Bolshoi Theatre

HistoryOn 28 March (17 according to the old style) 1776, Catherine II granted the prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Urusov, the "privilege" of "maintaining" theatre performances of all kinds, including masquerades, balls and other forms of entertainment, for a period of ten years. And it is from this date that Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre traces its history.

Performance in 1856

The first instance of the theatre was built between 1821 and 1824, designed and supervised to completion by architect Joseph Bové .  Bové also concurrently designed the nearby Maly Theatre and the surrounding Theater Square, The new building opened on 18 January 1825 as the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theatre with a performance of Fernando Sor's ballet, Cendrillon. Initially, it presented only Russian works, but foreign composers entered the repertoire around 1840.

Alexander III of Russia and his family at the Bolshoi, 1883

The Bolshoi building, which for many years now has been regarded as one of Moscow’s main sights, was opened on 20 October 1856, on Tsar Alexander II’s coronation day.

On 29 October 2002 the Bolshoi was given a New Stage and it was here it presented its performances during the years the Historic Stage was undergoing massive reconstruction and refurbishment.

The reconstruction project lasted from l July 2005 to 28 October 2011. As a result of this reconstruction, many lost features of the historic building were

reinstated and, at the same time, it has joined the ranks of most technically equipped theatre buildings in the world.

The Bolshoi Theatre is a symbol of Russia for all time. It was awarded this honor due to the major contribution it made to the history of the Russian performing arts. This history is on-going and today Bolshoi Theatre artists continue to contribute to it many bright pages.

The old Bolshoi Theatre in the early 19th century Theatre in 1883 after reconstruction by Alberto Cavos

The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and opera performances. Before the October Revolution it was a part of the Imperial Theatres of the Russian Empire along with Maly Theatre (Small Theatre) in Moscow .

The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world. It is by far the world's biggest ballet company, with more than 200 dancers. The theatre is the parent company of The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, a world-famous leading school of ballet. It has a branch at the Bolshoi Theater School in Joinville, Brazil.

The main building of the theatre, rebuilt and renovated several times during its history, is a landmark of Moscow and Russia (its iconic neoclassical façade is depicted on the Russian 100-ruble banknote). On 28 October 2011, the Bolshoi re-opened after an extensive six-year renovation.

Ballet and opera

The Bolshoi is a repertory theatre, meaning that it draws from a list of productions, any one of which may be performed on a given evening. It normally introduces two to four new ballet or opera productions each season and puts a similar number on hold. The sets and costumes for most

productions are made in the Bolshoi's own workshops. The performers are drawn primarily from the Bolshoi's regular ballet and opera companies, with occasional guest performances.

The Bolshoi has been associated from its beginnings with ballet. Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake premiered at the theatre on 4 March 1877. 

The opera company specializes in the classics of Russian opera such as Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Glinka's A Life for the Tsar, and Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride, as well as the operas of Tchaikovsky. Many operas by western composers are also performed, especially works of Italian composers such as Rossini, Verdi, and Puccini. Until the mid-1990s, most foreign operas were sung in Russian, but Italian and other languages have been heard more frequently on the Bolshoi stage in recent years.

Some operas, such as Borodin's Prince Igor, include extensive ballet sequences. Many productions, especially of classic Russian opera, are performed on a grand scale, with dozens of costumed singers and dancers on stage for crowd or festival scenes.

Boris Godunov ( opera in four acts) The story of Kai and Gerda ( Romantic opera)

Notable premieres

The Bolshoi has been the site of many historic premieres, including:

Tchaikovsky's The Voyevoda and Mazeppa

Modest Mussorgsky's one version of Boris Godunov was given on 16 December 1888.

Rachmaninoff's Aleko and Francesca da Rimini

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Maid of Pskov, with Feodor Chaliapin singing

the role of Ivan the Terrible

Dmitri Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District in 1935.

Ochestra and chair

Schedule of Performances12 novembertuesday

 

The Fair at Sorochyntsi

Opera buffa in three acts

Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Stage(Nikolskaya, 17/1)19:00

13 novemberwednesday

 

Swan Lake

Ballet in two acts

Historic Stage19:00

15 novemberfriday

The Idiot

Opera in four acts

New Stage19:00

16 november saturday

 

Peter and the Wolf and Other Musical Stories

Concert

Beethoven Hall15:00

The Adventures of Cipollino

Comic opera in two acts

Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Stage(Nikolskaya, 17/1)16:00

Homage to Vera Dulova

Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra Harpists Сoncert

Beethoven Hall19:00

 

The Taming of   the Shrew

Ballet by Jean-Christophe Maillot in two actsAdults only

New Stage19:00

21 novemberthursday

 

Giselle

Ballet in two actsPREMIERE

Historic Stage19:00

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Opera in two acts

New Stage19:00

German Chamber Music Concert. Joseph Haydn. Franz Schubert

Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program Concert

Beethoven Hall19:30

Answer the questions:

1. What date is the birth of The Bolshoi Theatre?2. Who is the founder of the theatre?3. Who designed it?4. What was the first performance of it? 5. When was the Bolshoi re-opened after an extensive six-year

renovation?6. Where are the sets and costumes for most productions made?7. What was premiered at the theatre on 4 March 1877?