State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia
Since 1780
Russia
Central Federal District of the Russian Federation
Moscow
Top managers:
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev
Main article: Theaters in Russia
The theater's activities are showing performances of the repertoire of its troupe, joint projects with other theaters, organizing tours in Russia and abroad, producing new productions, etc.
History
The main articles are:
2024: Return to the stage of Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet
In Bolshoi, one of the outstanding artists previously involved in the production of "Romeo and Juliet" by Prokofiev was the son of choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky, brilliant dancer Mikhail Lavrovsky. One of his crown parties was the Romeo party. Heir and keeper of memory, he repeatedly staged his father's ballet in theaters in Russia and Neapolitan San Carlo. And in April 2024, after being appointed general director of the theater Valery Gergiev, he returns him to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Anton Grishanin acts as the conductor. Tatyana Noginova demonstrates her vision of costumes created according to the sketches of Peter Williams.
The title roles are occupied by the leading artists of the troupe: Svetlana Zakharova, who already performed the part of Juliet directed by Leonid Lavrovsky - at the Mariinsky Theater, and Artemy Belyakov, who performed the part of Romeo in the Bolshoi, but in another version of the ballet; Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov, who have repeatedly composed a duet in Shakespeare ballets; Evgenia Obraztsova and Artyom Ovcharenko - performed the title parts in the performance of the Mariinsky Theater and in the Bolshoi in other editions of the ballet; Eleanor Sevenard and Denis Rodkin, who already danced these parts in this production, but in another - the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theater; as well as representatives of the younger generation of the Bolshoi - Elizaveta Kokoreva and Daniil Potaptsev, for whom this is not only the premiere, but also a personal debut.
2023
Appointment of Valery Gergiev as CEO
On December 1, 2023, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree appointing Valery Gergiev as the new general director of the Bolshoi Theater for a period of five years. He replaced Vladimir Urin, who was relieved of this position of his own free will, according to the Telegram channel of the Cabinet. Read more here.
Dmitry Smilevski becomes the prime minister of the Bolshoi Theater
Main article: Dmitry Smilevski
2022: Telephone scammers disguised as calls from the Central Bank lured 1 million rubles from ballerina Tatyana Osipova
Main article: Telephone fraud
As it became known on May 4, 2022, telephone scammers lured 1 million rubles from the ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater Tatyana Osipova. She, as reported by the Moskva agency, turned to the police on May 3 and said that the swindlers convinced her to issue consumer loans, withdraw funds and transfer them to the accounts indicated during the telephone conversation. Read more here.
2008
2001
1995: British Princess Diana's visit
On June 15, 1995, Princess Diana arrived in Moscow on a short visit.
1979
1978
1970
1968
Ballet "Carmen Suite"
Ballet "Carmen Suite" to the music of Georges Bizet and Rodion Shchedrin directed by choreographer Alberto Alonso. The main roles in the production were played by Maya Plisetskaya, Alexander Godunov and Sergey Radchenko.
The production proved groundbreaking for its years. The Minister of Culture Ekaterina Furtseva predicted a short stage life for the performance, however, these forecasts were not destined to come true. Today Plisetskaya is often remembered precisely in the image of Carmen, and the production is considered one of the main ones in her career.
1966
1963: Visit by Fidel Castro
1961
1960: Svetlana Adyrkhaeva becomes a soloist of a ballet troupe
From 1960 to 1988, Svetlana Adyrkhaeva was the soloist of the ballet troupe of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater. Among the parts performed by her are Odetta-Odile in Swan Lake, Zarema in the Bakhchisarai Fountain, Gayane in the ballet of the same name by Aram Khachaturian, Kitri in Don Quixote and many others.
Since 2001, Adyrkhaeva has been a choreographer-tutor of the Bolshoi Theater.
People's Artist of the USSR Svetlana Adyrkhaeva died in August 2023, she was 85 years old.
1950
1948
1946
Production of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" Prokofiev
The outbreak of the Great Patriotic War slowed down the appearance of Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater (the premiere at the Kirov Theater in Leningrad took place in 1940). But soon after its completion, in 1946, it was finally staged in Moscow. And he surprisingly suited the troupe, quickly becoming one of the best performances of the repertoire.
The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" directed by Lavrovsky with some interruptions remained in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater for almost five decades. The title and leading parts were danced by outstanding artists of different, successive generations.
Leokadia Maslennikova begins performing on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater
Leokadia Ignatievna Maslennikova, Soviet opera singer, lyric-dramatic soprano. People's Artist of the RSFSR.
Since 1946, for 23 years (until 1969) she sang on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
1935: Prokofiev commissioned music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Failure at the first audition and refusal to stage
An agreement with the Kirov Theater for music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet with Prokofiev was not concluded, but Bolshoi expressed interest in staging this ballet and ordered this music. The rough clavier of the future internationally recognized ballet was written in record time: in two months. October 4, 1935 - a sad but memorable date in the history of the Bolshoi Theater - an open audition took place in the Beethoven Hall, filled to capacity at the beginning and practically empty at the end. Even the fact that the author himself was at the piano did not stop the audience.
Perhaps the most famous story about love in the world cannot but provoke "tricky" thoughts about what would happen to Romeo and Juliet, if they remain alive. No, the co-authors of the libretto with Prokofiev at the head, of course, did not at all intend to give a detailed answer to this question, but happy for the final was scheduled. In the original edition, Verona lovers did not die "contrary" to Shakespeare's text, which was met, to put it mildly, with disapproval. And not just the Shakespeareans who attended the ill-fated audition. As for the artists and musicians, they found the music of the ballet "unprecedented," unsuitable for dance.
Prokofiev explained the intention to save the lives of the heroes "choreographic reasons": "Living people can dance, dying people will not lie down."
As a result, it was decided to abandon the production.
1934
1929
1921
1918
1903: Alexander Grechaninov's debut with the opera Dobrynya Nikitich
In 1903, composer Alexander Grechaninov made his debut at the Bolshoi Theater with the opera Dobrynya Nikitich with the participation of F. Chaliapin and A. Nezhdanova. The opera has earned acclaim from audiences and criticism. "I consider it a good contribution to Russian opera music," Rimsky-Korsakov wrote to the author.
1902: Bass Vasily Petrov became a soloist of the theater
And in 1902, the young bass Vasily Petrov became the soloist of the Bolshoi Theater and worked there for 35 years.
1835: Premiere of A. Verstovsky's opera "Askold's Grave"
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1832: Premiere of A. Verstovsky's opera "Vadim, or The Awakening of the Twelve Sleeping Virgins"
| № | Authors | Title | Comments |
| Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky | Vadim, or The Awakening of the Twelve Sleeping Virgins | Opera. Premiere at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater on September 16 (28), 1832 |
1825: Opening of the theater designed by Mikhailov and Beauvais on Teatralnaya Square
In 1816, the Commission on the construction of Moscow announced a competition for the construction of a new theater building, a prerequisite for which was the inclusion in the construction of the burned wall of the Meddox Theater. L. Dubuy, D. Gilardi, F. Camporesi, P. Gonzago, A. N. Bakarev and other architects took part in the competition, but not a single project was accepted. The winner of the second competition was the project of Professor of the Imperial Academy of Arts A. A. Mikhailov. However, Mikhailov's project was considered too expensive, moreover, the theater building he conceived on its own scale, excessively large, did not correspond to the surrounding building. The redesign of the project was entrusted to the architect O. I. Bove, who completely preserved the foundations of Mikhailov's composition, but significantly changed the proportions of the building, reducing its height from 41 to 37 meters, and also made significant adjustments to its exterior and interior decoration.
According to Bove, who implemented the ideas of the master plan of Moscow developed by him and approved in 1817, the theater was to become the compositional center of the empire city-church, which glorified the victory in the Patriotic War. The greatness of the theater was emphasized by the strict rectangular square broken in front of it, in the 1820s it was called Petrovskaya, but soon renamed Teatralnaya. Bove brought the volume designed by Mikhailov in accordance with the area and turned the Apollo quadriga to the audience. The project for the construction of the theater was approved on November 10, 1821; even before its approval, Beauvais began building the foundations of the theater according to his plan, while part of the foundations of the burned-out building were preserved.
The theater opened on January 6 (18), 1825 with the performance "The Triumph of the Muses" - a prologue in verses by M.A. Dmitriyeva, music by F. E. Scholz, A. N. Verstovsky and A. A. Alyabyev: the plot in allegorical form told how the Genius of Russia, united with the muses, created a new one from the ruins of the burnt Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater Meddox. The roles were played by the best Moscow actors: the genius of Russia - the tragic P. S. Mochalov, Apollo - singer N.V. Lavrov, the muse of Terpsikhor - the leading dancer of the Moscow troupe F. Gullen-Sor. After the intermission, the ballet Sandrillon (Cinderella) was shown to the music of F. Sora, choreographers F.-V. Gullen-Sor and I.K. Lobanov, the production was transferred from the stage of the Theater on Mokhovaya. The play was repeated the next day. The memories of S. Aksakov have been preserved about this discovery:
 | "The Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater, which arose from old, burned ruins... amazed and delighted me... A magnificent, huge building dedicated exclusively to my favorite art has already led me to joyful excitement with its appearance. " |  |
V. Odoevsky, admiring the ballet performance, wrote about this performance as follows:
| | "The brilliance of the costumes, the beauty of the scenery, in a word, all the theatrical splendor has come together here, as well as in the prologue." | |
1812: The theater building burned down, the troupe performs at Apraksin's house on Znamenka
Having existed for four years, the theater building burned down during the Moscow fire of 1812. After that, the theater was located on Znamenka in the house of Apraksin, which was built in 1792 according to the project of architect F. Camporesi. The theater room in Apraksin's house was cramped and uncomfortable, instead of chairs there were benches covered with rough cloth; several times during the stay of the Petrovsky Theater in it there were fires.
1808: New wooden building on Arbat Square
A new wooden building was built by K. I. Rossi on Arbat Square. The theater had a stalls, benoir, three tiers of boxes and crayocks, was distinguished by good acoustics; its interiors were painted by artist M. I. Scotty. The area, previously distinguished by impassable mud, was leveled and paved, and flower beds were broken in front of the theater.
Ivan Kerzelli - chief bandmaster of the Petrovsky Theater
Ivan (Johann Joseph Kalasantius) Kerzelli, the elder brother of Mikhail Kerzelli, already in the 1770s became a bandmaster in demand in Moscow and worked in the capital for a total of 55 years. According to researcher Pavel Serbin, the fate of Ivan Frantsevich's legacy did not work out in the best way: most of his works were missing, and researchers of the 20th century characterized the composer's music as nothing more than not of artistic value, which is surprising, since his fragmentary preserved plays were practically not available for study.
Between 1772 and 1800, Ivan Kerzelli composed and directed at least 20 stage works: comic and lyrical operas, interludes and prologues exclusively to Russian librettos by Moscow playwrights and writers (V. Maikov, N. Nikolaev, V. Kolychev and V. Levshin). All Kerzeliev operas were extremely popular and ran on the stages of metropolitan and provincial theaters. Of these works, only four have partially reached us, including the sidebar of the Village Vorozey, published in a rather unsuccessful clavier arrangement in Moscow (1778). The overture to it is undoubtedly of interest as an example of early Russian symphonism and the style of "storm and onslaught" on domestic soil. Frantic "hellish" images coexist with bright, well-remembered lyrical themes. The design of the overture resembles the Italian opera symphony, since there is a small but independent Andante in development. At the same time, Kerzelli uses the most progressive version of the sonata form for the late 1770s. One can only guess what exactly prompted the composer to write such a serious "Glucist" play for an unpretentious comic interlude.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Ivan Kerzelli became the chief bandmaster of the Petrovsky Theater (the future Bolshoi).
1805: Theatre burned down
The Petrovsky Theater of Meddox stood for 25 years - on October 8, 1805, the building burned down. For three years, the troupe gave performances in home theaters of the Moscow nobility; for some time the performances were in the possession of the Pashkovs in the northern wing of the building on the corner of Mokhova and Bolshaya Nikitskaya streets (later rebuilt as the university church of the martyr Tatyana).
1794: Meddox sells the theater to the treasury and it becomes the Imperial
In 1794, due to financial difficulties, Meddox was forced to transfer the theater to the treasury; the theater became Imperial.
1791: Performance of Sarti's oratorio by fortress choirs V.G. Orlov, N.P. Sheremetev, P.M. Volkonsky and G.I. Bibikov
During Lent, for the performance of one of the oratorios of Giuseppe Sarti (perhaps "We praise you, God") on the stage of the Moscow Petrovsky Theater on February 1, 1791, the organizers united several choral chapels, and the concert was attended by "singers, singers and musicians of their brilliance Count Vladimir Grigorievich Orlov, Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, Prince Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky, his Excellency Gavrila ilich Bibikov... the number of musicians [was] more than two hundred "(Mosk. ved. 1791. № 10. Feb. 1 L. 8 vol.). The regents of the choirs were Lev Gurilev, Stepan Degtyarev (serf Sheremetev), Daniil Kashin (serf Bibikov).
1780
Sebastian Georges serves as bandmaster at the Petrovsky Theater
In the years 1780-1783. German composer Sebastian Georges, who had previously left Moscow for St. Petersburg, again ended up in Moscow, where he actively composed and served as bandmaster at the Petrovsky Theater.
Opening of the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater of the Englishman Meddox on Petrovka
After his unsuccessful attempt to build the theater, Prince Urusov handed over the affairs to his companion, the English entrepreneur Michael (Mikhail) Meddox. It was under the leadership of Meddox that the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater was built according to the project of architect Christian Rosberg in 1776-1789. The theater was named after Petrovka Street, at the beginning of which it stood on a cramped plot, surrounded by chaotic buildings.
A three-story brick building with white stone details and under a necked roof rose in five months and cost Meddox 130 thousand rubles in silver, 50 thousand more than the estimate. The grand opening took place on December 30, 1780. The theater had a stalls, three tiers of boxes and a gallery, which accommodated about 1 thousand spectators, a "two-light masquerade hall," a "card room" and other special rooms; in 1788, a new round masquerade hall, Rotunda, was added to the theater. According to other sources, the hall accommodated 800 visitors: "The theater had four tiers with boxes and two spacious galleries. In the stalls there were two rows with seats closed on the sides. Luxuriously decorated boxes cost from three hundred to a thousand rubles and more. A ticket to the stalls cost one ruble. The theater hall accommodated 800 spectators and the same number of audiences accommodated in galleries. " For the first 14 years of ownership of the Meddox Theater, 425 opera and ballet performances were staged at the Petrovsky Theater.
1776: Catherine II's order to keep theatrical performances in Moscow
It is customary to lead the history of the theater from March 17 (28), 1776, when the provincial prosecutor Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Urusov received the highest deed of Empress Catherine II "to contain... theatrical performances of all kinds, as well as concerts, voxals and masquerades. " The prince began the construction of the theater, which - at the location on Petrovka Street (on the right bank of the Neglinka) - was named Petrovsky. The Urusov Theater burned down even before its opening.
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