Founding day of the Bolshoi Theater. Bolshoi Theater: history
At the mere mention of the Bolshoi, theatergoers all over the world take their breath away and their hearts begin to beat faster. Ticket to his performance - best gift, and each premiere is accompanied by a flurry of enthusiastic responses from both fans and critics. State Academic Grand Theatre Russia has significant weight not only in our country, but also abroad, because the best singers and dancers of their era have always performed on its stage.
How the Bolshoi Theater began
In the early spring of 1776, the Empress Catherine II by her highest decree she ordered the organization of “theatrical ... performances” in Moscow. Hastened to fulfill the will of the empress Prince Urusov, who served as the provincial prosecutor. He began the construction of the theater building on Petrovka. The temple of art did not have time to open, as it died in a fire during the construction stage.
Then the entrepreneur got down to business Michael Maddox, under whose leadership a brick building was erected, decorated with white stone decoration and having a height of three floors. The theater, called Petrovsky, was opened at the very end of 1780. Its hall accommodated about a thousand spectators, and the same number of Terpsichore fans could watch the performances from the gallery. Maddox owned the building until 1794. During this time, more than 400 performances were staged on the stage of the Petrovsky Theater.
In 1805, a new fire destroyed the stone building, and for a long time the troupe wandered around the stages of the home theaters of the Moscow aristocracy. Finally, three years later, the famous architect K. I. Rossi completed the construction of a new building on Arbat Square, but the fire did not spare it either. New temple musical art died in a big fire that happened in Moscow during the occupation of the capital by the Napoleonic army.
Four years later, the Moscow development commission announced a competition for best project new building musical theater. The competition was won by the project of a professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts A. Mikhailova. Later, the architect who implemented the idea made significant modifications to the drawings O. I. Bove.
Historical building on Teatralnaya Square
During the construction of the new building, the foundation of the burnt Petrovsky Theater was partially used. Beauvais's idea was that the theater should symbolize the victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812. As a result, the building was a stylized temple in the Empire style, and the grandeur of the building was emphasized by the wide area laid out in front of the main facade.
The grand opening took place on January 6, 1825, and the spectators who attended the performance of “The Triumph of the Muses” noted the splendor of the building, the beauty of the scenery, amazing costumes and, of course, the unsurpassed skill of the performers of the main roles in the first performance on the new stage.
Unfortunately, fate did not spare this building either, and after the fire of 1853, only a portico with a colonnade and external stone walls remained. Restoration work under the direction of the chief architect of the Imperial Theaters Albert Kavos lasted three years. As a result, the proportions of the building were slightly changed: the theater became much wider and more spacious. The facades were given eclectic features, and the sculpture of Apollo, which died in the fire, was replaced by a bronze quadriga. The premiere of Bellini's "The Puritans" in the renovated building took place in 1856.
Bolshoi Theater and new times
The revolution brought many changes to all spheres of life, and theater was no exception. At first the Bolshoi was awarded the title of academic, and then they wanted to close it altogether, but the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued a resolution to preserve the theater. In the 1920s, the building underwent some renovation work, which not only strengthened the walls, but also destroyed any opportunity for spectators to demonstrate their rank hierarchy.
The Great Patriotic War became a difficult time for the troupe. The theater was evacuated to Kuibyshev, and the performances were staged on the local stage. The artists made a significant contribution to the defense fund, for which the troupe received gratitude from the head of state.
IN post-war years The Bolshoi Theater has been reconstructed several times. The latest work was carried out on the historical stage from 2005 to 2011.
Repertoire past and present
In the early years of the theater's existence, its troupe did not attach too much importance to the content of the productions. Aristocrats became ordinary spectators of the performances, spending their time in idleness and entertainment. Every evening up to three or four performances could be played on stage, and in order not to get bored with the small audience, the repertoire was changed very often. Benefit performances were also popular, hosted by both famous and leading actors and the supporting cast. The performances were based on the works of European playwrights and composers, but also dance sketches on Russian themes folk life and lives were also present in the repertoire.
In the 19th century, significant musical works began to be staged on the Bolshoi stage, which became historical events V cultural life Moscow. In 1842 they played for the first time "A Life for the Tsar" by Glinka, and in 1843 the audience applauded the soloists and ballet participants A. Adana "Giselle". The second half of the 19th century was marked by works Marius Petipa, thanks to which the Bolshoi is known as the first stage for “Don Quixote of La Mancha” by Minkus and “Swan Lake” by Tchaikovsky.
The heyday of the main Moscow theater occurred at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. During this period, they shine on the stage of the Bolshoi Chaliapin And Sobinov, whose names become known throughout the world. The repertoire is enriching Opera "Khovanshchina" by Mussorgsky, stands at the conductor's stand Sergei Rachmaninov, and great Russian artists - Benois, Korovin and Polenov - take part in the work on the scenery for performances.
Soviet era brought many changes to the theater stage. Many performances are subject to ideological criticism, and Bolshoi choreographers strive to find new forms in dance art. The opera is represented by works by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, but also the names Soviet composers Programs appear more and more frequently on posters and covers.
After the end of the war, the most significant premiers of the Bolshoi Theater were "Cinderella" and "Romeo and Juliet" by Prokofiev. The incomparable Galina Ulanova shines in the leading roles in ballet productions. In the 60s, viewers were captivated by Maya Plisetskaya, dancing "Carmen Suite", and Vladimir Vasiliev in the role of Spartacus in the ballet by A. Khachaturian.
IN last years The troupe is increasingly resorting to experiments, which are not always clearly assessed by the audience and critics. Drama and film directors participate in the work on performances, scores are returned to the author's editions, the concept and style of scenery are increasingly becoming the subject of fierce debate, and productions are broadcast in cinemas in different countries world and on Internet channels.
During the existence of the Bolshoi Theater, many were associated with it interesting events. Outstanding people of their time worked in the theater, and the main building of the Bolshoi became one of the symbols Russian capital:
- At the time of the opening of the Petrovsky Theater, its troupe consisted of about 30 artists and just over a dozen accompanists. Today, about a thousand artists and musicians serve in the Bolshoi Theater.
IN different time performed on the Bolshoi stage Elena Obraztsova and Irina Arkhipova, Maris Liepa and Maya Plisetskaya, Galina Ulanova and Ivan Kozlovsky. During the existence of the theater, more than eighty of its artists were awarded the title of People's Artist, and eight of them were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Ballerina and choreographer Galina Ulanova was awarded this honorary title twice.
An ancient chariot with four harnessed horses, called a quadriga, was often depicted on various buildings and structures. Such chariots were used in Ancient Rome during triumphal processions. The quadriga of the Bolshoi Theater was performed famous sculptor Peter Klodt. His equally famous works are sculptures of horses on the Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg.
In the 30-50s. last century, the main artist of the Bolshoi was Fedor Fedorovsky- a student of Vrubel and Serov, who worked with Diaghilev in Paris at the beginning of the century. It was he who in 1955 created the famous brocade curtain of the Bolshoi Theater, called “golden”.
- In 1956, the ballet troupe traveled to London for the first time.. Thus began a series of famous Bolshoi tours in Europe and the world.
Big success on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater had Marlene Dietrich. A famous German actress performed in the building on Theater Square in 1964. She brought her famous show “Marlene Expirience” to Moscow and was called to bow two hundred times during her performances.
Soviet Opera singer Mark Reisen installed on stage Big record Guinness. In 1985, at the age of 90, he performed the part of Gremin in the play Eugene Onegin.
During Soviet times, the theater was twice awarded the Order of Lenin.
Building historical scene The Bolshoi Theater is on the list of cultural heritage sites of the peoples of Russia.
The latest reconstruction of the main building of the Bolshoi cost 35.4 billion rubles. The work lasted six years and three months, and on October 28, 2011, the theater was inaugurated after renovation.
New scene
In 2002, it was opened on Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street New scene SABT. The premiere was a production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden”. The new stage served as the main stage during the reconstruction of the main building, and from 2005 to 2011 the entire Bolshoi repertoire was staged on it.
After the grand opening of the renovated main building, the New Stage began to host touring troupes from theaters in Russia and around the world. The permanent repertoire at Bolshaya Dmitrovka still includes the operas “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky, “The Love for Three Oranges” by Prokofiev and “The Snow Maiden” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov. Ballet fans can see “The Bright Stream” by D. Shostakovich and “Carmen Suite” by J. Bizet and R. Shchedrin on the New Stage.
It is generally accepted that the Bolshoi Theater was founded in March 1776, when famous philanthropist, the 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 theater existed in this form until the end of the twentieth century. In 2005, the largest restoration and reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater began. The restoration project was revised several times. The renovated Bolshoi Theater opened on October 11, 2011.
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.
In the formation of an opera and drama troupe big role played by Moscow University and the gymnasiums established under it, in which good things were given musical education. 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 Patriotic War 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.
A new theater, surpassing in size even the capital, the St. Petersburg Bolshoi stone theater, was distinguished by monumental grandeur, proportionality of proportions, harmony of architectural forms and richness 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 then was A. Gedeonov, and the manager of the Moscow theater office was appointed famous composer A. Verstovsky. 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 burned down... The building itself was almost completely destroyed, of which only charred remains stone walls and columns of the portico.
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 went to decorate the walls, instead of an iron ceiling a wooden one was made, and the 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 letter boxes intended for royal family, Ministry of the Court and 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. White color", strewn 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 earned 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, must belong to a connoisseur 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, the famous golden “Soviet” curtain of F. Fedorovsky reigned in the theater for half a century - with woven state symbols THE USSR.
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 education new country- 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 for Bolshoi Theater all the way 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 there had to be established Fire safety and ventilation. In April 1941, the Bolshoi Theater was closed for necessary repair work. 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 has been undertaken regularly large-scale works. 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 activity. 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...
The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, located in the center of the capital, on Teatralnaya Square, is one of the symbols of Russia and the brilliant skill of its artists. Its talented performers: vocalists and ballet dancers, composers and conductors, choreographers are known all over the world. More than 800 works were staged on its stage. These are the first Russian operas and operas of such celebrities as Verdi and Wagner, Bellini and Donizetti, Berlioz and Ravel and other composers. World premieres of operas by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Arensky took place here. The great Rachmaninov conducted here.
Bolshoi Theater in Moscow - history
In March 1736, the provincial prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Urusov, began construction of a theater building on the right bank of the Neglinka River, on the corner of Petrovka. Then he began to be called Petrovsky. But Peter Urusov failed to complete the construction. The building burned down. After the fire, his partner, the English entrepreneur Michael Medox, completed the construction of the theater building. This was the first professional theater. His repertoire included drama, opera and ballet performances. Both singers and dramatic actors took part in opera performances. The Petrovsky Theater was opened on December 30, 1780. On this day, the pantomime ballet “The Magic Shop” was staged by Y. Paradise. Ballets with a national flavor, such as Village Simplicity, Gypsy Ballet and The Taking of Ochakov, were especially popular among the audience. Basically, the ballet troupe was formed by students of the ballet school of the Moscow Orphanage and serf actors of E. Golovkina’s troupe. This building lasted 25 years. It was destroyed in a fire in 1805. The new building, built under the leadership of K. Rossi on Arbat Square, also burned down in 1812.
According to the project of A. Mikhailov in 1821-1825. A new theater building is being built on the same site. The construction was supervised by the architect O. Bove. It was significantly increased in size. Therefore, at that time it received the name Bolshoi Theater. On January 6, 1825, the performance “The Triumph of the Muses” was given here. After the fire in March 1853, the building took three years to restore. The work was supervised by the architect A. Kavos. As contemporaries wrote, the appearance of the building “captivated the eye with the proportionality of the parts, in which lightness was combined with grandeur.” This is how it has survived to this day. In 1937 and 1976 the theater was awarded the Order of Lenin. During the Great Patriotic War, he was evacuated to the city of Kuibyshev. On November 29, 2002, the New Stage opened with the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Snow Maiden.
Bolshoi Theater - architecture
The building that we can now admire is one of the best examples of Russian classical architecture. It was built in 1856 under the direction of architect Albert Kavos. During restoration after the fire, the building was completely rebuilt and decorated with a white stone portico with eight columns. The architect replaced the hipped roof with a gable roof with pediments, repeating the shape of the portico pediment along the main façade and removing the arched niche. The Ionic order of the portico was replaced by a complex one. All exterior details have been changed. Some architects believe that Kavos's changes diminished the artistic merit of the original building. The building is crowned by the world-famous bronze quadriga of Apollo by Pyotr Klodt. We see a two-wheeled chariot with four harnessed horses galloping across the sky and the god Apollo driving them. A plaster double-headed eagle, the state emblem of Russia, was installed on the pediment of the building. On the ceiling of the auditorium there are nine muses with Apollo at their head. Thanks to the creativity of Albert Kavos, the building fits perfectly into the surrounding architectural structures.
The five tiers of the auditorium can accommodate more than 2,100 spectators. In terms of its acoustic properties, it is considered one of the best in the world. The length of the hall from the orchestra to the back wall is 25 meters, width - 26.3 meters, height - 21 meters. The stage portal is 20.5 by 17.8 meters, the depth of the stage is 23.5 meters. This is one of the beautiful architectural structures of the capital. It was called "the palace of sun rays, gold, purple and snow." The building also hosts important state and public celebrations.
Reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater
In 2005, the reconstruction of the theater began and after 6 years of colossal work, on October 28, 2011, the opening of the country's main stage took place. The area of the Bolshoi Theater doubled and amounted to 80 thousand square meters, an underground part appeared and the unique acoustics of the hall were restored. The stage now has the volume of a six-story building, all processes in which are computerized. The paintings in the White Foyer have been restored. The jacquard fabrics and tapestries in the Round Hall and the Imperial Foyer were restored by hand over the course of 5 years, restoring every centimeter. 156 craftsmen from all over Russia were engaged in gilding the interiors, 5 microns thick, covering an area of 981 square meters, which took 4.5 kg of gold.
There were 17 elevators with buttons for floors from the 10th to the 4th, and an additional 2 floors located below were occupied by mechanics. The auditorium seats 1,768 people, before reconstruction - 2,100. The theater buffet moved to the 4th floor and this is the only room where windows are located on both sides. Interestingly, the tiles in the central foyer were made in the same factory as in the 19th century. The chandelier with a diameter of more than 6 meters with gilded pendants is especially beautiful. The new curtain is embroidered with a double-headed eagle and the word Russia.
The modern Bolshoi Theater includes opera and ballet troupes, a stage and brass band and the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra. The names of the opera and ballet school are the heritage of all of Russia and the entire theatrical world. More than 80 artists were awarded the title of People's Artists of the USSR during the Soviet period. The title of Hero of Socialist Labor was received by eight stage masters - I. Arkhipova and Y. Grigorovich, I. Kozlovsky and E. Nesterenko, E. Svetlanov, as well as world-famous ballerinas - G. Ulanova, M. Plisetskaya and M. Semyonova. Many artists are folk artists Russian Federation.
The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow presents one of the world's main theater scenes. He played an outstanding role in the formation of the Russian musical and stage school and in the formation of the Russian national art, including the famous Russian ballet.
The history of the Bolshoi Theater, which is celebrating its 225th anniversary, is as majestic as it is complicated. From it you can equally well create an apocrypha and an adventure novel. The theater burned down several times, was restored, rebuilt, its troupe merged and separated.
Twice Born (1776-1856)
The history of the Bolshoi Theater, which is celebrating its 225th anniversary, is as majestic as it is complicated. From it you can equally well create an apocrypha and an adventure novel. The theater burned down several times, was restored, rebuilt, its troupe merged and separated. And even the Bolshoi Theater has two dates of birth. Therefore, his centenary and bicentennial anniversaries will be separated not by a century, but by only 51 years. Why? Initially, the Bolshoi Theater counted its years from the day when a splendid eight-column theater with the chariot of the god Apollo above the portico appeared on Teatralnaya Square - the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater, the construction of which became a real event for Moscow at the beginning of the 19th century. A beautiful building in a classical style, decorated inside in red and gold tones, according to contemporaries, was the best theater in Europe and was second in scale only to Milan's La Scala. Its opening took place on January 6 (18), 1825. In honor of this event, the prologue “The Triumph of the Muses” by M. Dmitriev with music by A. Alyabiev and A. Verstovsky was given. It allegorically depicted how the Genius of Russia, with the help of the muses, on the ruins of the Medox Theater creates a new beautiful art - the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater.
However, the troupe whose forces performed the Triumph of the Muses, which caused universal admiration, had already existed for half a century by that time.
It was started by the provincial prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Urusov, in 1772. On March 17 (28), 1776, the highest permission followed “to support him with all kinds of theatrical performances, as well as concerts, vauxhalls and masquerades, and besides him, no one should be allowed any such entertainment at all times appointed by privilege, so that he would not be undermined.”
Three years later, he petitioned Empress Catherine II for a ten-year privilege to maintain a Russian theater in Moscow, undertaking to build a permanent theater building for the troupe. Alas, the first Russian theater in Moscow on Bolshaya Petrovskaya Street burned down even before it opened. This led to the decline of the prince's affairs. He handed over the affairs to his companion, the Englishman Mikhail Medox - an active and enterprising man. It was thanks to him that in the wasteland regularly flooded by Neglinka, despite all the fires and wars, the theater grew, which over time lost its geographical prefix Petrovsky and remained in history simply as the Bolshoi.
And yet, the Bolshoi Theater begins its chronology on March 17 (28), 1776. Therefore, in 1951 the 175th anniversary was celebrated, in 1976 - the 200th anniversary, and ahead is the 225th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia.
Bolshoi Theater in the mid-19th century
The symbolic name of the performance that opened the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater in 1825, “The Triumph of the Muses,” predetermined its history over the next quarter of a century. The participation in the first performance of outstanding stage masters - Pavel Mochalov, Nikolai Lavrov and Angelica Catalani - set the highest performing level. The second quarter of the 19th century is the awareness of Russian art, and the Moscow theater in particular, of its national identity. The work of composers Alexei Verstovsky and Alexander Varlamov, who were at the head of the Bolshoi Theater for several decades, contributed to its extraordinary rise. Thanks to their artistic will, a Russian operatic repertoire emerged on the Moscow Imperial stage. It was based on Verstovsky’s operas “Pan Tvardovsky”, “Vadim, or the Twelve Sleeping Maidens”, “Askold’s Grave”, and the ballets “The Magic Drum” by Alyabyev, “The Fun of the Sultan, or the Slave Seller”, “Tom Thumb” by Varlamov.
The ballet repertoire was not inferior to the operatic repertoire in richness and variety. The head of the troupe, Adam Glushkovsky, is a graduate of the St. Petersburg ballet school, a student of C. Didelot, who headed the Moscow ballet even before the Patriotic War of 1812, created original performances: “Ruslan and Lyudmila, or the Overthrow of Chernomor, the Evil Wizard,” “Three Belts, or the Russian Cendrillon” ", "Black Shawl, or Punished Infidelity", transferred to the Moscow stage best performances Didlo. They showed the excellent training of the corps de ballet, the foundations of which were laid by the choreographer himself, who was also at the head of the ballet school. The main roles in the performances were performed by Glushkovsky himself and his wife Tatyana Ivanovna Glushkovskaya, as well as the Frenchwoman Felicata Gyullen-Sor.
The main event in the activities of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater in the first half of the last century were the premieres of two operas by Mikhail Glinka. Both of them were first staged in St. Petersburg. Despite the fact that it was already possible to get from one Russian capital to another by train, Muscovites had to wait several years for new products. “A Life for the Tsar” was first performed at the Bolshoi Theater on September 7 (19), 1842. “...How can I express the surprise of true music lovers when, from the first act, they were convinced that this opera resolved an issue that was important for art in general and for Russian art in particular, namely: the existence of Russian opera, Russian music... With Glinka’s opera is something that has long been sought and not found in Europe, a new element in art, and a new period begins in its history - the period of Russian music. Such a feat, let’s say, hand on heart, is a matter not only of talent, but of genius!” - exclaimed outstanding writer, one of the founders of Russian musicology V. Odoevsky.
Four years later, the first performance of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” took place. But both of Glinka’s operas, despite favorable reviews from critics, did not last long in the repertoire. Even the participation in the performances of guest performers - Osip Petrov and Ekaterina Semenova, who were temporarily forced out of St. Petersburg by Italian singers, did not save them. But decades later, it was “A Life for the Tsar” and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” that became the favorite performances of the Russian public; they were destined to defeat the Italian opera mania that arose in the middle of the century. And according to tradition, the Bolshoi Theater opened each theater season with one of Glinka’s operas.
On the ballet stage, by the middle of the century, performances on Russian themes, created by Isaac Abletz and Adam Glushkovsky, were also supplanted. Western romanticism ruled the roost. “La Sylphide,” “Giselle,” and “Esmeralda” appeared in Moscow almost immediately after their European premieres. Taglioni and Elsler drove Muscovites crazy. But the Russian spirit continued to live in the Moscow ballet. Not a single guest performer could outshine Ekaterina Bankskaya, who performed in the same performances as visiting celebrities.
In order to accumulate strength before the next upsurge, the Bolshoi Theater had to endure many shocks. And the first of these was the fire that destroyed the Osip Bove Theater in 1853. All that was left of the building was a charred shell. The scenery, costumes, rare instruments, and music library were destroyed.
Architect Albert Kavos won the competition for the best project for restoring the theater. In May 1855, construction work began, which was completed after 16 (!) months. In August 1856, the new theater opened with V. Bellini’s opera “The Puritans”. And there was something symbolic in the fact that it opened with Italian opera. The actual tenant of the Bolshoi Theater soon after its opening was the Italian Merelli, who brought a very strong Italian troupe to Moscow. The public, with the delight of converts, preferred Italian opera Russian. All of Moscow flocked to listen to Desiree Artaud, Pauline Viardot, Adeline Patti and other Italian opera idols. The auditorium at these performances was always crowded.
The Russian troupe had only three days a week left - two for ballet and one for opera. Russian opera, which had no material support and was abandoned by the public, was a sad sight.
And yet, despite any difficulties, the Russian operatic repertoire is steadily expanding: in 1858 “Rusalka” by A. Dargomyzhsky was presented, two operas by A. Serov - “Judith” (1865) and “Rogneda” (1868) - were staged for the first time. , “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by M. Glinka is resumed. A year later, P. Tchaikovsky made his debut on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater with the opera “The Voevoda”.
A turning point in public tastes occurred in the 1870s. Russian operas appear one after another in the Bolshoi Theater: “The Demon” by A. Rubinstein (1879), “Eugene Onegin” by P. Tchaikovsky (1881), “Boris Godunov” by M. Mussorgsky (1888), “The Queen of Spades” (1891) and “Iolanta” (1893) by P. Tchaikovsky, “The Snow Maiden” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov (1893), “Prince Igor” by A. Borodin (1898). Following the only Russian prima donna Ekaterina Semenova, a whole galaxy of outstanding singers appear on the Moscow stage. These are Alexandra Alexandrova-Kochetova, and Emilia Pavlovskaya, and Pavel Khokhlov. And they are already, not Italian singers, become favorites of the Moscow public. In the 70s, the owner of the most beautiful contralto, Eulalia Kadmina, enjoyed special affection from the audience. “Perhaps the Russian public has never known, either earlier or later, such a unique performer, full of real tragic power,” they wrote about her. M. Eikhenwald was called the unsurpassed Snow Maiden, the idol of the public was the baritone P. Khokhlov, whom Tchaikovsky highly valued.
In the middle of the century, the Bolshoi Theater ballet featured Marfa Muravyova, Praskovya Lebedeva, Nadezhda Bogdanova, Anna Sobeshchanskaya, and in their articles about Bogdanova, journalists emphasized “the superiority of the Russian ballerina over European celebrities.”
However, after their departure from the stage, the Bolshoi Theater ballet found itself in a difficult situation. Unlike St. Petersburg, where the single artistic will of the choreographer dominated, ballet Moscow in the second half of the century was left without a talented leader. The visits of A. Saint-Leon and M. Petipa (who staged Don Quixote at the Bolshoi Theater in 1869, and debuted in Moscow before the fire, in 1848) were short-lived. The repertoire was filled with random one-day performances (the exception was Sergei Sokolov’s Fernnik, or Midsummer Night, which lasted a long time in the repertoire). Even the production of “Swan Lake” (choreographer Wenzel Reisinger) by P. Tchaikovsky, who created his first ballet specifically for the Bolshoi Theater, ended in failure. Each new premiere only irritated the public and the press. The auditorium at ballet performances, which in the middle of the century provided a substantial income, began to be empty. In the 1880s, the question of liquidating the troupe was seriously raised.
And yet, thanks to such outstanding masters as Lydia Gaten and Vasily Geltser, the Bolshoi Theater ballet was preserved.
On the eve of the new century XX
Approaching the turn of the century, the Bolshoi Theater lived hectic life. At that time Russian art was approaching one of the peaks of its heyday. Moscow was at the center of the seething artistic life. A stone's throw from Teatralnaya Square, the Moscow Public Art Theater opened, the whole city was eager to see the performances of the Russian private opera Mamontov and Russian symphony meetings musical society. Not wanting to lag behind and lose viewers, the Bolshoi Theater quickly made up for lost time in previous decades, ambitiously wanting to fit into the Russian cultural process.
This was facilitated by two experienced musicians who came to the theater at that time. Hippolyte Altani led the orchestra, Ulrich Avranek led the choir. The professionalism of these groups, which had grown significantly not only quantitatively (each had about 120 musicians), but also qualitatively, invariably aroused admiration. Outstanding masters shone in the Bolshoi Theater opera troupe: Pavel Khokhlov, Elizaveta Lavrovskaya, Bogomir Korsov continued their careers, Maria Deisha-Sionitskaya came from St. Petersburg, Lavrenty Donskoy, a native of Kostroma peasants, became the leading tenor, Margarita Eikhenwald was just beginning her career.
This made it possible to include virtually all the world classics in the repertoire - operas by G. Verdi, V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, C. Gounod, J. Meyerbeer, L. Delibes, R. Wagner. New works by P. Tchaikovsky regularly appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. With difficulty, but still, the composers of the New Russian School made their way: in 1888 the premiere of “Boris Godunov” by M. Mussorgsky took place, in 1892 - “The Snow Maiden”, in 1898 - “The Night Before Christmas” by N. Rimsky - Korsakov.
In the same year, A. Borodin’s “Prince Igor” appeared on the Moscow Imperial stage. This revived interest in the Bolshoi Theater and contributed to no small extent to the fact that by the end of the century singers joined the troupe, thanks to whom the Bolshoi Theater opera reached enormous heights in the next century. In a magnificent professional uniform approached end of the 19th century century and the Bolshoi Theater ballet. The Moscow Theater School worked without interruption, producing well-trained dancers. Caustic feuilleton reviews, such as the one posted in 1867: “What are the corps de ballet sylphs like now?.. all so plump, as if they deigned to eat pancakes, and their legs are dragging as they please” - have become irrelevant. The brilliant Lydia Gaten, who had no rivals for two decades and carried the entire ballerina repertoire on her shoulders, was replaced by several world-class ballerinas. One after another, Adelina Jury, Lyubov Roslavleva, and Ekaterina Geltser made their debuts. Vasily Tikhomirov was transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow, becoming the premier of the Moscow ballet for many years. True, unlike the masters opera troupe, until their talents had no worthy application: the secondary, meaningless extravaganza ballets of Jose Mendes reigned on the stage.
It is symbolic that in 1899, with the transfer of Marius Petipa’s ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”, choreographer Alexander Gorsky, whose name is associated with the heyday of Moscow ballet in the first quarter of the 20th century, made his debut on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
In 1899, Fyodor Chaliapin joined the troupe.
At the Bolshoi Theater it began new era, which coincided with the onset of a new one, XX century
It's 1917
By the beginning of 1917, nothing foreshadowed revolutionary events at the Bolshoi Theater. True, there were already some self-government bodies, for example, the corporation of orchestra artists, headed by the accompanist of the 2-violin group, Y. K. Korolev. Thanks to the active actions of the corporation, the orchestra received the right to be installed at the Bolshoi Theater symphony concerts. The last of them took place on January 7, 1917 and was dedicated to the work of S. Rachmaninov. The author conducted. "The Cliff", "Island of the Dead" and "Bells" were performed. The Bolshoi Theater choir and soloists - E. Stepanova, A. Labinsky and S. Migai - took part in the concert.
On February 10, the theater showed the premiere of “Don Carlos” by G. Verdi, which became the first production of this opera on the Russian stage.
After the February Revolution and the overthrow of the autocracy, the management of the St. Petersburg and Moscow theaters remained common and was concentrated in the hands of their former director V. A. Telyakovsky. On March 6, by order of the commissioner of the temporary committee of the State Duma N. N. Lvov, A. I. Yuzhin was appointed authorized commissioner for the management of Moscow theaters (Bolshoi and Maly). On March 8, at a meeting of all employees of the former imperial theaters - musicians, opera soloists, ballet dancers, stage workers - L.V. Sobinov was unanimously elected manager of the Bolshoi Theater, and this election was approved by the Ministry of the Provisional Government. On March 12, the search arrived; artistic part from the economic and service parts, and L. V. Sobinov headed the actual artistic part Bolshoi Theater.
It must be said that “Soloist of His Majesty”, “Soloist of the Imperial Theaters” L. Sobinov, back in 1915, broke the contract with the Imperial Theaters, unable to fulfill all the whims of the management, and performed either in performances of the Musical Drama Theater in Petrograd, or in Zimin Theater in Moscow. When the February Revolution took place, Sobinov returned to the Bolshoi Theater.
On March 13, the first “free gala performance” took place at the Bolshoi Theater. Before it began, L. V. Sobinov made a speech:
Citizens and citizens! With today's performance, our pride, the Bolshoi Theater, opens the first page of its new free life. Bright minds and pure, warm hearts united under the banner of art. Art sometimes inspired fighters of ideas and gave them wings! The same art, when the storm that made the whole world tremble subsides, will glorify and sing folk heroes. From their immortal feat it will draw bright inspiration and endless strength. And then the two best gifts of the human spirit - art and freedom - will merge into a single powerful stream. And our Bolshoi Theater, this marvelous temple of art, will become a temple of freedom in its new life.
March 31 L. Sobinov is appointed commissioner of the Bolshoi Theater and Theater School. His activities are aimed at combating the tendencies of the former management of the Imperial Theaters to interfere with the work of the Bolshoi. It comes to a strike. As a sign of protest against the encroachments on the autonomy of the theater, the troupe suspended the performance of the play “Prince Igor” and asked the Moscow Council of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies to support the demands of the theater staff. The next day, a delegation was sent from the Moscow Soviet to the theater, welcoming the Bolshoi Theater in the fight for its rights. There is a document confirming the respect of the theater staff for L. Sobinov: “The Corporation of Artists, having elected you as director, as the best and staunch defender and exponent of the interests of art, convincingly asks you to accept this election and notify you of your consent.”
In order No. 1 of April 6, L. Sobinov addressed the team with the following appeal: “I make a special request to my comrades, opera, ballet, orchestra and choir artists, to all production, artistic, technical and service personnel, artistic, pedagogical the staff and members of the Theater School to make every effort to successfully complete the theater season and academic year of the school and to prepare, on the basis of mutual trust and comradely unity, for the upcoming work in the next theater year.”
In the same season, on April 29, the 20th anniversary of L. Sobinov’s debut at the Bolshoi Theater was celebrated. The opera “The Pearl Fishers” by J. Bizet was performed. The comrades on stage warmly welcomed the hero of the day. Without taking off his make-up, in Nadir’s costume, Leonid Vitalievich delivered a response speech.
“Citizens, citizens, soldiers! I thank you with all my heart for your greeting and I thank you not on my own behalf, but on behalf of the entire Bolshoi Theater, to which you provided such moral support in difficult times.
On the difficult days of the birth of Russian freedom, our theater, which until then had represented an unorganized collection of people who “served” at the Bolshoi Theater, merged into a single whole and based its future on an elective basis as a self-governing unit.
This elective principle saved us from destruction and breathed into us the breath of new life.
It would seem to live and be happy. The representative of the Provisional Government, appointed to liquidate the affairs of the Ministry of the Court and Appanages, met us halfway - he welcomed our work and, at the request of the entire troupe, gave me, the elected manager, the rights of a commissar and director of the theater.
Our autonomy did not interfere with the idea of uniting all state theaters in the interests of the state. For this, a person with authority and close to the theater was needed. Such a person was found. It was Vladimir Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko.
This name is familiar and dear to Moscow: it would have united everyone, but... he refused.
Other people came, very respectable, respected, but alien to the theater. They came with the confidence that it would be people outside the theater who would give reforms and new beginnings.
Less than three days have passed since attempts to end our self-government began.
Our elected offices have been postponed, and we are promised one of these days a new regulation on the management of theaters. We still don’t know who and when it was developed.
The telegram vaguely says that it meets the wishes of theater workers, which ones we do not know. We did not participate, were not invited, but we know that the recently released chains of command are again trying to confuse us, again the discretion of the command argues with the will of the organized whole, and the quieted command rank raises its voice, accustomed to shouts.
I could not take responsibility for such reforms and resigned as director.
But as an elected theater manager, I protest against the capture of the fate of our theater in irresponsible hands.
And we, our entire community, are now turning to representatives public organizations and the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies to support the Bolshoi Theater and not give it to Petrograd reformers for administrative experiments.
Let them take care of the stable department, the appanage winemaking, and the card factory, but they will leave the theater alone.”
Some provisions of this speech require clarification.
A new regulation on theater management was issued on May 7, 1917 and provided for separate management of the Maly and Bolshoi theaters, and Sobinov was called the commissioner for the Bolshoi Theater and Theater school, and not a commissioner, i.e., in fact, a director, according to the order of March 31.
When mentioning the telegram, Sobinov means the telegram he received from the Commissioner of the Provisional Government for the department of the former. courtyard and estates (this included the stable department, winemaking, and card factory) of F.A. Golovin.
And here is the text of the telegram itself: “I am very sorry that due to a misunderstanding you resigned. I urge you to continue working until the matter is clarified. One of these days a new general regulation on the management of theaters will be published, known to Yuzhin, which will meet the wishes of theater workers. Commissioner Golovin."
However, L.V. Sobinov does not cease to direct the Bolshoi Theater and works in contact with the Moscow Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. On May 1, 1917, he himself took part in a performance in favor of the Moscow Council at the Bolshoi Theater and performed excerpts from Eugene Onegin.
Already on the eve of the October Revolution, October 9, 1917, the Political Directorate of the War Ministry sent the following letter: “To the Commissioner of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater L.V. Sobinov.
According to the petition of the Moscow Council of Workers' Deputies, you are appointed commissar over the theater of the Moscow Council of Workers' Deputies (formerly the Zimin Theater)."
After the October Revolution, E.K. Malinovskaya was placed at the head of all Moscow theaters, who was considered the commissar of all theaters. L. Sobinov remained as director of the Bolshoi Theater, and an (elected) council was created to help him.
