Where is the Bolshoi Theater? History of the Bolshoi Theater

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The most famous theater in Russia and one of the most famous theaters in the world is the Bolshoi Theatre. Where is the main theater of the country located? Well, of course, in the main city - in Moscow. Its repertoire includes opera and ballet performances by Russian and foreign classical composers. In addition to the classical repertoire, the theater is constantly experimenting with innovative modern productions. The history of the Bolshoi Theater is very rich and is associated with the names of people significant for our country. In March 2015, the theater turns 239 years old.

How it all began

The founder of the Bolshoi Theater is considered to be Prince Pyotr Vasilievich Urusov, he was a provincial prosecutor and at the same time had his own theater troupe. He was the only one who was allowed to organize performances, masquerades, concerts and other entertainments. No one else was allowed to do such a thing, so that the prince would not have competitors. But this privilege also imposed an obligation on him - to build a beautiful building for the troupe, in which all performances would take place. The prince had a companion named Medox, who was a foreigner, hetaught mathematics to Grand Duke Paul, the future Russian emperor. Having fallen in love with theatrical business, he remained in Russia and came to grips with the development of the theater. Prince Urusov failed to build the theater because he went bankrupt, the privilege of the owner of the theater, as well as the obligation to build the building, passed to Medox, as a result of which it was he who built the Bolshoi Theater. Where the theater created by Medox is located is known to every second inhabitant of Russia, it is located at the intersection of Theater Square and Petrovka.

Construction of the theater

For the construction of the theater, Medox chose a plot that belonged to Prince Rostotsky, which he bought from him. It was a street called Petrovskaya, its very beginning, and the Bolshoi Theater was built here. The address of the theater now is Theater Square, building 1. The theater was built in record time, in just 5 months, which is amazing and amazing even for our time with all its modern technologies and building materials. Developed a project for the construction of a theater building by Christian Rozberg. The theater was magnificent inside, the auditorium was striking in its beauty, and the facade of the building, on the contrary, was modest, unremarkable and practically undecorated. The theater received its first name - Petrovsky.

Opening theater

The building of the Bolshoi Theater was opened in 1780, on December 30th. On this day, the very first performance of the theater troupe took place in its own building. All the newspapers only wrote about the opening, theatrical masters and famous architects, as one, scattered compliments tobuildings, characterizing it as durable, huge, profitable, beautiful, safe and superior in all respects to most of the famous theaters in Europe. The governor of the city was so pleased with the construction that the privilege that gave Medox the right to hold entertainment was extended for another 10 years.

Interior decoration

A round hall, the so-called rotunda, was built for performances. The hall was decorated with numerous mirrors and illuminated by forty-two crystal chandeliers. The hall was designed by Medox himself. Next to the stage, as expected, there was an orchestra pit. Closest to the stage were stools for honored guests of the theater and regular spectators, most of whom were owners of serf troupes. Their opinion was important for Medox, for this reason they were invited to dress rehearsals, after which they were involved in discussing the upcoming production.

The theater showed about 100 performances a year. It was impossible to buy tickets for one performance; to visit the theater, the audience purchased an annual subscription.

Over time, theater attendance deteriorated, profits declined, actors began to leave the theater, and the building fell into disrepair. As a result, the Bolshoi Opera House became state-owned and received a new name - Imperial.

Temporary sunset

The history of the Bolshoi Theater has not always been so beautiful, there were tragic moments in it. In 1805 the theater burned down after 25 years of its existence. Only the load-bearing walls have survived, and only partially. Reconstructionbegan only in 1821, when Moscow was being restored after the invasion of Napoleon's troops. Osip Bove was the chief architect who was commissioned to restore the central part of the city, including the theater. He was an innovator, according to his project, the streets began to be built up differently, now the mansions began to face the street, and not inside the courtyard. Beauvais led the restoration of Red Square, the Alexander Garden, the square near the theater. The reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater became his most successful project. The new building was erected in the Empire style. According to the architect's contemporaries, the Bolshoi Theater is like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The metro is located very close to the theater, so getting to the theater is very convenient from anywhere in Moscow.

Reconstruction of the theater building

Restoration of the theater began in 1821 and lasted for several years. Initially, the plan for the renovated building of the theater was developed by the well-known architect in St. Petersburg Andrei Mikhailov, the governor of Moscow approved this plan. Mikhailov designed the theater building in the form of a rectangle, as well as a portico of eight columns and Apollo in a chariot at the top of the portico; the hall was provided for up to two thousand spectators. Osip Bove revised Mikhailov's project, where the Bolshoi Theater became lower, the proportions of the building changed. Beauvais also decided to abandon the placement of shopping pavilions on the ground floor, as he considered it unaesthetic. The hall became multi-tiered, the decoration of the hall became rich. The necessary acoustics of the building were observed. Beauvais even hada very original idea - to make a mirrored curtain, but to realize such an idea, of course, is unrealistic, since such a curtain would be incredibly heavy.

Rebirth

The reconstruction of the theater was completed by the end of 1824, in January 1825 the renovated building of the theater was inaugurated. The first performance took place, the program of which included the ballet "Sandrillon" and the prologue "The Triumph of the Muses" specially written for the opening of the theater by Alyabyev and Verstovsky. Beauvais was the center of attention, the audience greeted him with thunderous applause in gratitude. The new theater was simply amazing in its beauty. Now the theater is called the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theatre. All productions of the theater went with the same success. Now the Bolshoi Theater has become even more brilliant.

Metro is the most convenient way to get to the Bolshoi Theatre. The nearest stations to the theater are the stations Teatralnaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Okhotny Ryad and Aleksandrovsky Sad. Which station to choose depends on the starting point of the route.

And fire again

In the spring of 1853, a fire broke out in the theater again, it was very strong and lasted two days. The sky was so clouded with black smoke that it was visible in all corners of the city. All the snow has melted on Theater Square. The building burned down almost completely, only the load-bearing walls and the portico remained. The fire destroyed the scenery, costumes, music library, musical instruments, among which were rare specimens. Once again, the Bolshoi Theater was damaged by fire.

Where the theater is located is easy to find, it is located on Theater Square and there are a lot of attractions next to it: the Maly Drama Theater, the Youth Theater, the Shchepkin Theater School, the Metropol Cabaret, the House of the Unions, Okhotny Ryad, the Central Department Store, opposite the theater is a monument to Karl Marx.

Restoration work

The architect who was involved in the revival of the theater to life was Albert Kavos, the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg was built according to his project. Unfortunately, little information has come down to us about this architect. There was not enough money to restore the theater, but the work progressed quickly and took just over a year. The theater was opened on August 20, 1856, now it was called the "Big Imperial Theatre". The premiere performance of the restored theater was the opera "The Puritani" by the Italian composer V. Bellini. The attitude towards the new theater was different. The townspeople considered it magnificent and were proud of it, as for the engineers and architects, some of them believed that the reconstruction carried out by Kavos was too different from the way Mikhailov and Bove conceived the theater, especially the facades and some interiors. We should give credit to the architect, thanks to his redevelopment of the hall, the acoustics in the Bolshoi Theater became one of the best in the world.

The theater not only hosted performances, it also hosted balls and masquerades. This was the Bolshoi Theatre. Theater address - City of Moscow, Teatralnaya square, building 1.

Our days

The theater entered the 20th century in a fairly dilapidated state, with a sagging foundation and cracks on the walls. But several reconstructions carried out in the theater in the 20th century, one of which was completed quite recently (lasted 6 years), did their job - and now the theater shines with all its facets. In addition to operas and ballets, the theater's repertoire also includes operettas. And you can also take a tour of the theater - see the hall and several other very interesting rooms. It may be difficult for a visitor who wants to visit the Bolshoi Theater, where he is located, although in fact he is located in the very center of the city and it will not be difficult to find him, not far from him is another attraction of the capital, which is known to the whole world - Red area.

Reviews of the audience about the Bolshoi Theater

A huge number of spectators visit the Bolshoi Theatre. Grateful viewers leave reviews in large quantities, including on the Internet. They write about the wonderful productions of the theater, about the wonderful voices of the singers, about the emotions that arose in their souls after visiting the theater, express their enthusiasm for acting, admire the beautiful costumes and scenery. The theater is visited not only by Russians, among foreign tourists it is also one of the most popular places where they rush to go after arriving in Moscow. An adherent of the classics and an innovator - all this is the Bolshoi Theater.

How to get to the theater by car? It all depends onwhere to go. There are several options for the path: you can get through Mokhovaya Street - it leads directly to Theater Square; or through Tverskaya; and if you move along Petrovka, you can drive right up to the doors of the theater.