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How it was. Opening of the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater

Patriarch Alexy and "Gorbachev's wife" were mentioned among those present at the opening of the Bolshoi Theater after reconstruction

As the leading Russian news agency RIA Novosti informed the world, “the first concert began after the welcoming speech of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. First Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister arrived at the opening of the theater after reconstruction Alexander Zhukov , Speaker of the Federation Council, head of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov Oleg Tabkov , Mikhail Gorbachev with my wife . Among the guests are former Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Minister of Culture, singer Elena Obraztsova, head of the Bolshoi Theater of the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra Fedoseev, Patriarch of All Rus' Alexy II ": http://news.rufox.ru/texts/2011/10/28/216045.htm 00:52 29/10/2011

And even though this post was immediately “demolished” from the news feed, nevertheless, it was he who, as a focus, absorbed the whole gamut of emotions that swept over the cultural community, which saw the long-awaited opening after 6 years of reconstruction of the historical (main) on the evening of October 28, 2011 stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia. The theater administration apparently wanted to make a lot of money, judging by the ticket prices, which reached up to 2 million rubles in the stalls :-) After the general criticism of this price list in LiveJournal, the theater management announced that “ the most expensive ticket costs 50,000 rubles". The director of the Center for Opera Singing, the ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and Rodion Shchedrin were present in the hall, along with whom Naina Yeltsina, wife of the first president of the Russian Federation, and her family were sitting in the box on the first floor on the left side ...

In his speech at the opening, Dmitry Medvedev gave another trend, calling the Bolshoi Theater " main brand» of the country: «I was convinced that everything is done with the latest technology, theatrical technology, the latest approaches to this kind of very complex structures. I am sure that in this sense the theater will be impeccable, but the most important thing is that it retained the spirit of the Bolshoi Theater". However, no sooner had the audience left the old theater building, plunged into a newfangled rebranding, as if they were on the stage at 22 o'clock ... the scenery fell! The law enforcement agencies of Moscow told frightened journalists that “a stage worker was injured, he received a bruise of the chest and was hospitalized at the Sklifosovsky Institute. An ambulance was dispatched to the scene...

By the way, the decoration of the gala concert on October 28, according to many critics, was a number from the ballet "Spartacus" by Khachaturian, where Ivan Vasilyev, the youngest Spartak in the history of ballet, performed the main part. However, on November 14, 2011, it became known that the Bolshoi Ballet Company Premier Ivan Vasilyev and the prima ballerina Natalia Osipova had written a letter of resignation, although both artists are in demand and dance in many performances of the Bolshoi ...

On March 28, 1776, Catherine II signed a “privilege” to the prosecutor, Prince Peter Urusov, thanks to which he could arrange performances, masquerades, balls and other entertainments for ten years. This date is considered the founding day of the Bolshoi Theatre.

However, Prince Urusov quickly lost interest in the theatrical business: it turned out to be too costly. He shared the costs with his partner, the English businessman Michael Medox. Over time, the entire "privilege" went to the Englishman. He opened on December 30, 1780, on the right bank of the Neglinka, the Petrovsky Theater, which got its name from Petrovka Street, on which it was located. On the first evening they gave a solemn prologue "Wanderers" by A.O. Ablesimov, as well as the pantomimic ballet "Magic School". The repertoire was formed from opera and ballet performances by Russian and Italian authors.

In July 1820, the construction of a new Petrovsky building began. By that time, several of its owners had changed, as a result, in 1806, the sovereign-emperor Alexander I himself became the owner, and the theater acquired the status of an imperial theater and came under the jurisdiction of the created unified Directorate of Imperial Theaters. The theater itself burned twice, including during the fire of 1812.

The new temple of Melpomene, which opened in 1825, was decorated with a portico on eight columns with a large sculptural group - Apollo on a chariot with three horses. Its façade overlooked the Theater Square, which was then under construction, "which contributed to its decoration," as Moscow newspapers wrote. The building significantly exceeded the area of the old one, so the theater began to be called the Bolshoi Petrovsky and, of course, the imperial one. The scene lasted almost 30 years. During this period, the word "Petrovsky" gradually disappears from its name - Muscovites increasingly call it simply "Big". However, the scourge of the wooden buildings of those years - the fire - did not spare the imperial stage, broke out in March 1853, lasted three days and literally destroyed everything - the scenery, costumes and the building.

Rebuilt, the stage reopened in August 1856, on the days of the coronation of Alexander II. This building of the Bolshoi Theater has been considered one of the main attractions of Moscow for many years.

The famous chandelier of the auditorium was originally lit by 300 oil lamps. To light oil lamps, it was raised through a hole in the ceiling into a special room. Around this hole, a circular composition of the ceiling was built, on which the painting "Apollo and the Muses" was made.

After the October Revolution, the existence of the theater was threatened. However, in 1922 the Bolshevik government decided not to close it. By that time, the All-Russian Congresses of Soviets, meetings of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and congresses of the Comintern were held in the theater building. Even the formation of a new country - the USSR - was proclaimed from the stage of the Bolshoi. Back in 1921, a special government commission called the condition of the theater building catastrophic. After that, the foundations under the annular walls of the auditorium were strengthened, the wardrobe rooms were restored, the stairs were replanned, new rehearsal rooms and artistic latrines were created.

In April 1941, the Bolshoi was closed for repairs, and two months later the Great Patriotic War began. Part of the theater group left for evacuation to Kuibyshev, part remained in Moscow and continued to play performances on the stage of the branch.

On October 22, 1941, a bomb hit the building of the Bolshoi Theater. The blast wave passed between the columns of the portico, broke through the front wall and destroyed the vestibule. Despite the hardships of wartime, restoration work began in the theater, and in the fall of 1943 the Bolshoi opened with a production of M.I. Glinka "Life for the Tsar".

It was only in 1987 that a decision was made to urgently reconstruct the Bolshoi Theatre. But it was clear to everyone that the theater should not stop its creative activity. A branch was needed, but eight years passed before the first stone was laid in the foundation of its foundation. On November 29, 2002, the new stage opened with the premiere of the opera The Snow Maiden by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

Then a large-scale reconstruction began in the theater, which lasted from July 1, 2005 to October 28, 2011. She revived many of the lost features of the historical appearance of the building, put it on a par with the most technically equipped theaters in the world.

If we talk about the repertoire of the Bolshoi, then the first place in it is occupied by the masterpieces of the Russian musical theater of the XIX-XX centuries. The Bolshoi also offers Western classics, as well as specially commissioned works, such as the opera The Children of Rosenthal and the ballet Lost Illusions by Leonid Desyatnikov.

Such directors as Francesca Zambello, Eymuntas Nyakroshyus, Declan Donnellan, Robert Sturua, Peter Konvicny, Temur Chkheidze, Robert Wilson, Graham Vick, Alexander Sokurov, choreographers Roland Petit, John Neumeier, Christopher Wheeldon, Angelin Preljocaj, Wayne Mac- Gregor.

Foyer of the administrative building. Now the whole complex of the Bolshoi Theater is connected by underground and overground passages.

The gallery connecting the main and administrative buildings offers a view of the theater square.

New dressing room. One of 50. According to modern theatrical standards, for 1 volume of space for the spectator, there should be 4 volumes of space for the troupe, including utility rooms, mechanics, warehouses and dressing rooms. Before closing, this ratio was 1:1. Now Bolshoy fully complies with these requirements.

There are 14 buttons on the elevator control panel - from 10 to -4. However, the theater does not end with the 4th floor, but goes down another 2 levels - mechanics are located on these auxiliary floors. After reconstruction, 17 elevators appeared in the theater, 6 of them are located in the historical part.

Venetian mosaic, painstakingly restored from two fragments found during work in the director's area. Initially, part of the mosaic was made of sandstone, and the women who walked here in high-heeled shoes knocked out these fragments. As a result, the entire floor was covered with holes. In the middle of the 20th century, it was simply removed and thrown away and oak parquet was laid.

The auditorium of the main stage can accommodate 1768 people. Before restoration 2100 people.

In the first years after the opening of the building of the Bolshoi Theater restored by Albert Cavos, the premises were illuminated by candles and oil lamps. In order to light the oil lamps of the chandelier of the auditorium, it was raised upstairs to a special room.
In 1863 this chandelier was replaced by a new one with 408 gas jets. According to the testimony of contemporaries, the glasses of the lamps of gas lamps were heated to such an extent that sometimes they burst and their fragments fell on the heads of the spectators.
After 30 years, electricity appears in the Bolshoi Theater. Interestingly, in the early 1890s, a separate power plant was built in one of the premises of the Maly Theater building for the electric lighting of the Bolshoi and Maly Theaters. In connection with this innovation, the gas chandelier of the auditorium is converted into electric lamps. In this form, it is preserved to this day.

According to the plan of Albert Kavos, who led the restoration of the burned-out Bolshoi Theater in 1853-1856, to improve the acoustics of the hall, the ceiling was made of wooden shields, a canvas was stretched over them, and a painting was made on this canvas. This work was carried out by Academician Alexei Titov with his students. In the middle of the 19th century, there was no reverent attitude towards antiquity, and Academician Titov was able to afford some liberties. He understood that in Greece there had never been a muse of painting. But he threw the muse Polyhymnia out of the pantheon of muses and painted the muse with a brush and a palette. She is still present at the Bolshoi Theatre.

In the 19th century, a hole was made in the central part of the ceiling of the auditorium, which served to extract smoke and soot from candles and oil lamps. Cold air entered the room through it in winter, and moisture accumulated on the canvas in summer. It is not surprising that the first restoration of Apollo and the Muses had to be done just a few years after the opening of the theater. In total, the history of the ceiling knows 6 major restorations.

When the restorers climbed the scaffolding in 2005, they found the murals in a terrible state. Canvases in some places lagged behind so much that they hung from the ceiling in pieces 1.5 meters long. In some places, the canvases were sealed with tissue paper so that there would be no further tears. During previous restorations, the figures of the Muses were cut out, and the background that was around them was performed on a new canvas. But the technology of those years did not allow for the similarity of colors. The wooden structures were also heavily warped.

During the restoration, the wooden shields were straightened as much as possible, the canvases on all the backgrounds were replaced with new ones that did not differ in color, the paintings of the patterns were restored, and the muses preserved on the old canvases were completely restored.

Theater buffet. This is a mandatory attribute of the GABT. He moved to the 4th floor and now occupies huge areas. The buffet of the Bolshoi Theater is unique today - it is the only place in the building where you can see the windows on both sides.

Under the architect Osip Bove, there was a passage here. Kavos, who restored the theater after the fire of 1853, did not set himself the task of restoring the theater as accurately as possible, so he blocked some passages with bricks, and boarded up some rooms with boards. Part of the bricks in this 18th-century masonry. It turned out that the answer to this riddle is simple: when Beauvais was restoring the theater in 1825, he used bricks left over from houses burned down during Napoleon's invasion during the construction.

Beethoven Hall. Previously, Beethoven was the main hall of the imperial foyer. This is a concert and rehearsal room. Behind the wall, 70 meters to the Teatralnaya metro station, but here there is almost perfect silence. In addition to its main function, this hall will become the recording studio of the Bolshoi Theatre.

The stage is a transformer. 5 independent platforms allow you to make a hall of any configuration. The usual state of the floor is flush with the foyer. In 5 minutes, this floor can sink to a level of minus 20.5 meters. Now it is lowered to the middle of the amphitheater. In half an hour, from a flat foyer it turns into a hall for 300 people, in the same way it turns into a hall for an orchestra or an orchestra and a choir.

Central foyer. The tile is made in the same factory as the original in the 19th century.

The furniture is waiting for everything to be washed and cleaned. In general, the entire theater is now a place of grandiose cleaning.

Fabric inserts on theater furniture were also restored according to surviving samples.

The vases on the railing are made of alabaster - natural quartzite. It is thick and translucent.

Doors and fittings restored. On them you can find hallmarks of the 19th century.

The main hall of the imperial foyer. In the 19th century, no one except the emperor and his retinue could be here.

The acoustics of the room are amazing, the whisper from one corner is clearly audible in another.

You can’t sit on the furniture, it’s here only for the interior, but so far no one sees ....)

Mikhail Sidorov, Advisor to the President of the Summa Group, the general contractor for the reconstruction and restoration of the Bolshoi Theatre.

The tapestries are so dilapidated that at first there was a question about the expediency of restoration, it took 5 years to restore them, each centimeter of the fabric was cleaned by hand with cotton brushes.

The chandelier weighs 2 tons, reaches a diameter of 6.5 meters, and the weight of the crystal pendants is 200 kilograms. It took 300 grams of gold leaf to gild it.

Recreating the theatre, Cavos, being a brilliant acoustician, applied many unusual solutions: each element works for sound, the hall repeats the shape of a violin deck, all panels are made of resonant spruce, there are many acoustic cavities in the hall, the ceiling and the stage itself are resonators. Thanks to this, the Bolshoi Theater in terms of sound quality in the 19th century came out on top among the theaters of the world. However, during the 20th century, the hall loses its unique acoustics: papier-mâché chips are sealed with plaster or even cement, resonant voids are insulated with foam plastic, the soundboard under the stage is poured with concrete, etc. By 2005, the hall loses up to 50% of its acoustic properties.

The restoration of the acoustics was undertaken by the Muller BBM company, during the restoration process the original sound model of the theater was completely recreated, each element of the hall is calculated, each panel is tested, all materials, up to the upholstery of the chairs, are coordinated with the specialists of Muller BBM. This allows us to hope that the Bolshoi will regain the glory of one of the best acoustic halls in the world.

150 people worked on the gilding of the panels, four kilograms of gold 5 microns thick took the whole theater.

The scenery for the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is being installed on the stage, but it was strictly forbidden to shoot them.

The Atlanteans holding the Tsar's box are also made of papier-mâché.

The six upper levels of the theater are connected by the so-called circular corridors. Now they have been restored in the form in which they were conceived by Albert Cavos in the 19th century.