In what year was the opening of the Bolshoi Theater? Who built the Bolshoi Theater

BIG THEATER

The oldest opera and ballet theater in Russia. The official name is the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia. In colloquial speech the theater is simply called Big.

Bolshoi Theater Hall:

Russia. Large linguistic and cultural dictionary. - M.: State Institute of Russian Language named after. A.S. Pushkin. AST-Press. T.N. Chernyavskaya, K.S. Miloslavskaya, E.G. Rostova, O.E. Frolova, V.I. Borisenko, Yu.A. Vyunov, V.P. Chudnov. 2007 .

See what "BIG THEATER" is in other dictionaries:

Big theater- Building of the Main Stage of the Bolshoi Theater Location Moscow, Coordinates 55.760278, 37.618611 ... Wikipedia

Grand Theatre- Big theater. Moscow. Bolshoi Theater (State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Russia) (, 2), the largest center of Russian and world musical culture. The history of the Bolshoi Theater dates back to 1776 (see). The original name was Petrovsky... Moscow (encyclopedia)

Grand Theatre- State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR (SABT), the leading Soviet opera and ballet theater, the largest center of Russian, Soviet and world musical theater culture. The modern theater building was built in 1820 24... ... Art encyclopedia

Grand Theatre- Big theater. Theater Square on the opening day of the Bolshoi Theater on August 20, 1856. Painting by A. Sadovnikov. BOLSHOY THEATER State academic (SABT), opera and ballet theater. One of the centers of Russian and world musical theater... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

BIG THEATER- State Academic (SABT), Opera and Ballet Theater. One of the centers of Russian and world musical theater culture. Founded in 1776 in Moscow. Modern building from 1824 (architect O. I. Bove; reconstructed in 1856, architect A. K. ... ... Russian history

BIG THEATER- State Academic (SABT), Opera and Ballet Theater. One of the centers of Russian and world musical theater culture. Founded in 1776 in Moscow. Modern building from 1824 (architect O.I. Bove; reconstructed in 1856, architect A.K.... ... Modern encyclopedia

BIG THEATER- State Academic Theater (SABT), Founded in 1776 in Moscow. Modern building from 1825 (architect O. I. Bove; reconstructed in 1856, architect A. K. Kavos). Foreign and first Russian operas and ballets by M. I. Glinka, A. S. were staged... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Grand Theatre- This term has other meanings, see Bolshoi Theater (meanings). Bolshoi Theater ... Wikipedia

Grand Theatre- BOLSHOY THEATER, State Order of Lenin Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR (SABT), leading Soviet musical theater. tr, who played an outstanding role in the formation and development of the national. traditions of ballet art. Its emergence is associated with the rise of Russian... ... Ballet. Encyclopedia

BIG THEATER- State Order of Lenin Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, the oldest Russian. music theater, the largest center of music. theatrical culture, the building was also a venue for congresses and celebrations. meeting and other societies. events. Main... Soviet historical encyclopedia

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• Bolshoi Theater Culture and politics New history, Volkov S.. The Bolshoi Theater is one of the most famous brands in Russia. In the West, the word Bolshoi does not need translation. Now it seems that it has always been this way. Not at all. For many years the main musical...

On the site of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow Previously there was the Petrovsky Theater, which completely burned down on October 8, 1805.

In 1806, with money from the Russian treasury, the site was purchased, and with it the surrounding buildings.

According to the original plans, this was done in order to simply clear large areas to prevent large fires in Moscow.

But even then they began to think about creating a theater square on this site. There was neither a project nor money at that time, and they returned to their plans only at the beginning of 1816, after the war with Napoleon.

To the already approved territory for the creation of Theater Square, the courtyards of two demolished churches were added. And in May the project was approved by Alexander I.

History of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow begins in 1817, when the tsar was presented with a project for a new theater that was to be built on this site.

It is interesting that the building’s façade was already oriented in the design with access to the square (this is exactly how the theater looks now), although the old Petrovsky Theater had a central entrance from the side of the current Central Department Store. The project was presented to the Tsar by General Engineer Corbinier.

But then the unimaginable happened!

The project somehow disappeared without a trace on the eve of its presentation to the Governor General of Moscow D.V. Golitsyn. Architect O.I. Beauvais is urgently preparing new drawings of the building plan with two floors and a sketch of the facade.

In 1820, work began to clear the territory and begin construction of the Bolshoi Theater. By this time, the project of the architect A. Mikhailov had already been approved, which preserved the concept laid down by the architect O.I. Beauvais.

The appearance of the theater in Moscow was influenced by the design of the Bolshoi St. Petersburg Theater, reconstructed in 1805 by the architect Tom de Thomas. The building also featured a sculpted pediment and Ionic columns.

Simultaneously with the construction of the theater, work was underway to enclose the Neglinnaya River in a pipe (it runs from the corner of the Maly Theater building and goes to the Alexander Garden).

The freed “wild stone” with which the river embankment was covered, as well as the steps of the Kuznetsky Bridge, were used for the construction of the Bolshoi Theater. The bases of the columns at the central entrance were made of stone.

The Bolshoi Theater building turned out to be grandiose.

The stage alone occupied an area equal to the area of ​​the entire former Petrovsky Theater, and the walls left after the fire became the frame of this part of the theater. The auditorium was designed for 2200-3000 seats. The theater boxes were supported on cast iron brackets, the weight of which was more than 1 ton. Enfilades of masquerade rooms stretched along both side facades.

The construction of the building took a little over 4 years.

The opening took place on January 6, 1825 with the play “The Triumph of the Muses”, the musical accompaniment for which was written by A. Alyabyev and A. Verstovsky.

In the initial years of its development, the Bolshoi Theater was not a purely musical platform. Representatives of all genres were able to give performances here.

And the name of Teatralnaya Square, on which the Bolshoi Theater stood, did not reflect the essence. At first, it was intended for drill training; it was fenced and entry to it was severely limited.

Over the following years, the theater was constantly reconstructed. This is how separate entrances to the royal and ministerial boxes appeared, the ceiling of the hall was completely rewritten, and artillery chambers were built in place of the masquerade halls. The main stage did not go unnoticed.

In March 1853, a fire started in the theater. A fire began to burn in one of the closets and the fire quickly engulfed the scenery and the theater curtain. Wooden buildings contributed to the rapid spread of the flames and the force of the elements, which subsided only after a few days.

7 people died during the fire. Only thanks to the actions of two servants was it possible to avoid more casualties (they took a group of children who were studying on the main stage of the theater from the fire).

The building was heavily damaged by fire.

The roof and back wall of the stage collapsed. The interior was burnt out. The cast iron columns of the mezzanine boxes melted, and in place of the tiers only metal brackets were visible.

Immediately after the fire, a competition was announced to restore the Bolshoi Theater building. Many famous architects presented their works: A. Nikitin (created designs for many Moscow theaters, took part in the last reconstruction of the building before the fire), K.A. Ton (architect of the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior).

The competition was won by A.K. Kavos, who had more experience in building music halls. He also had a deep knowledge of acoustics.

For better sound reflection, the architect changed the curvature of the hall walls. The ceiling was made flatter and gave the appearance of a guitar soundboard. Under the stalls, they filled in a corridor that had previously served as a dressing room. The walls were covered with wooden panels. All this led to a significant improvement in acoustics, an important component of any theater.

The portal arch of the stage was increased to the width of the hall, and the orchestra pit was deepened and expanded. We reduced the width of the corridors and created outer rooms. The height of the tiers became the same on all floors.

During this reconstruction, a royal box was built and placed opposite the stage. Internal transformations have added comfort to the seats, but at the same time reduced their number.

The curtain for the theater was painted by the then famous artist Kozroe Duzi. The plot was the theme with Prince Pozharsky at the head, who enters the Moscow Kremlin through the gates of the Spasskaya Tower.

The appearance of the building has also undergone changes.

The Bolshoi Theater building has increased in height. An additional pediment was erected above the main portico, which covered an impressive decorative hall. Klodt's quadriga was brought forward a little and it began to hang directly over the colonnade. The side entrances were decorated with cast iron canopies.

More sculptural decorations were added to the external decoration, and decorative niches were built in. The walls were covered with rustication and they were no longer smoothly plastered as before. The podium in front of the entrance was equipped with a ramp for carriages to enter.

By the way, the most common question is: “How many columns does the Bolshoi Theater have?” Their number did not change even after the reconstruction. There were still 8 of them.

The revived theater stopped staging any performances on its stage, but began to limit its repertoire only to ballet and opera performances.

At the end of the century, noticeable cracks appeared on the building. A thorough examination showed that the building needed major repairs and work to strengthen the foundation.

From 1894 until the first years of the new millennium, a grandiose reconstruction of the Bolshoi was carried out: the lighting became completely electric, the heating was switched to steam, and the ventilation system was improved. At the same time, the first telephones appeared in the theater.

The foundation of the building could only be strengthened during the years of Soviet Power, 1921-1925. Supervised the work of I.I. Rerberg is the architect of the Kievsky railway station and the Central Moscow Telegraph.

Reconstruction of the theater is carried out constantly. Our time was no exception.

At the beginning of the third millennium, transformations affected not only the interior decoration and the exterior of the building. The theater began to grow in depth. A new concert hall is located under the current Theater Square.

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The theater began with a small private troupe of Prince Pyotr Urusov. The performances of the talented group often delighted Empress Catherine II, who thanked the prince with the right to direct all entertainment events in the capital. The founding date of the theater is considered to be March 17, 1776 - the day when Urusov received this privilege. Just six months after the empress’s will, the prince erected the wooden building of the Petrovsky Theater on the banks of the Neglinka. But before it could open, the theater burned down. The new building required large financial investments, and Urusov had a partner - the Russified Englishman Medox, a successful entrepreneur and ballet dancer. The construction of the theater cost the Briton 130,000 silver rubles. The new three-story brick theater opened its doors to the public in December 1780. A few years later, due to financial troubles, the Englishman had to transfer management of the theater to the state, after which the temple of Melpomene began to be called the Imperial. In 1805, the building built by Medox burned down.

For several years, the theater troupe performed on the home stages of the Moscow nobility. The new building, which appeared on Arbat in 1808, was designed by the architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi. But this theater was also destroyed by fire in 1812.

Ten years later, the restoration of the theater began, ending in 1825. But, according to sad tradition, this building could not escape the fire that occurred in 1853 and left behind only the outer walls. The Bolshoi revival lasted three years. The chief architect of the Imperial Theaters, Albert Kavos, who supervised the restoration of the building, increased its height, added columns in front of the entrance and a portico, above which stood a bronze quadriga of Apollo by Pyotr Klodt. The pediment was decorated with a double-headed eagle - the coat of arms of Russia.

In the early 60s of the 19th century, the Bolshoi was rented by an Italian opera company. The Italians performed several times a week, while only one day remained for Russian productions. The competition between the two theater groups benefited Russian vocalists, who were forced to hone and improve their skills, but the administration’s inattention to the national repertoire prevented Russian art from gaining popularity among audiences. A few years later, the management had to listen to the demands of the public and resume the operas “Ruslan and Lyudmila” and “Rusalka”. The year 1969 was marked by the production of The Voevoda, the first opera by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, for whom the Bolshoi became the main professional platform. In 1981, the theater's repertoire was enriched with the opera "Eugene Onegin".

In 1895, the theater underwent a major renovation, the end of which was marked by such productions as “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky and “The Woman of Pskov” by Rimsky-Korsakov with Fyodor Chaliapin in the role of Ivan the Terrible.

At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Bolshoi became one of the leading centers of theatrical and musical world culture. The theater’s repertoire includes the best world works (“Walkyrie”, “Tannhäuser”, “Pagliacci”, “La Boheme”) and outstanding Russian operas (“Sadko”, “The Golden Cockerel”, “The Stone Guest”, “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” ). On the theater stage, great Russian singers and singers shine with their talent: Chaliapin, Sobinov, Gryzunov, Savransky, Nezhdanova, Balanovskaya, Azerskaya; The famous Russian artists Vasnetsov, Korovin and Golovin are working on the decorations.

Bolshoi managed to completely preserve his troupe during the revolutionary events and the Civil War. During the 1917-1918 season, the public saw 170 opera and ballet performances. And in 1919 the theater was awarded the title “Academic”.

The 20s and 30s of the last century became the time of the emergence and development of Soviet opera art. “The Love for Three Oranges”, “Trilby”, “Ivan the Soldier”, “Katerina Izmailova” by Shostakovich, “Quiet Don”, “Battleship Potemkin” are being staged on the Bolshoi stage for the first time.

During the Great Patriotic War, part of the Bolshoi troupe was evacuated to Kuibyshev, where new performances continued to be created. Many theater artists went to the front with concerts. The post-war years were marked by talented productions by the outstanding choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, each performance of which was a notable event in the cultural life of the country.

From 2005 to 2011, a grandiose reconstruction was carried out at the theater, thanks to which a new foundation appeared under the Bolshoi building, the legendary historical interiors were recreated, the technical equipment of the theater was significantly improved, and the rehearsal base was increased.

More than 800 performances were staged on the Bolshoi stage; the theater hosted premieres of operas by Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Arensky, and Tchaikovsky. The ballet troupe has always been and remains a welcome guest in any country. Artists, directors, artists and conductors of the Bolshoi have been awarded the most prestigious state and international awards many times.

Description

The Bolshoi Theater has three auditoriums open to the public:

• Historical (main) stage, seating 2,500 people;
• New stage, opened in 2002 and designed for 1000 spectators;
• Beethoven Hall with 320 seats, famous for its unique acoustics.

The historical scene appears before visitors as it was in the second half of the century before last and is a semicircular hall with four tiers, decorated with gold and red velvet. Above the heads of the audience is the legendary chandelier with 26,000 crystals, which appeared in the theater in 1863 and illuminates the hall with 120 lamps.

The new stage was opened at the address: Bolshaya Dimitrovka Street, building 4, building 2. During the large-scale reconstruction, all Bolshoi repertoire performances were staged here, and currently the New Stage hosts tours of foreign and Russian theaters.

The Beethoven Hall opened in 1921. Viewers are delighted by its interior in the style of Louis XV: walls upholstered in silk, magnificent crystal chandeliers, Italian stucco, walnut floors. The hall is designed for chamber and solo concerts.

Every spring, two varieties of tulips bloom in front of the theater building - the deep pink “Galina Ulanova” and the bright red “Bolshoi Theater”, bred by the Dutch breeder Lefeber. At the beginning of the last century, a florist saw Ulanova on the stage of the Bolshoi. Lefeber was so impressed by the talent of the Russian ballerina that he developed new varieties of tulips especially in honor of her and the theater in which she shone. The image of the Bolshoi Theater building can be seen on many postage stamps and on hundred-ruble banknotes.

Information for visitors

The theater address: Teatralnaya Square, 1. You can get to the Bolshoi by walking along Teatralny Proezd from the Teatralnaya and Okhotny Ryad metro stations. From the Ploshchad Revolyutsii station you can reach the Bolshoi by crossing the square of the same name. From the Kuznetsky Most station you need to walk along Kuznetsky Most Street, and then turn to Teatralnaya Square.

You can purchase tickets for Bolshoi productions both on the theater’s website - www.bolshoi.ru, and at the box office open in the Administration building (daily from 11.00 to 19.00, break from 15.00 to 16.00); in the building of the Historical Stage (daily from 12.00 to 20.00, break from 16.00 to 18.00); in the New Stage building (daily from 11.00 to 19.00, break from 14.00 to 15.00).

Ticket prices vary from 100 to 10,000 rubles, depending on the performance, performance time and place in the auditorium.

The Bolshoi Theater has a comprehensive security system, including video surveillance and mandatory passage of all visitors through a metal detector. Do not take piercing or sharp objects with you - you will not be allowed into the theater building with them.

Children are allowed to attend evening performances from the age of 10. Until this age, a child can attend morning performances with a separate ticket. Children under 5 years old are not allowed into the theater.

Tours are held in the Historic Theater Building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, telling about the architecture of the Bolshoi and its past.

For those wishing to purchase something to remember the Bolshoi Theater, a souvenir shop is open daily from 11.00 to 17.00. To get into it, you need to enter the theater through entrance No. 9A. Visitors who come to the performance can enter the store directly from the Bolshoi building before or after the performance. Landmark: left wing of the theater, ground floor, next to the Beethoven Hall.

Photo and video shooting in the theater is not permitted.

When going to the Bolshoi Theater, plan your time - after the third bell you will not be able to enter the hall!

Story

The Bolshoi Theater began as a private theater for the provincial prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Urusov. On March 28, 1776, Empress Catherine II signed a “privilege” for the prince to maintain performances, masquerades, balls and other entertainment for a period of ten years. This date is considered the founding day of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. At the first stage of the Bolshoi Theater's existence, the opera and drama troupes formed a single whole. The composition was very diverse: from serf artists to stars invited from abroad.

Moscow University and the gymnasiums established under it, which provided good musical education, played a large role in the formation of the opera and drama troupe. 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 faced 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 ceremonial prologue “Wanderers”, written by A. Ablesimov, and a large pantomimic ballet “The Magic School”, staged by L. Paradise 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 Theater, erected in record time - less than six months, became the first public theater building of such size, beauty and convenience to be built in Moscow. By the time of its opening, Prince Urusov, however, had already been forced to cede his rights to his partner, and subsequently the “privilege” was extended only to Medox.

However, disappointment awaited him too. Forced to constantly ask for loans from the Board of Trustees, Medox did not get out of debt. In addition, the authorities' opinion - previously very high - about the quality of his entrepreneurial activities has changed radically. In 1796, Madox's personal privilege expired, so both the theater and its debts were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Board of Trustees.

In 1802-03. The theater was handed over to 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 salary.”

Already in 1805, a project arose to create a theater directorate in Moscow “in the image and likeness” of the St. Petersburg one. In 1806 it was implemented - and the Moscow theater acquired the status of an imperial theater, coming 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 to train opera, ballet, drama artists and musicians of theater orchestras (in 1911 it became a choreographic school).

In the fall of 1805, the building of the Petrovsky Theater burned down. The troupe began performing on private stages. And since 1808 - on the stage of the new Arbat Theater, built according to the design of K. Rossi. This wooden building also died in a fire - during the Patriotic War of 1812.

In 1819, a competition was announced for the design of a new theater building. The winner was the project of Academy of Arts professor Andrei Mikhailov, who, however, was recognized as too expensive. As a result, the Moscow governor, Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, ordered the architect Osip Bova to correct it, which he did, and significantly improved it.

In July 1820, construction began on a new theater building, which was to become the center of the urban 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 greatly to its decoration.

In 1822–23 Moscow theaters were separated from the general Directorate of Imperial Theaters and transferred to the authority 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 of modern art, a huge building, made according to all the rules of taste, with a flat roof and a majestic portico, on which stands an alabaster Apollo, standing on one leg in an alabaster chariot, motionless driving three alabaster horses and looking with annoyance at the Kremlin wall, which jealously separates him from the ancient shrines of Russia!
M. Lermontov, youth essay “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 Theater. They performed 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 “Cendrillon” staged by a dancer and choreographer F. invited from France .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, played by twenty-five-year-old Pavel Mochalov, they revived a new temple of art from the ashes. And although the theater was indeed very large, it could not accommodate everyone. Emphasizing the importance of the moment and condescending to the feelings of those suffering, the triumphal performance was repeated in its entirety the next day.

The new theater, surpassing even the capital's Bolshoi Stone Theater in St. Petersburg in size, was distinguished by its monumental grandeur, symmetry 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 tiers, corner and side lounges for relaxation and spacious dressing rooms. The huge auditorium accommodated over two thousand people. The orchestra pit was deepened. During 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” was created.

In 1842, Moscow theaters were again placed under the control of the general Directorate of Imperial Theaters. The director at that time was A. Gedeonov, and the famous composer A. Verstovsky was appointed manager of the Moscow theater office. The years when he was “in power” (1842–59) were called the “Verstovsky era.”

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, young Verdi, and Russian composers such as Verstovsky and Glinka were staged (the Moscow premiere of A Life for the Tsar took place in 1842, and the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila in 1846).

The building of the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater existed for almost 30 years. But he too suffered the same sad fate: on March 11, 1853, a fire broke out in the theater, which lasted three days and destroyed everything it could. Theater machines, costumes, musical instruments, sheet music, scenery were burned... The building itself was almost completely destroyed, of which only charred stone walls and columns of the portico remained.

Three prominent Russian architects took part in the competition to restore the theater. It was won by Albert Kavos, a professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and the chief architect of the imperial theaters. He specialized mainly in theatrical buildings, was well versed in theater technology and in the design of multi-tiered theaters with a box stage and 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 already opened its doors to the public. This speed was explained by the fact that the construction had to be completed in time for the celebrations 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 “The Puritans” by V. Bellini.

The total height of the building has increased by almost four meters. Despite the fact that the porticoes with Beauvais columns have been preserved, the appearance of the main facade has changed quite a lot. A second pediment appeared. Apollo's horse troika 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. Sloping canopies on cast iron pillars were installed above the entrances of the side facades.

But the theater architect, of course, paid the main attention to the auditorium and stage part. In the second half of the 19th century, the Bolshoi Theater was considered one of the best in the world for its acoustic properties. And he owed this to the skill of Albert Kavos, who designed the auditorium as a huge musical instrument. Wooden panels from resonant spruce were used to decorate the walls, instead of an iron ceiling, a wooden one was made, and a picturesque ceiling was made of wooden panels - everything in this room worked for acoustics. Even the decor of the boxes is made of papier-mâché. In order to improve the acoustics of the hall, Kavos also filled up the rooms under the amphitheater, where the wardrobe was located, and moved the hangers to the stall level.

The space of the auditorium was significantly expanded, which made it possible to create antechambers - small living rooms furnished to receive visitors from the stalls or boxes located next door. The six-tier hall accommodated almost 2,300 spectators. On both sides near the stage there were lettered boxes intended for the royal family, the Ministry of the Court and the theater directorate. The ceremonial royal box, slightly protruding into the hall, became its center, opposite the stage. The barrier of the Royal Box was supported by consoles in the form of bent atlases. The crimson and gold splendor amazed everyone who entered this hall - both in the first years of the Bolshoi Theater's existence and decades later.

“I tried to decorate the auditorium as luxuriously and at the same time as lightly as possible, in the taste of the Renaissance mixed with Byzantine style. The white color studded with gold, the bright crimson draperies of the interior boxes, the different 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 general approval.
Albert Kavos

The auditorium chandelier was originally illuminated by 300 oil lamps. To light oil lamps, it was lifted through a hole in the lampshade into a special room. Around this hole a circular composition of the ceiling was built, on which Academician A. Titov painted “Apollo and the Muses”. This painting “has a secret”, revealed only to a very attentive eye, which, in addition to everything, should belong to an expert in ancient Greek mythology: instead of one of the canonical muses - the muse of the sacred hymns of Polyhymnia, Titov depicted a muse of painting invented by him - with a palette and brush in his hands.

The front curtain was created by the Italian artist, professor at the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, Casroe Dusi. 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” (made by P. Lambin based on a drawing by M. Bocharov), which was used at the beginning and end of the performance. And for intermissions, another curtain was made - “The Triumph of the Muses” based on a sketch by P. Lambin (the only curtain of the 19th century preserved in the theater today).

After the revolution of 1917, the curtains of the imperial theater were sent into exile. In 1920, theater artist F. Fedorovsky, while working on a production of the opera “Lohengrin,” created a sliding curtain made of bronze-painted canvas, which was then used as the main curtain. In 1935, according to a sketch by F. Fedorovsky, a new curtain was made, on which revolutionary dates were woven - “1871, 1905, 1917”. In 1955, F. Fedorovsky’s famous golden “Soviet” curtain, with woven state symbols of the USSR, reigned in the theater for half a century.

Like most buildings on Teatralnaya Square, the Bolshoi Theater was built on stilts. Gradually the building deteriorated. Drainage work has lowered the groundwater level. The top part of the piles rotted and this caused a large settlement of the building. 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 on March 13, the State Bolshoi Theater opened.

After the October Revolution, not only the foundations, but also the very existence of the theater was under threat. It took several years for the power of the victorious proletariat to forever abandon the idea of ​​closing the Bolshoi Theater and destroying its building. In 1919, she awarded it the title of academic, which at that time did not even provide a guarantee of safety, since within a few days the issue of its closure was again hotly debated.

However, in 1922, the Bolshevik government still found the closure of the theater economically inexpedient. By that time, it was already in full swing “adapting” the building to its needs. The Bolshoi Theater hosted the All-Russian Congresses of Soviets, meetings of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and congresses of the Comintern. And the formation of a new country - the USSR - was also proclaimed from the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.

Back in 1921, a special government commission examined the theater building and found its condition catastrophic. It was decided to launch emergency response work, the head of which was appointed architect I. Rerberg. Then the foundations under the ring walls of the auditorium were strengthened, the wardrobe rooms were restored, the staircases were redesigned, new rehearsal rooms and artistic restrooms were created. In 1938, a major reconstruction of the stage was carried out.

Master plan for the reconstruction of Moscow 1940-41. provided for the demolition of all houses behind the Bolshoi Theater up to the Kuznetsky Bridge. On the vacated territory it was planned to build the premises necessary for the theater's operation. 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 Bolshoi Theater staff evacuated to Kuibyshev, while others remained in Moscow and continued to perform 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 o'clock in the afternoon, a bomb hit the Bolshoi Theater building. The blast wave passed obliquely between the columns of the portico, pierced the facade wall and caused significant damage to the vestibule. Despite the hardships of wartime and the terrible cold, restoration work began in the theater in the winter of 1942.

And already in the fall of 1943, the Bolshoi Theater resumed its activities with the production of M. Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”, from which the stigma of being monarchical was removed and recognized as patriotic and folk, however, for this it was necessary to revise its libretto and give a new reliable name - “Ivan Susanin” "

Cosmetic renovations to the theater were carried out annually. More large-scale work was also undertaken regularly. But there was still a catastrophic lack of rehearsal space.

In 1960, a large rehearsal hall was built and opened in the theater building - right under the roof, in the former set room.

In 1975, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the theater, some restoration work was carried out in the auditorium and Beethoven hall. However, the main problems - the instability of the foundations and the lack of space inside the theater - were not resolved.

Finally, in 1987, by decree of the Government of the country, a decision was made on the need for 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 activities. We needed a branch. However, eight years passed before the first stone of its foundation was laid. And seven more before the New Stage building was built.

November 29, 2002 The new stage opened with the premiere of the opera “The Snow Maiden” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, a production quite consistent with the spirit and purpose of the new building, that is, innovative, experimental.

In 2005, the Bolshoi Theater closed for restoration and reconstruction. But this is a separate chapter in the chronicle of the Bolshoi Theater.

To be continued...

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It is generally accepted that the Bolshoi Theater was founded in March 1776, when the famous philanthropist, Moscow prosecutor Prince Pyotr Urusov received the highest permission to “contain ... theatrical performances of all kinds.” Urusov and his companion Mikhail Medox created the first permanent troupe in Moscow.

Initially, the theater did not have its own building and most often gave performances in Vorontsov’s house on Znamenka. But already in 1780, according to the design of H. Rosberg, at the expense of Medox, a special stone building was built on the site of the modern Bolshoi Theater. Based on 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 included drama, opera and ballet performances. Operas received special attention, so the Petrovsky Theater was more often called the “Opera House”.

In 1805, the building burned down, and until 1825, performances were again staged at different venues.

In the 1820s, the square in front of the former Petrovsky Theater was reconstructed. According to the architect's plan, a whole classical ensemble appeared here, the dominant feature of which was the building of the Bolshoi Theater (1824). It partially included the walls of the burnt Petrovsky Theater.

The eight-column building in the classical style with the chariot of the god Apollo above the portico, decorated inside in red and gold tones, was, according to contemporaries, the best theater in Europe and second in scale only to Milan's La Scala. It opened on January 6 (18), 1825.

But this theater also suffered the same fate as its predecessor: on March 11, 1853, for an unknown reason, a fire started in the theater. Costumes, scenery, the troupe's archive, part of the music library, rare musical instruments were destroyed, and the building itself was damaged.

Its restoration was led by Albert Kavos. He took the volumetric-spatial structure of Beauvais as a basis, but increased the height of the building, changed the proportions and redesigned the decor; cast-iron galleries with lamps appeared on the sides. Kavos changed the shape and size of the main auditorium, which began to accommodate up to 3 thousand people. The alabaster group of Apollo, which decorated the Beauvais Theater, was destroyed in a fire. To create a new one, Kavos invited the famous Russian sculptor Pyotr Klodt, the author of the famous 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 built in 16 months and opened on August 20, 1856 for the coronation of Alexander II.

The last performance of the Imperial Bolshoi Theater took place on February 28, 1917. And on March 13, the State Bolshoi Theater opened.

In the 1920s The Bolshoi becomes a platform for All-Russian Congresses of Soviets, meetings of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and congresses of the Comintern, but retains the right to function for its intended purpose. In the fall of 1941, a bomb hit the Bolshoi Theater building. The blast wave passed obliquely between the columns of the portico, pierced the facade wall and caused significant damage to the vestibule. In the winter of 1942, restoration work began, and in the fall of 1943 the theater resumed its activities.

At the end of the 20th century, the need for restoration work became critical, and the Government of the country decided to reconstruct the building. The work lasted for 6 years from 2005 to 2011. Specialists preserved the historical appearance of the theater and at the same time improved its technical condition.

Now the Bolshoi Theater is the main cultural dominant of the capital.