmen Suite (Alberto Alonso, 1967), Vlasov's Aseli (O. M. Vinogradov, 1967), Slonimsky's Icarus (V. V. Vasiliev, 1971), “Anna Karenina” by Shchedrin (M. M. Plisetskaya, N. I. Ryzhenko, V. V. Smirnov-Golovanov, 1972), “Love for Love” by Khrennikov (V. Boccadoro, 1976), "Chippolino" by K. Khachaturian (G. Mayorov, 1977), "These bewitching sounds ..." to the music of Corelli, Torelli, Rameau, Mozart (V.V. Vasiliev, 1978), "Hussar Ballad" by Khrennikov ( O. M. Vinogradov and D. A. Bryantsev), “The Seagull” by Shchedrin (M. M. Plisetskaya, 1980), “Macbeth” by Molchanov (V. V. Vasiliev, 1980) and others. performance "Spartacus" (Grigorovich, 1968; Lenin Prize 1970). Grigorovich staged ballets on the themes of Russian history (“Ivan the Terrible” to music by Prokofiev, arranged by M. I. Chulaki, 1975) and modernity (“Angara” by Eshpay, 1976), synthesizing and summarizing the creative searches of previous periods in the development of Soviet ballet. Grigorovich's performances are characterized by ideological and philosophical depth, richness of choreographic forms and vocabulary, dramatic integrity, and a wide development of effective symphonic dance. In the light of new creative principles, Grigorovich also staged productions of classical heritage: The Sleeping Beauty (1963 and 1973), The Nutcracker (1966), Swan Lake (1969). They achieved a deeper reading of the ideological and figurative concepts of Tchaikovsky’s music (“The Nutcracker” was entirely re-staged, in other performances the main choreography of M. I. Petipa and L. I. Ivanov was preserved and the artistic whole was decided in accordance with it).
Ballet performances of the Bolshoi Theater were conducted by G. N. Rozhdestvensky, A. M. Zhuraitis, A. A. Kopylov, F. Sh. Mansurov and others. V. F. Ryndin, E. G. Stenberg, A. D. Goncharov, B. A. Messerer, V. Ya. Levental and others. The artist of all the performances staged by Grigorovich is S. B. Virsaladze.
The Bolshoi Ballet Company toured the Soviet Union and abroad: in Australia (1959, 1970, 1976), Austria (1959. 1973), Argentina (1978), Egypt (1958, 1961). Great Britain (1956, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1974), Belgium (1958, 1977), Bulgaria (1964), Brazil (1978), Hungary (1961, 1965, 1979), East Germany (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958) ), Greece (1963, 1977, 1979), Denmark (1960), Italy (1970, 1977), Canada (1959, 1972, 1979), China (1959), Cuba (1966), Lebanon (1971), Mexico (1961 , 1973, 1974, 1976), Mongolia (1959), Poland (1949, 1960, 1980), Romania (1964), Syria (1971), USA (1959, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979), Tunisia (1976), Turkey (1960), Philippines (1976), Finland (1957, 1958), France. (1954, 1958, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1979), Germany (1964, 1973), Czechoslovakia (1959, 1975), Switzerland (1964), Yugoslavia (1965, 1979), Japan (1957, 1961, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1980).
Encyclopedia "Ballet" ed. Yu.N. Grigorovich, 1981
On November 29, 2002, the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater opened with the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden. On July 1, 2005, the Main Stage of the Bolshoi Theater was closed for reconstruction, which lasted more than six years. On October 28, 2011, the grand opening of the Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theater took place.
Publications
The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, located in the center of the capital, on Theater Square, is one of the symbols of Russia, the brilliant skill of its artists. Its talented performers: vocalists and ballet dancers, composers and conductors, choreographers are known all over the world. More than 800 works have been staged on its stage. These are the first Russian operas and operas of such celebrities as Verdi and Wagner, Bellini and Donizetti, Berlioz and Ravel and other composers. The world premieres of operas by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Arensky took place here. The great Rachmaninoff conducted here.
Bolshoi Theater in Moscow - history
In March 1736, the provincial prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Urusov, began the construction of a theater building on the right bank of the Neglinka River, at the corner of Petrovka. Then he began to be called Petrovsky. But Peter Urusov failed to complete the construction. The building burned down. After the fire, the theater building was completed by his partner, the English businessman Michael Medox. It was the first professional theatre. His repertoire included drama, opera and ballet performances. Both singers and dramatic actors took part in opera performances. The Petrovsky Theater was opened on December 30, 1780. On this day, the ballet-pantomime "Magic Shop" staged by J. Paradise was shown. Ballets with a national flavor, such as Village Simplicity, Gypsy Ballet and The Capture of Ochakov, were especially popular with the audience. Basically, the ballet troupe was formed by pupils of the ballet school of the Moscow Orphanage and the serf actors of the troupe of E. Golovkina. This building has served 25 years. It died in a fire in 1805. The new building, built under the direction of C. Rossi on Arbat Square, also burned down in 1812.
According to the project of A. Mikhailov in 1821-1825. a new theatrical building is being built in the same place. The construction was supervised by the architect O. Bove. It has grown considerably in size. Therefore, at that time it was called the Bolshoi Theater. On January 6, 1825, the performance "The Triumph of the Muses" was given here. After a fire in March 1853, the building was restored for three years. The work was supervised by the architect A. Kavos. As contemporaries wrote, the appearance of the building "captivated the eye with the proportion of parts in which lightness was combined with grandeur." This is how it has come down to our days. In 1937 and in 1976 The theater was awarded the Order of Lenin. During the Great Patriotic War, he was evacuated to the city of Kuibyshev. On November 29, 2002, the New Stage opened with the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden.
Bolshoi Theater - architecture
The building that we can admire now is one of the best examples of Russian classical architecture. It was built in 1856 under the guidance of architect Albert Cavos. During the restoration after the fire, the building was completely rebuilt and decorated with a white-stone portico with eight columns. The architect replaced the four-pitched roof with a two-pitched one with pediments, repeating the shape of the portico's pediment along the main façade and removing the arched niche. The Ionic order of the portico was replaced by a complex one. All details of the exterior finish have been changed. Some architects believe that Kavos' alterations reduced the artistic merit of the original building. The building is crowned with the world-famous bronze quadriga of Apollo by Peter Klodt. We see a two-wheeled chariot with four harnessed horses galloping across the sky and the god Apollo driving them. A gypsum double-headed eagle - the state emblem of Russia - was installed on the pediment of the building. On the plafond of the auditorium there are nine muses with Apollo at the head. Thanks to the work of Albert Kavos, the building fits perfectly into the architectural structures surrounding it.
Five tiers of the auditorium can accommodate more than 2100 spectators. According to its acoustic properties, it is considered one of the best in the world. The length of the hall from the orchestra to the back wall is 25 meters, the width is 26.3 meters, and the height is 21 meters. The portal of the stage is 20.5 by 17.8 meters, the depth of the stage is 23.5 meters. This is one of the great architectural structures capital Cities. It was called "a hall of sunshine, gold, purple and snow." The building also hosts important state and public celebrations.
Reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater
In 2005, the reconstruction of the theater began and after 6 years of colossal work, on October 28, 2011, the opening took place main stage countries. The area of the Bolshoi Theater doubled and amounted to 80 thousand square meters, an underground part appeared and the unique acoustics of the hall was restored. The stage now has the volume of a six-story building, all processes in which are computerized. The murals in the White Foyer have been restored. Jacquard fabrics and tapestries in the Round Hall and the Imperial Foyer were restored by hand over the course of 5 years, restoring every centimeter. 156 masters from all over Russia were engaged in gilding interiors with a thickness of 5 microns and an area of 981 square meters, which took 4.5 kg of gold.
There were 17 elevators with floor buttons from the 10th to the 4th, and an additional 2 floors located below are occupied by mechanics. The auditorium seats 1768 people, before reconstruction - 2100. The theater buffet moved to the 4th floor and this is the only room where windows are located on both sides. Interestingly, the tiles in the central foyer are made in the same factory as in the 19th century. Especially beautiful is the chandelier with a diameter of more than 6 meters with gilded pendants. A double-headed eagle and the word Russia are embroidered on the new curtain.
The modern Bolshoi Theater includes an opera and ballet troupe, stage and brass band and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater. The names of the opera and ballet school are the property of all Russia and the entire theatrical world. More than 80 artists were awarded the title of People's Artists of the USSR in Soviet period. The title of Hero of Socialist Labor was given to eight stage masters - I. Arkhipova and Yu. Grigorovich, I. Kozlovsky and E. Nesterenko, E. Svetlanov, as well as world-famous ballerinas - G. Ulanova, M. Plisetskaya and M. Semyonova. Many artists are folk artists Russian Federation.
The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow represents one of the world's major theater scenes. He played an outstanding role in the formation of the Russian musical stage school and in the development of the Russian national art, including the famous Russian ballet.
