All about the Mariinsky Theater. Mariinsky Theater building

Theaters occupied an important stage in the history of the formation of Russian culture and traditions. Among the significant and outstanding theaters, the Mariinsky Theater has become a unique historical and architectural landmark of the country. Art connoisseurs have always ranked him among the best. Many historians, architects, and ordinary citizens are interested in the history of the creation of the Mariinsky Theater.

It is eventful and deserves attention. The date of foundation and the beginning of the existence of the Mariinsky Theater is considered to be 1783, when, on the direct orders of Catherine, it was decided to open the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater on Theater Square, at that time it was called Carousel Square.

In the mid-nineteenth century in 1859, built immediately opposite the famous Bolshoi Theater The circus theater was, unfortunately, completely destroyed, caused by a severe fire. Instead of the burnt building, a new building was erected - the building of the now famous Mariinsky Theater. It didn’t get its name by chance; it was customary to call it Mariinsky. It was not without reason that this name was given to it - in honor of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (wife of Alexander II).

In this theater, the first theatrical season opened a little later, only in 1860. A little later, it was decided to rebuild it, and the entire repertoire was transferred to the stage of the Mariinsky Theater.

Each era in history has left its historical imprint. During the revolutionary period, the theater changed its name to the State Theater, and starting in 1920 it was renamed the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. But this did not end the renaming of the theater - in the mid-thirties (1935) it was named after the famous revolutionary Sergei Kirov.

Modern Mariinsky Theater

Currently it includes three operating sites:

— the main site is the theater building itself on Teatralnaya;
— the second stage was opened in 2013;
- third stage - Concert hall, open on the street. Decembrists.

Over the years of its existence, a huge number of unique works have been staged on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. You could buy tickets to the ballet “The Nutcracker”, enjoy the magnificent production of “Sleeping Beauty”, “Peter Grimes”, etc.

In total, over the years of the twentieth century, over thirty operas and 29 ballets were staged on its stage. This is a very high figure. The country's best composers and artistic directors found their inspiration here. Today, a huge number of professional actors work here - real aces of theatrical art.

It should be noted that the Great Patriotic War left a huge unpleasant imprint on the history of the theater itself. In addition to material damage, the theater team lost about three hundred artists who, unfortunately, died at the front.

Many guests from other countries came to the country to see the unique performance of talented actors. Every year the theater received many people who wanted to attend the famous Mariinsky productions.

Many artists participating in popular and well-known productions even today were awarded special thanks and awards.

Let's hope that buildings such as the Mariinsky Theater are no longer in danger of drastic changes. Due to little funding from the state, actors have to get involved in the development of the repertoire. Every year we can see that the efforts of our ancestors were not in vain - the stage of the Mariinsky Theater was given to a fairly large number of outstanding actors and opera performers.

1917-1967

The State Academic Mariinsky Theater is the oldest Russian musical theater. He plays an outstanding role in the history and development of classical and Soviet opera and ballet art.

Opera performances were staged in St. Petersburg throughout the 18th century, but the founding date of the theater is generally considered to be 1783, when performances began to be shown in the so-called Stone Theater (later it was rebuilt for the conservatory). The building that now houses the theater was built in 1860 by the architect A. Kavos.

As before, as now, the formation and replenishment of the troupe is carried out mainly from among the graduates of the oldest educational institution- St. Petersburg Conservatory, founded in 1862, and the ballet school, founded in 1738, now called the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.

The activities of a brilliant galaxy of representatives of Russian musical culture are associated with the Mariinsky Theater throughout its two-century history. These are conductors A. Kavos, K. Lyadov, E. Napravnik; directors O. Palechek, G. Kondratiev; choreographers C. Didelot, M. Petipa, L. Ivanov, A. Gorsky, M. Fokin; artists K. Korovin, A. Golovin, A. Benois. Its stage was graced by performances by famous singers O. Petrov, I. Melnikov, F. Komissarzhevsky, E. Zbrueva, E. Mravina, N. Figner, L. Sobinov, F. Chaliapin. The glory of Russian ballet owes much to A. Istomina, A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina, V. Nijinsky, N. Legat.

On the stage of our theater for the first time the brilliant creations of classics of Russian music were performed: “Ivan Susanin” (1836) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1842) by Glinka, “Rusalka” by Dargomyzhsky (1856), “Pskovite” by Rimsky-Korsakov (1873), “Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky (1874), "The Maid of Orleans" (1881), "Mazeppa" (1884), "The Enchantress" (1887), "The Queen of Spades" (1890) by Tchaikovsky, "Prince Igor" by Borodin (1890). Many masterpieces of the world's opera classics, including Rossini's The Barber of Seville (1822), Mozart's Don Giovanni (1828), La Traviata (1868), Rigoletto (1878) and Verdi's Otello (1887) for the first time were performed in Russian and staged by the Mariinsky Theatre. Verdi wrote the opera “Force of Destiny” (1862) especially for this theater. The theater was famous for its productions of Wagnerian operas, especially the stage production of the entire tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung” (1900-1905).

Ballet art also reached its peak on this stage in productions of “The Sleeping Beauty” (1890), “The Nutcracker” (1892), “Swan Lake” (1895) by Tchaikovsky, “Raymonda” (1898) by Glazunov, “Chopiniana” (1908). These performances became the pride of the Russian and world ballet theater and to this day do not leave the stage.

A new stage in the history of the theater, which took the path of genuine service to the people, began only after the Great October Revolution.

From the first days of the establishment of Soviet power, state and party organizations have shown great concern for creative life and the living conditions of the huge theater team. In 1920 it received the name academic theater opera and ballet. In 1935, it was named after S. M. Kirov, an outstanding figure of the Communist Party and the Soviet state. Large sums are allocated annually from the state budget to create the necessary conditions creative work theater It is important that the pension issue has been resolved, and artists who have worked for 20-30 years (depending on their specialty) are provided with a pension. Vacancies that become available are used to attract new talented performers to the troupe.

It is very important to note that by preserving the great and progressive traditions of Russian classical music, the creative team of the theater and its outstanding artists increased the glory of their famous predecessors.

Creative collaboration with Soviet composers B. Asafiev, Yu. Shaporin, D. Shostakovich, S. Prokofiev, R. Glier, T. Khrennikov, O. Chishko, A. Crane, V. Solovyov-Sedy, A. Petrov. K. Karaev, I. Dzerzhinsky, D. Kabalevsky, V. Muradeli, A. Kholminov and many others determined the most important ideological and artistic achievements of the theater, its constant desire to gain a foothold in the art of socialist realism.

An exceptionally large role in transforming the score into full-fledged highly artistic musical and stage works belongs to V. Dranishnikov, A. Pazovsky, B. Khaikin, who held the post of chief conductor for many years. And next to them are S. Yeltsin, D. Pokhitonov, E. Mravinsky, E. Dubovsky.

In the post-revolutionary years, directors Vs. made their contribution to the work of the theater. Meyerhold, S. Radlov, E. Kaplan. Most of the theater's repertoire and the enormous work on mastering the realistic style of acting are due to the activities of L. Baratov, I. Shlepyanov, E. Sokovnin as main directors.

A. Vaganova, whose role in the history of choreographic pedagogy is difficult to overestimate, wrote bright pages in the chronicle of the theater’s ballet troupe; choreographers F. Lopukhov, V. Vainonen, V. Chabukiani, L. Lavrovsky, B. Fenster. Their choreographer's talent was revealed in an interesting and profound embodiment of the best performances of the permanent repertoire. The closest creative associates of directors, conductors and choreographers were artists V. Dmitriev, F. Fedorovsky, S. Virsaladze, S. Yunovich, whose sets and costumes in such performances as “Boris Godunov”, “The Legend of Love”, “Ivan Susanin” , “The Tsar’s Bride”, etc., organically merged with the music and its interpretation.

For several decades, the success of our theater was facilitated by the fruitful work of outstanding singers I. Ershov, P. Andreev, R. Gorskaya, V. Kastorsky, S. Migai, M. Reizen, S. Preobrazhenskaya, V. Slivinsky, G. Nelepp, O. Kashevarova, I. Yashugin, N. Serval, K. Lapteva, A. Khalileeva, L. Yaroshenko; outstanding ballet soloists E. Luke, M. Semenova, G. Ulanova, O. Jordan, N. Dudinskaya, F. Balabina, T. Vecheslova, V. Chabukiani, K. Sergeev, S. Kaplan, G. Kirillova, N. Anisimova , A. Shelest, I. Belsky, V. Ukhov and others.

The presence of such creative forces within the theater made it possible to carry out tireless work to preserve the best examples of opera and ballet classics and introduce more and more new musical and stage works into the repertoire. It is significant that during the period from 1924 to 1967 the theater staged 63 new operas and ballets by Soviet composers. The best of them became part of the permanent repertoire for many years. T. Khrennikov's opera "Into the Storm" was shown 74 times, "The Family of Taras" by D. Kabalevsky - 72, "Decembrists" by Yu. Shaporin - 86; ballets: “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” by B. Asafiev - 386 times, “Laurencia” by A. Crane - 113, “Romeo and Juliet” by S. Prokofiev - 100, “ Bronze Horseman"R. Gliere - 321, "Spartak" A. Khachaturyan - 135 times. “Younger” performances have also firmly entered the repertoire, such as “Taras Bulba” by V. Solovyov-Sedoy, “ Stone flower" and "Cinderella" by S. Prokofiev, "The Legend of Love" by A. Melikov, "Leningrad Symphony" to the music of D. Shostakovich, "The Fate of a Man" by I. Dzerzhinsky.

In preparation for the festivities of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the theater developed a three-year plan, which included works by Soviet composers and classics of Russian and foreign music.

The operas “October” by V. Muradeli, “A Tale of One Love” by D. Tolstoy, “Optimistic Tragedy” by A. Kholminov, his “Anna Snegina”, “Peter Grimes” by the modern English composer B. Britten, “The Tsar’s Bride” have already been staged. N. Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Magic Flute” by W. Mozart, “Gunyadi Laszlo” by the classic of Hungarian music F. Erkel. The last ballet premiere was “Wonderland” by Leningrad composer I. Schwartz; work on the ballet “Mountain Woman” by the Dagestan composer M. Kazhlaev is close to completion. We expect a lot from the creative collaboration with composers D. Shostakovich, I. Dzerzhinsky, M. Matveev, N. Chervinsky, V. Veselov. Their work is the near future of our scene.

The theater's repertoire is large. It includes 36 operas and 29 ballets. I am happy to think that out of 65 performances, 28 operas and ballets were written by Soviet composers.

In order for this large repertoire to be brought to a high artistic level and capture the auditorium, it is necessary to provide each of the numerous “shops” of our “production” artistic values» highly qualified management and an appropriate team of performers. The chief conductor of the theater is one of the country's largest conductors, People's Artist of the USSR Konstantin Simeonov; the main director is Roman Tikhomirov, widely known for his work in musical theater and cinema, Honored Artist of the RSFSR; chief choreographer - famous choreographer, formerly an outstanding ballet soloist, People's Artist of the USSR Konstantin Sergeev; the choir is led by an experienced master - Honored Artist of the RSFSR Alexander Murin; folk artist RSFSR Ivan Sevastyanov is the main artist of the theater.

No matter how highly we evaluate the work of managers of all sections artistic activity theater, for the spectators who fill the theater hall every evening, the face of the theater is determined primarily by the performing artists. The artistic level of the renowned troupe is worthily represented by People's Artist of the USSR B. Shtokolov, People's Artists of the RSFSR G. Kovaleva, R. Barinova; Honored Artists of the RSFSR V. Atlantov, V. Kravtsov, I. Novoloshnikov, T. Kuznetsova; soloists L. Filatova, V. Morozov, I. Bogacheva, L. Morozov, V. Kinyaev, S. Babeshko, M. Chernozhukov, V. Malyshev, A. Shestakova, K. Slovtsova, E. Krayushkina, V. Toporikov; famous ballet soloists, People's Artist of the USSR I. Kolpakova; People's Artists of the RSFSR K. Fedicheva, A. Osipenko, Y. Solovyov; Honored Artists of the RSFSR V. Semenov, S. Vikulov, I. Gensler, O. Zabotkina; soloists N. Makarova, O. Sokolov, E. Minchenok, K. Ter-Stepanova and others.

It is certainly worth noting the work in the theater of People's Artists of the RSFSR V. Maksimova, I. Zubkovskaya, N. Kurgapkina, N. Krivuli, I. Alekseev, I. Bugaev, B. Bregvadze, A. Makarov; Honored Artists of the RSFSR L. Grudina, V. Puchkov, N. Petrova, O. Moiseeva and others; conductors D. Dalgat, V. Shirokov, choreographers L. Yakobson, Yu. Grigorovich, I. Belsky; teachers-tutors N. Dudinskaya, T. Vecheslova, S. Kaplan; choirmaster B. Shinder.

The theater pays great attention to the growth of young artists. Young people make up a third of our troupe. Therefore, youth shows and systematic introductions of young performers into opera and ballet performances are regularly held. We are pleased with the successes of young artists O. Glinskaite, M. Egorov, G. Komleva, P. Bolshakova. V. Afanaskov, V. Budarin, D. Markovsky, L. Kovaleva, E. Evteeva, conductor V. Fedotov and choirmaster L. Teplyakov. Recently, the theater hired a young talented choreographer O. Vinogradov and accepted a capable, promising dancer M. Baryshnikov into the troupe.

The theater orchestra is represented by highly qualified artists, including many laureates of international and all-Union competitions. Currently it is one of the best orchestral groups in the country.

The choir, numbering one hundred artists, is distinguished by its purity of structure, ensemble quality, and clarity of diction.

Among the mass ensembles, it is necessary to note our corps de ballet, which has rightfully earned high praise from audiences in our country and abroad.

Preparation and performances require not only the participation of representatives of musical and choreographic professions, but also a huge amount of work from the artistic and production department and workshops. Experienced craftsmen work here - make-up artists, costume designers, prop makers, lighting technicians. assemblers, etc. They were supervised for many years by the oldest specialists N. Ivantsov (in the theater), A. Belyakov (in the workshops). Now the production department is headed by F. Kuzmin, and the theater workshops are headed by B. Korolkov. It is also necessary to note the decorative artists N. Melnikov, S. Evseev, M. Zandin, who devoted many years to work in the theater.

The S. M. Kirov Theater is one of the largest in the country; its staff, without theater workshops, numbers more than 1,000 people. The difficult task of organizing the production and creative process, covering all aspects of the theater’s life, involves the opera and ballet departments, the repertoire and literary department, the planning department, and the audience organization group. Left behind a good memory former directors theater V. Aslanov, V. Bondarenko, G. Orlov and former heads of the director's department V. Krivalev and A. Picard.

A significant role in establishing the principal lines for the development of the theater's repertoire policy and in solving the most complex creative issues is played by the theater's artistic council, which includes the chief conductor, People's Artist of the USSR K. Simeonov, the chief director, Honored Artist of the RSFSR R. Tikhomirov, and the chief artist, People's Artist of the RSFSR I. Sevastyanov, chief choreographer, People's Artist of the USSR K. Sergeev, chief choirmaster, Honored Artist of the RSFSR A. Murin, head of the repertoire and literary department T. Bogolepova, leading soloists, People's Artists of the USSR B. Shtokolov, I. Kolpakova; People's Artists of the RSFSR G. Kovaleva, R. Barinova, K. Fedicheva, Y. Solovyov; orchestra soloists O. Barvenko, L. Perepelkin, A. Kazarina; teachers and tutors, People's Artist of the USSR N. Dudinskaya, Honored Artist of the RSFSR S. Kaplan, representatives of creative unions - composers B. Arapov, V. Bogdanov-Berezovsky, M. Matveev, artist S. Dmitrieva, etc.

The team is closely connected with the broad masses of spectators. During 1966 alone, about 600,000 people attended the theater and outdoor performances.

In 1940, the theater successfully took part in the Decade of Leningrad Art in Moscow; in 1965 he conducted a large tour in the capital of our Motherland. The performances, held at the Bolshoi Theater and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, were attended by 140,000 spectators. In 1964-1966, over 700,000 spectators attended performances and concerts of our artists in Greece, Italy, England, Belgium, France, the USA and Canada. Many spectators from the GDR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary attended the performances of the leading soloists of our theater. Thus, over the past years, the theater has widely promoted Soviet art among the audience Soviet Union And foreign countries, who highly appreciated his performances.

For services to the development of Soviet art in 1939, the theater was awarded the Order of Lenin. Over the past years, a large group of workers have been awarded orders of the Soviet Union, sixty-six theater workers have been awarded honorary titles of People's Artists, Honored Artists, Honored Artists, ten have been awarded the title of State Prize laureates, twelve have been awarded badges from the Ministry of Culture “For Excellent Work”. For successful participation in competitions, sixty artists received the title of laureate of international and all-Union competitions.

Many artists and other theater workers were awarded military orders of the Soviet Union and the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad.” Defending the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War, about 300 theater workers died at the fronts and during the defense of Leningrad.

Currently, the team is doing a lot of patronage work in units of the Soviet Army. For active participation and good results under patronage, the theater was given a challenge red banner of the USSR Ministry of Defense for storage. Sixty-five artists were awarded the honorary badge “Excellence in Cultural Patronage of the Armed Forces of the USSR.” The theater conducts significant work on cultural patronage at enterprises of the city and in rural areas of the Leningrad region.

Not to stop there, to persistently solve the ideological and creative problems put forward by modern times, to participate with your art in the struggle for the construction of a communist society, for the rise of musical culture - this is the path along which the theater is moving, inspired by the great ideas of Lenin’s party, which led the country and people to a significant 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

P. I. Rachinsky. “Theater of Great Traditions and Quests”, 1967

The Mariinsky Theater is both a cultural object and a landmark; not only travelers from Russian cities, but also foreign tourists are eager to see its productions during a visit to St. Petersburg. The theater was founded in 1783; at first, performances were staged at the Bolshoi Theater. Over time, the theater acquired a different building and name; it was named Mariinsky in honor of the wife of Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna.

The theater had many glorious periods; truly talented people collaborated with it. The best opera voices of their time shone on the theater stage - Leonid Sobinov, Fyodor Chaliapin, Maria Slavina, among the ballet troupe artists were Matilda Kshesinskaya, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina and other famous performers.

The modern Mariinsky Theater is actively developing, striving to update its repertoire and develop new formats of interaction with the public.

Poster of the Mariinsky Theater

The Mariinsky Theater's repertoire is diverse; it presents both already beloved productions and new releases. The theater collaborates with famous international theaters, and the result of this work is joint productions. Art lovers can visit the opera, enjoy ballet performances, and purchase tickets for music concerts and lectures on the topic of culture and art. There are also productions designed for young viewers. TO New Year's holidays A special program is being prepared for anniversaries.

The stage of the Mariinsky Theater is a venue for international festivals— “Flute Virtuosi”, “Faces of Modern Pianism”, “ Organ festival"and other significant events. The theater implements the “Open Environment” project, the meaning of which is that every Wednesday afternoon free music concerts are held. Visitors have the opportunity to hear works by composers who worked in different musical styles and historical eras performed by members of the theater orchestra and young instrumentalists. Tickets are issued directly at the entrance to the theater, but you must take into account that the number of spectators is limited - the hall can only accommodate 170 people.

Opera

The troupe includes many experienced vocalists who honor the traditions of the theater, and there are also young talented artists who bring a lot of creative energy to the process. A significant place in the theater's repertoire is occupied by productions based on musical works domestic outstanding composers - in particular, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev. The repertoire includes the operas “Boris Godunov”, “The Tsar’s Bride”, “Eugene Onegin”, “The Nightingale”.

Operas are staged based on foreign classics - Mozart, Berlioz, Puccini, Rossini, Strauss and other famous composers. On the stage of the theater you can hear the operas “Aida”, “Don Carlos”, “Macbeth”, “Benvenuto Cellini”, “Elisir of Love”. Works are usually performed in the original language. For the convenience of the audience, some performances are accompanied by synchronous captions on different languages. The theater management does not ignore the operas of contemporary composers.

Opera is a rather complex genre that will not be easy to perceive and understand for an unprepared listener. Therefore, the repertoire includes small operas - mono-operas and one-act ones, which allow you to join the interesting works. There are also small operas for children, the preparation of which uses plots and techniques that they understand in order to convey the eternal truths embedded in the productions.

Mariinsky Theater Ballet

The European ballet had a significant influence on the theater's ballet. choreographic art. Choreographers from Italy and France were preparing artists who could perform parts in their productions. A successful period in the work of the ballet troupe is associated with the name of Marius Petipa, who was a dancer and choreographer in the theater. Having achieved a lot in this field, he continued his work as the main choreographer of the theater. Such ballets as “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “Raymonda” staged by him can still be seen on playbills; many admirers of choreographic art go to see them with pleasure.

The theater's repertoire includes “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker”, “La Sylphide”, “Corsair”, “Romeo and Juliet”. In addition to the productions that became classic masterpieces, The Mariinsky Theater shows the best examples of the work of contemporary foreign choreographers and introduces the productions of young promising choreographers.

Mariinsky Theater in 2019

The theater is constantly developing, expanding its repertoire and inventing new formats for working with the public. It has several scenes, each of which fulfills its own role. The theater also includes the Primorsky Stage, located in Vladivostok, and a branch in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Vladikavkaz).

Main stage

The historical first stage is still the main stage for the theater. It is located at: Theater Square, no. 1, the building was built in 1860, since then it has undergone several reconstructions. On this stage the audience can see a significant part of the repertoire.

The stage curtain is one of the symbols of the theater; it was created by the artist Alexander Golovin. Its peculiarity is that it is made using painting and appliqué techniques and duplicates the design of the train of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (wife of Alexander II).

Hall of the Mariinsky Theater in Google panoramas

Concert hall

Opening concert hall on the street Pisareva, 20 took place at the end of 2006. Previously, the building housed the theater's decorative workshops for a long time. After a devastating fire in the early 2000s, it was decided to build a Concert Hall on the site of the building. During construction, it was possible to preserve part of the facade, which escaped destruction by fire. The theater and concert complex has ultra-modern equipment.

Concerts of foreign symphony orchestras, famous instrumentalists and opera soloists are held on the stage of the hall; conductor Christian Thielemann, singer Anna Netrebko, pianist Denis Matsuev, singer Sergei Leiferkus and other generally recognized performers have performed here. The concert hall is a venue for various festivals; exhibitions of paintings are also organized within its walls.

New scene

The new theater building was opened in 2013, its address: st. Dekabristov, 34. Although the architecture of the new building caused a lot of negative feedback, everything inside was thought out in accordance with all modern requirements - from the auditorium to the dressing room. The auditorium seats up to 2,000 people and has been designed to provide the best possible acoustics, views and comfort for spectators. The stage consists of the main stage, rehearsal stage and rear stage. A lot of space is reserved for rehearsal rooms for troupe artists.

The building has an open terrace with a wonderful view of the city. It is available in the summer and can be visited an hour before the start of the performance. Opera and ballet performances are staged on stage. In addition to the auditorium, chamber halls are used, designed for a small circle of listeners. Concerts, lectures, film screenings are held here. If you are going to see a production on the main stage, it will also be convenient to get off at the Teatralnaya Ploshchad stop; there are many public transport routes here.

You can also get to the theater by metro, but keep in mind that the nearest Sadovaya station is about 1.5 km from the place. You can walk to the theater or transfer to ground transport and get to the stops listed above. From the metro you can get there by buses No. 50, 71, minibuses No. 1 and 169.

In addition, it is convenient to get to the Mariinsky Theater using taxi ordering applications: Yandex. Taxi, Maxim, Gett, Uber and others.

Video about the Mariinsky Theater

Mariinsky Theater building.

The Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg is a large-scale theater and concert complex that has no analogues in the world.

Over more than two hundred years of history, the Mariinsky Theater has given the world many great stage figures - conductors, directors, and brilliant set designers. Artists who honed their skills in the Mariinsky troupe have achieved world fame: Fyodor Chaliapin, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Galina Ulanova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and many others.

High positions of world recognition are maintained today. One of the winners of the prestigious award of the influential New York magazine Dance Magazine 2017 became prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater Diana Vishneva.

History and general information

The history of the theater begins at the end of the distant 18th century, when on December 5, 1783, the Bolshoi Theater was inaugurated on Carousel Square, which began to be called in his honor - Teatralnaya. The stone building, designed by Antonio Rinaldi, was repeatedly reconstructed and rebuilt as the city grew and its appearance changed in accordance with the architectural fashion of those times.

In the first half of the 19th century, the Bolshoi Theater became one of the most popular attractions in St. Petersburg. It owes its ceremonial and festive appearance to the creative genius of the architect Thomas de Thomon, then to the architect Alberto Cavos, the son of the composer and bandmaster, who restored it after grandiose fires and changed its proportions and sizes in accordance with the requirements of the time.

The “Golden Age” of the Bolshoi Theater falls precisely on this period, when the operas of Weber, Rossini, and Alyabiev’s vaudevilles were performed on its stage with great success. The origin of the glory of Russian ballet is associated with the legendary Charles Didelot, who led the St. Petersburg theater school. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin becomes a regular at the theater.

A significant event was the premiere of Mikhail Glinka’s first national opera “A Life for the Tsar” on November 27, 1836. Exactly 6 years later, on the same day, the premiere of the second opera by the Russian composer “Ruslan and Lyudmila” took place. These two dates forever inscribed the Bolshoi Petersburg Theater in the history of Russian culture.

The flames of the fire of 1859 open a new page of history. Like the “Phoenix bird” from the ashes of the burnt theater-circus, located opposite the Bolshoi, according to the project of A. Kavos, it is reborn new theater, which was named Mariinsky in honor of the wife of Emperor Alexander II - Maria Alexandrovna. And again M. Glinka’s opera “Life for the Tsar” appears before its first audience on October 2, 1860.

In 1886, the building of the St. Petersburg Conservatory was built on the site of the Bolshoi Theater, and by this time all performances were transferred to the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. The Mariinsky Theater building was repeatedly rebuilt and reconstructed in the period from 1885 to 1894. Under the leadership of the architect of the imperial theaters, Victor Schröter, the façade of the building becomes monumental, the interior spaces are expanded, the acoustics of the hall are improved, the side wings, the power plant, and the boiler room are completed.

The Imperial Mariinsky Theater continued the traditions of the first musical stage, developed and strengthened its key positions in theatrical culture. With the arrival of Eduard Napravnik as conductor in 1863, an entire era was associated, marked by the premieres of operatic masterpieces. “Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshchina” by M. P. Mussorgsky, “The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, “Prince Igor” by A. P. Borodin, “The Queen of Spades” by P. I. Tchaikovsky and others have gone down in history Russian opera music and are still performed on the theater stage.

Ballet on the theater stage.

Here there was a happy meeting between the choreographer Marius Petipa and the great composer P. I. Tchaikovsky. The result of the collaboration was two wonderful ballets, “The Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker,” and “Swan Lake” found a second life in Petipa’s production.

Ballet on the theater stage.

During the Soviet period, the theater was declared state (1917) and named after S. M. Kirov (1935).

The repertoire is updated with modern operas by S. Prokofiev “The Love for Three Oranges”, “Salome” and “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss, the drama ballets “The Flames of Paris” by B. Astafiev, “The Red Poppy” by R. Gliere and many other productions are successfully performed.

During the Great Patriotic War the theater was evacuated to Perm, and on September 1, 1944 it again opened the season according to tradition with M. Glinka’s opera “Ivan Susanin” (the post-revolutionary title of the opera “A Life for the Tsar”).

Important creative stage The development of the theater is associated with the activities of Yuri Temirkanov, who headed it in 1976. His productions of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s operas “Eugene Onegin” and “The Queen of Spades” are still in the repertoire.

In 1988, Valery Gergiev became the theater's chief conductor. Under his leadership, the Mariinsky Theater returned its historical name (1992) and is implementing a number of large-scale projects.

Classical music lovers are eager to visit the Concert Hall, opened in 2006, which received the unofficial name Mariinsky-3. Built on the site of a warehouse for theater decorations that burned down in 2003, the hall is one of the best concert venues in the world. The Japanese Yasuhisa Toyota, a world-class specialist, was invited to create the acoustics, and the interior design was carried out by a group of designers led by Mikhail Shemyakin. The combination of two facades in one building - the historical one from 1900 and the modern one - symbolizes the connection of times. In the unusual auditorium, designed in the shape of a cradle, the stage is located in the middle, and seats for spectators are located around it in the form of terraces.

Stage of the Mariinsky Theater concert hall.

The most ambitious project is the opening of a new theater stage (Mariinsky-2) on the Kryukov Canal embankment opposite the old building in 2013. At first glance, the building made of glass and metal does not fit into the image of St. Petersburg. However, according to the author of the project, Jack Diamond, his idea was to create a modest backdrop for the ancient building of the Mariinsky Theater.

Facade of the new building of the Mariinsky Theater.

In fact, the simple facade hides a dazzling interior. The best traditions of the 18th century are embodied in the design of a large auditorium with a capacity of 2 thousand seats, curved in the shape of a horseshoe. The acoustics of the hall are such that spectators from the most distant places can clearly hear the quietest notes. The two-level foyer is lined with onyx and marble, one of the 33-meter-high staircases is made of unique glass and connects all levels, and Swarovski chandeliers fill the space with a warm, enchanting light.

Architecture and interesting facts

The multi-figured silhouette of the ancient building of the Mariinsky Theater, built in the neoclassical style, impresses with its beauty and monumentality. The auditorium has 1,625 seats. Everything here is unusual: from the blue color of the walls and the blue velvet of the chairs to the pattern of the curtain, repeating the pattern of the dress of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. The crystal chandelier, made in 1860 from 23 thousand pendants, illuminates the ceiling with portraits of the playwrights surrounded by 12 nymphs and cupids. Undoubtedly, the theater is currently in need of renovation, and viewers can only hope that it will be carried out carefully and will not deprive the interior of its unique historical charm.

Interesting facts related to the Mariinsky Theater:

• During the operas “Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshchina” the audience hears the ringing of a real bell, which is located behind the stage. During the period of struggle against religion, the bell was thrown from the church and drowned in the Kryukov Canal; later it was taken out from the bottom and donated to the theater.
• From the royal box, a hidden door leads to the dressing rooms. According to legend, the heir to the throne, Nicholas, used the secret passage to visit his friend from his youth, the young dancer Matilda Kshesinskaya.
• In the 1970s, reconstruction was carried out; builders discovered a layer of broken crystal under the orchestra pit. Only when the fragments were thrown away did it become clear that this layer served the function of improving acoustics.
• Speaking of acoustics. It is best to listen to opera from the third tier, but it is preferable to watch ballet from the first.

Where is it and how to get there

• The main building is located at: Teatralnaya Square, 1.
• Mariinsky-2 is located on Dekabristov Street, 34.
• Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater (Mariinsky-3) – Pisareva Street, 20 (entrance from Dekabristov Street, 37).

The nearest metro is a transport hub of three stations: Spasskaya, Sadovaya and Sennaya Ploshchad. Next, walk about a kilometer.

Or public transport stop "Mariinsky Theater" (buses 2, 3, 6, 22, 27, 50, 70; minibuses 1, 2, 6K, 124, 169, 186, 306).