Concert Hall (Mariinsky Theatre) - a new pearl of the Northern capital

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

In the 21st century, on November 29, 2006, another concert hall appeared in the northern capital. The Mariinsky Theater has been enriched by a wonderful building that arose within the historical walls of the Stage Design Workshops, which burned down in 2003.

Builded to last

Except for the walls, the fire did not spare anything - the interior, costumes and scenery, including those for those performances that are still on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, burned to the ground. But the historical walls of the building, erected in 1900 according to the design of the St. Petersburg architect Viktor Schreter, who did an invaluable amount for the capital, survived.

Earlier, the architect rebuilt the building of the Mariinsky Theater itself (after the fire of 1880) and did it so well that, as a token of gratitude, a ball was awarded to him with a unique model of the building he rebuilt, made in silver.

From the last century to the present

The scenery store and the premises of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters, on Pisarev Street, were built by V. Schroeter in 1900. It was these buildings that burned down in 2003. It is not known how the surviving walls of V. A. Gergiev decides to build a concert hall. The Mariinsky Theater has owned these premises since 1917. Part of the new building was erected behind the surviving historical facade, and the other, which overlooks Decembrists Street, according to the plan of the architect Xavier Fabre, was supposed to personify the current century with all its architectural achievements, which caused discontent among the "defenders of the city" raging in the Northern capital. and scold. But there were a lot of business people who believed in the maestro's plan, which would not have taken place without their help.

Quickly and efficiently

The construction of a new concert hall in St. Petersburg was carried out in record time - in just a year the project was ready, a little more than a year was spent on completing the facility - and the Northern capital received a beautiful modern one that meets all requirements and is not inferior to foreign ones analogues of the new concert hall.

The Mariinsky Theater, replenished with such an amazing stage, has become even more attractive for both the residents of the city on the Neva and its guests.

The original project is a worthy embodiment

The best world-class professionals were involved in its construction - a group of stage designers (French firm SCENE) and French specialists in load-bearing structures (Bureau SETEC-Batiment). Due to the need to fit the concert hall into a rather narrow space, but at the same time comply with all the set conditions (make it according to the best world standards), the designers proposed a rather unusuala form that combines two types - an oblong-rectangular in the showbox style and a model of a concert hall, consisting of stepped terraces placed around the stage. During the construction of this concert venue, everything was unique - the shape of the hall, the construction methods, the materials used and the mechanisms used.

The hall's unique shape and excellent acoustics

The concert hall of the Mariinsky Theater has the shape of a cradle. The diagram of the hall, attached below, clearly demonstrates this.

Mariinka-3 is the only concert venue in Russia that it originally planned. There are no more such people in Russia. It is comparable only with the best similar halls in the world, of which there are not even a dozen. "Mariinka-3" is another of the names by which the new extraordinary concert hall is known. The Mariinsky Theater invited such an internationally recognized genius as Mr. Yasuhisa Toyota to create acoustics. The acoustic systems of the concert halls in Tokyo, Copenhagen and Los Angeles were created by this world-class professional.

World famous festivals

The parameters of the hall, the main feature of which is its complete transformation, which makes it possible to use it for various kinds of productions and events, are as follows. The capacity of the hall is 1110 seats (this includes the choir tier for 120 seats, which is given to the audience when sold out). The stage capacity is designed for 130 musicians. Here, as well as on the main stage of the Mariinsky Theater, international festivals "Stars of the WhiteNights”, “New Horizons”, “Maslenitsa” and “Brass Evenings at the Mariinsky”. In 2007, a brass ensemble of 14 participants was created under the direction of Valery Abisalovich Gergiev. What is a brass ensemble? This is a group of musicians who play music on brass instruments (brass - in English "copper"), which also includes instruments made of brass and silver. The ensemble is incredibly popular at home and abroad.

Organ of the Mariinsky-3

In 2009, the concert hall of the Mariinsky Theater (photo attached) was equipped with a magnificent organ. It was performed by the French firm Alfred Kern and Son (founded in 1953) and became the first organ in a century to arrive in Russia from France, and not from Germany. A few words can be said about the foyer, which is given over to thematic exhibitions that provide information about concerts, festivals and performances taking place on stage.

How to get there

Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, whose address is st. Pisareva, 20 (entrance from Dekabristov street, 37), is known to absolutely all music lovers and not only. There are various ways to get to MT3 (another name for the concert hall). Metro stations (Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor, Sadovaya and Sennaya Ploshchad) are located at a distance, and from them you need to get to Mariinka-3 several stops by buses, trolleybuses and fixed-route taxis.

You can get to Nikolsky Cathedral by any type of public transport, from which MT3 is within walking distance.