Balanchine's Paris, Moscow and New York "Jewels"
Green! Red! White! A truly spectacular spectacle was Balanchine's "Jewels," with its international cast (a Lincoln Center Festival production that opened on Tuesday night). On the stage of the theater. David Koch, where “Jewels” first saw the stage light fifty years ago (then the theater was called the New York State Theatre), an ensemble of dancers from the Paris Opera (“Emeralds”) and the New York City Ballet (“Emeralds”) performed in three brilliant parts of the ballet. Rubies") and the Bolshoi Ballet ("Diamonds").
The individual colors of the jewels met each other on stage to form a sort of tricolor flag. Most closely associated with Balanchine (1904 - 1983), these three companies represent the three countries most significant in his career. He learned to dance and stage ballets in Russia, where he lived until 1924; He reached early creative maturity in France, in particular working under the auspices of Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet; and in New York, together with Lincoln Kirstein, he founded the School of American Ballet in 1933 and the City Ballet in 1948.
“Emeralds” to Fauré’s music has always been considered “French”. “Rubies” to the music of Stravinsky is the quintessence of New York - its speed, “density” and jazzy modernity characterize this city rather than the nation itself. And “Diamonds,” set to music by Tchaikovsky, first conjures up Russia’s vast rural landscapes and, at the end, majestic imperial cities. In fact, it is more common and preferable to watch one troupe demonstrate the variety of capabilities required to dance all three parts. This is what all troupes from Russian St. Petersburg to Seattle are currently doing. But celebratory holidays in honor of anniversaries deserve to be served with a special “treat”.
It will be possible to reflect on how clearly the individual merits of each troupe are manifested in "Jewels" until Sunday inclusive, with the Bolshoi and New York City Ballet changing places in "Rubies" and "Diamonds", and the Parisians and the Bolshoi in addition to this change their compositions. On Tuesday, with a spectacular performance as the prima ballerina in Diamonds, Bolshoi soloist Olga Smirnova showed exactly the level that should be at festivals, while the three leading soloists in Rubies, exhibited by the City Ballet - Megan Fairchild, Joaquin de Luce, Teresa Raichlen - set an example exemplary performance what the “home” team does best.
It is easy to see how the style of the Bolshoi and the style of the City Ballet overlap: the length of the “phrases”, luxurious texture, amazing power, cold-blooded placement of accents with a shifted balance. The Parisian style, extremely elegant, turned out to be not very Balanchine, which is primarily felt by women with their sharp manner of “pronouncing” the text and anti-musical dynamics of movements (playful freezing at transitional moments, “missing” through important linear constructions). The Emeralds, although Gallic, are not at all associated with Paris; they seem to come from Fontainebleau-like forest edges, despite the fact that the performers show the gloss of a big city.
Ms. Smirnova, still young, first danced “Diamonds” in 2012, at the very beginning of her career. The exquisite arches that form her raised arms, the grace with which she holds and turns her head, the bold, well-defined movements of her arched feet - all make a stunning impression. She carries out her role amazingly - from chivalrous romanticism imbued with mystery to the dazzling triumph of the classics. Her partner, Semyon Chudin, gained much more confidence compared to his performances three years ago, during the last New York tour of the Bolshoi.
Ms. Raichlen’s brilliant, mischievous, masterful performance of the soloist’s role in “Rubies” has long seemed definitively established. Mr. de Luce's delightfully self-confident dancing style is very effective. The surprise was Ms. Fairchild. As has happened at other recent performances, suddenly her individuality was revealed and blossomed in all its fullness and freedom: she showed herself to be a mature, decisive, attractively strong, genuinely witty dancer.
Nobody worked harder than Balanchine to turn plotless, “pure” dance into exciting theatrical performance. He was, as is clearly visible in some of his works, also the greatest ballet playwright: there is no contradiction here, for drama permeates his plotless opuses. “Jewels,” which is often called the first full-length abstract ballet, is much more rewarding when it is seen as a collection of diverse stories, situations, and worlds. The three parts of this ballet, although different from each other, are interconnected. In each, the dancers continually move from a forward-leaning position—with their arms clasped together and protruding forward, like a unicorn's horn—to a wide, open, backward-bending movement. And in each there is a pas de deux, in which the ballerina resembles some kind of magical unbridled “beast”, which the partner keeps at a respectful distance from herself.
European troupes, although they respect the original color scheme and “jewelry” accent, brought their own costumes - Christian Lacroix (for “Emeralds”) and Elena Zaitseva (for “Diamonds”). As long as City Ballet retains the original costumes created by Karinskaya, local audiences will likely be prejudiced against alternative designs. (Lacroix's haute couture blue cyan looks particularly inappropriate).
However, guests are likely to look with similar hostility at the City Ballet's three sets (created by Peter Harvey in 2004, they are more crudely accented than his original 1967 ones, which look so great at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater). I suspect that with more detailed study it will be discovered that the Paris Opera and Bolshoi Ballet perform “Emeralds” and “Diamonds” with some differences from the text that is now accepted in the City Ballet.
“Jewels” has long been an excellent “introduction” to the poetry of ballet, but only in our century did it enter – and very quickly – into the international ballet repertoire. On Tuesday, as the final bows reached their climax, the artists of the three companies were joined on stage by their artistic directors - Aurelie Dupont (Paris Opera), Peter Martins (City Ballet) and Mahar Vaziev (Bolshoi): a real “cordial agreement” concluded right on our eyes.
Alastair Macaulay
New York Times, 07/21/2017
Translation by Natalia Shadrina
The full name is “State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia” (SABT).
Opera history
One of the oldest Russian musical theaters, the leading Russian opera and ballet theater. The Bolshoi Theater played an outstanding role in establishing the national realistic traditions of opera and ballet art and in the formation of the Russian musical and stage performing school. The Bolshoi Theater traces its history back to 1776, when the Moscow provincial prosecutor, Prince P. V. Urusov, received the government privilege “to be the owner of all theatrical performances in Moscow...”. Since 1776, performances were staged in the house of Count R.I. Vorontsov on Znamenka. Urusov, together with the entrepreneur M.E. Medox, built a special theater building (on the corner of Petrovka Street) - the “Petrovsky Theater”, or “Opera House”, where opera, drama and ballet performances were held in 1780-1805. It was the first permanent theater in Moscow (it burned down in 1805). In 1812, a fire destroyed another theater building - on Arbat (architect K. I. Rossi) and the troupe performed in temporary premises. On January 6 (18), 1825, the Bolshoi Theater (design by A. A. Mikhailov, architect O. I. Bove), built on the site of the former Petrovsky, opened with the prologue “The Triumph of the Muses” with music by A. N. Verstovsky and A. A. Alyabyev. The room - the second largest in Europe after Milan's La Scala theater - after the fire of 1853, it was significantly rebuilt (architect A.K. Kavos), acoustic and optical deficiencies were corrected, auditorium divided into 5 tiers. The opening took place on August 20, 1856.
The first Russian folk plays were staged in the theater. musical comedies- “The Miller - a sorcerer, a deceiver and a matchmaker” by Sokolovsky (1779), “The St. Petersburg Gostiny Dvor” by Pashkevich (1783) and others. The first pantomime ballet, The Magic Shop, was shown in 1780 on the opening day of the Petrovsky Theater. Among the ballet performances, conventional fantastic-mythological spectacular performances predominated, but performances were also staged that included Russian folk dances, which were a great success with the public (“Village Holiday”, “ Village painting", "The Capture of Ochakov", etc.). The repertoire also included the most significant operas foreign composers 18th century (G. Pergolesi, D. Cimarosa, A. Salieri, A. Grétry, N. Daleirac, etc.).
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, opera singers performed in dramatic performances, and dramatic actors performed in operas. The troupe of the Petrovsky Theater was often replenished by talented serf actors and actresses, and sometimes by entire groups of serf theaters, which the theater management bought from landowners.
The theater troupe included serf actors from Urusov, actors from the theater troupes of N. S. Titov and the Moscow University. Among the first actors were V. P. Pomerantsev, P. V. Zlov, G. V. Bazilevich, A. G. Ozhogin, M. S. Sinyavskaya, I. M. Sokolovskaya, later E. S. Sandunova and others. The first ballet dancers- pupils of the Orphanage (where a ballet school was founded in 1773 under the direction of choreographer I. Walberch) and serf dancers of the troupes of Urusov and E. A. Golovkina (including: A. Sobakina, D. Tukmanova, G. Raikov, S. Lopukhin and others).
In 1806, many of the theater's serf actors received their freedom; the troupe was placed at the disposal of the Directorate of the Moscow Imperial Theaters and turned into a court theater, which was directly subordinate to the Ministry of the Court. This determined the difficulties in the development of advanced Russian musical art. The domestic repertoire was initially dominated by vaudevilles, which were very popular: “The Village Philosopher” by Alyabyev (1823), “Teacher and Student” (1824), “Humpster” and “Fun of the Caliph” (1825) by Alyabyev and Verstovsky, etc. From the end of the 20th century In the 1980s, the Bolshoi Theater staged operas by A. N. Verstovsky (inspector of music for Moscow theaters since 1825), marked by national-romantic tendencies: “Pan Tvardovsky” (1828), “Vadim, or the Twelve Sleeping Virgins” (1832), “Askold’s Grave” "(1835), which remained in the theater's repertoire for a long time, "Longing for the Motherland" (1839), "Churova Dolina" (1841), "Thunderbreaker" (1858). Verstovsky and the composer A. E. Varlamov, who worked in the theater in 1832-44, contributed to the education of Russian singers (N. V. Repina, A. O. Bantyshev, P. A. Bulakhov, N. V. Lavrov, etc.). The theater also staged operas by German, French and Italian composers, including Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven's Fidelio, Weber's The Magic Shooter, Fra Diavolo, Fenella and Bronze horse"Ober, "Robert the Devil" by Meyerbeer, " Barber of Seville"Rossini, "Anna Boleyn" by Donizetti, etc. In 1842, the Moscow Theater Administration became subordinate to the St. Petersburg Directorate. Staged in 1842, Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar” (“Ivan Susanin”) turned into a magnificent performance that was staged on solemn court holidays. Thanks to the efforts of the artists of the St. Petersburg Russian Opera Troupe (transferred to Moscow in 1845-50), this opera was performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in an incomparably better production. In the same performance, Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila was staged in 1846, and Dargomyzhsky's Esmeralda in 1847. In 1859, the Bolshoi Theater staged "The Mermaid". The appearance of operas by Glinka and Dargomyzhsky on the stage of the theater marked new stage its development and was of great importance in the formation of realistic principles of vocal and stage art.
In 1861, the Directorate of Imperial Theaters leased the Bolshoi Theater to an Italian opera troupe, which performed 4-5 days a week, essentially leaving Russian opera 1 day. The competition between the two groups brought a certain benefit to Russian singers, forcing them to persistently improve their skills and borrow some principles of the Italian vocal school, but the neglect of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters to approve the national repertoire and the privileged position of the Italians made it difficult for the Russian troupe to work and prevented Russian opera from gaining public recognition. The new Russian opera house could only be born in the fight against Italian mania and entertainment trends to establish the national identity of art. Already in the 60-70s, the theater was forced to listen to the voices of progressive figures in Russian musical culture, to the demands of the new democratic audience. The operas “Rusalka” (1863) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1868), which had become established in the theater’s repertoire, were resumed. In 1869, the Bolshoi Theater staged P. I. Tchaikovsky’s first opera, “The Voevoda,” and in 1875, “The Oprichnik.” In 1881, “Eugene Onegin” was staged (the second production, 1883, became established in the theater’s repertoire).
Since the mid-80s of the 19th century, there has been a turning point in the attitude of the theater management towards Russian opera; productions of outstanding works by Russian composers were carried out: “Mazepa” (1884), “Cherevichki” (1887), “ Queen of Spades"(1891) and "Iolanta" (1893) by Tchaikovsky, first appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater of the opera of the composers of the "Mighty Handful" - "Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky (1888), "The Snow Maiden" by Rimsky-Korsakov (1893), "Prince Igor" by Borodin (1898).
But the main attention in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater in these years was still paid to French operas (J. Meyerbeer, F. Aubert, F. Halévy, A. Thomas, C. Gounod) and Italian (G. Rossini, V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, G. Verdi) composers. In 1898, Bizet’s “Carmen” was staged for the first time in Russian, and in 1899, Berlioz’s “The Trojans in Carthage” was staged. German opera is represented by the works of F. Flotow, Weber's The Magic Shooter, and single productions of Wagner's Tannhäuser and Lohengrin.
Among the Russian singers of the mid and 2nd half of the 19th century are E. A. Semyonova (the first Moscow performer of the parts of Antonida, Lyudmila and Natasha), A. D. Alexandrova-Kochetova, E. A. Lavrovskaya, P. A. Khokhlov (who created images of Onegin and the Demon), B. B. Korsov, M. M. Koryakin, L. D. Donskoy, M. A. Deisha-Sionitskaya, N. V. Salina, N. A. Preobrazhensky, etc. There is a shift not only in the repertoire, but also in the quality of productions and musical interpretations of operas. In 1882-1906 the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater was I.K. Altani, in 1882-1937 the chief choirmaster was U.I. Avranek. P. I. Tchaikovsky and A. G. Rubinstein conducted their operas. More serious attention is paid to the decorative design and staging culture of performances. (In 1861-1929, K. F. Waltz worked as a decorator and mechanic at the Bolshoi Theater).
By the end of the 19th century, a reform of the Russian theater was brewing, its decisive turn towards the depth of life and historical truth, towards the realism of images and feelings. The Bolshoi Theater is entering its heyday, gaining fame as one of the largest centers of musical and theatrical culture. The theater's repertoire includes the best works of world art, however, Russian opera occupies a central place on its stage. For the first time, the Bolshoi Theater staged productions of Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas “The Woman of Pskov” (1901), “Pan-voevoda” (1905), “Sadko” (1906), “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” (1908), “The Golden Cockerel” (1909) , as well as “The Stone Guest” by Dargomyzhsky (1906). At the same time, the theater stages such significant works by foreign composers as “Die Walküre”, “The Flying Dutchman”, “Tannhäuser” by Wagner, “The Trojans in Carthage” by Berlioz, “Pagliacci” by Leoncavallo, “Honor Rusticana” by Mascagni, “La Bohème” by Puccini, etc.
The flourishing of the performing school of Russian art came after a long and intense struggle for Russian opera classics and is directly related to the deep mastery of the domestic repertoire. At the beginning of the 20th century, a constellation of great singers appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater - F. I. Chaliapin, L. V. Sobinov, A. V. Nezhdanova. Outstanding singers performed with them: E. G. Azerskaya, L. N. Balanovskaya, M. G. Gukova, K. G. Derzhinskaya, E. N. Zbrueva, E. A. Stepanova, I. A. Alchevsky, A V. Bogdanovich, A. P. Bonachich, G. A. Baklanov, I. V. Gryzunov, V. R. Petrov, G. S. Pirogov, L. F. Savransky. In 1904-06, S. V. Rachmaninov conducted at the Bolshoi Theater, giving a new realistic interpretation of Russian opera classics. Since 1906, V. I. Suk became the conductor. The choir under the direction of U. I. Avranek achieves honed skills. Prominent artists are involved in the design of performances - A. M. Vasnetsov, A. Ya. Golovin, K. A. Korovin.
The Great October Socialist Revolution opened a new era in the development of the Bolshoi Theater. In difficult years Civil War the theater troupe was completely preserved. The first season began on November 21 (December 4), 1917 with the opera “Aida”. A special program was prepared for the first anniversary of the October Revolution, which included the ballet “Stepan Razin” to the music of Glazunov’s symphonic poem, the “Veche” scene from the opera “Pskovite” by Rimsky-Korsakov and the choreographic picture “Prometheus” to the music of A. N. Scriabin. During the 1917/1918 season, the theater gave 170 opera and ballet performances. Since 1918, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra has given cycles symphony concerts with the participation of soloists-singers. At the same time, chamber instrumental concerts and singer concerts were held. In 1919, the Bolshoi Theater was awarded the title of academic. In 1924, a branch of the Bolshoi Theater opened in the premises of Zimin's former private opera house. Performances were performed on this stage until 1959.
In the 20s, operas by Soviet composers appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater - “Trilby” by Yurasovsky (1924, 2nd production 1929), “Decembrists” by Zolotarev and “Stepan Razin” by Triodin (both in 1925), “The Love for Three Oranges” Prokofiev (1927), “Ivan the Soldier” by Korchmarev (1927), “Son of the Sun” by Vasilenko (1928), “Zagmuk” by Crane and “Breakthrough” by Pototsky (both in 1930), etc. At the same time, great job over opera classics. New productions of R. Wagner's operas took place: “Das Rheingold” (1918), “Lohengrin” (1923), “Die Meistersinger of Nuremberg” (1929). In 1921, G. Berlioz’s oratorio “The Damnation of Faust” was performed. The production of M. P. Mussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov” (1927), performed for the first time in its entirety with scenes, became fundamentally important. Under Kromy And At St. Basil's(the latter, orchestrated by M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, has since been included in all productions of this opera). In 1925, the premiere of Mussorgsky's opera “Sorochinskaya Fair” took place. Among the significant works of the Bolshoi Theater of this period: “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” (1926); “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart (1926), as well as the operas “Salome” by R. Strauss (1925), “Cio-Cio-san” by Puccini (1925), etc., staged for the first time in Moscow.
Significant events in the creative history of the Bolshoi Theater of the 30s are associated with the development of Soviet opera. In 1935, D. D. Shostakovich’s opera “Katerina Izmailova” (based on the story “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by N. S. Leskov) was staged, then “ Quiet Don"(1936) and "Virgin Soil Upturned" by Dzerzhinsky (1937), "Battleship Potemkin" by Chishko (1939), "Mother" by Zhelobinsky (after M. Gorky, 1939), etc. Works by composers are staged Soviet republics- “Almast” by Spendiarov (1930), “Abesalom and Eteri” by Z. Paliashvili (1939). In 1939, the Bolshoi Theater revived the opera Ivan Susanin. New production(libretto by S. M. Gorodetsky) revealed the folk-heroic essence of this work; Mass choir scenes acquired special significance.
In 1937, the Bolshoi Theater was awarded the Order of Lenin, and its greatest masters were awarded the title People's Artist USSR.
In the 20-30s, outstanding singers performed on the stage of the theater - V. R. Petrov, L. V. Sobinov, A. V. Nezhdanova, N. A. Obukhova, K. G. Derzhinskaya, E. A. Stepanova, E. K. Katulskaya, V. V. Barsova, I. S. Kozlovsky, S. Ya. Lemeshev, A. S. Pirogov, M. D. Mikhailov, M. O. Reizen, N. S. Khanaev, E. D. Kruglikova, N. D. Shpiller, M. P. Maksakova, V. A. Davydova, A. I. Baturin, S. I. Migai, L. F. Savransky, N. N. Ozerov, V. R. Slivinsky and others. Among the conductors of the theater are V. I. Suk, M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, N. S. Golovanov, A. M. Pazovsky, S. A. Samosud, Yu. F. Faier, L. P. Steinberg, V.V. Nebolsin. Bolshoi Theater opera and ballet performances were staged by directors V. A. Lossky, N. V. Smolich; choreographer R.V. Zakharov; choirmasters U. O. Avranek, M. G. Shorin; artist P. W. Williams.
During the Great Patriotic War(1941-45) part of the Bolshoi Theater troupe was evacuated to Kuibyshev, where in 1942 the premiere of Rossini's opera William Tell took place. On the stage of the branch (the main building of the theater was damaged by a bomb) in 1943 the opera “On Fire” by Kabalevsky was staged. IN post-war years The opera troupe turned to the classical heritage of the peoples of socialist countries; the operas “The Bartered Bride” by Smetana (1948) and “Pebble” by Moniuszko (1949) were staged. The performances “Boris Godunov” (1948), “Sadko” (1949), “Khovanshchina” (1950) are noted for the depth and integrity of the musical and stage ensemble. Vivid examples of Soviet ballet classics were the ballets “Cinderella” (1945) and “Romeo and Juliet” (1946) by Prokofiev.
Since the mid-40s, the role of directing in revealing ideological content and the embodiment of the author’s intention of the work, in the education of an actor (singer and ballet dancer) capable of creating deeply meaningful, psychologically truthful images. The role of the ensemble in solving the ideological and artistic problems of the performance becomes more significant, which is achieved thanks to the high skill of the orchestra, choir and other theater groups. All this determined the performing style of the modern Bolshoi Theater and brought it worldwide fame.
In the 50-60s, the theater's work on operas by Soviet composers intensified. In 1953, the monumental epic opera “Decembrists” by Shaporin was staged. Prokofiev's opera War and Peace (1959) was included in the golden fund of the Soviet musical theater. The productions were “Nikita Vershinin” by Kabalevsky (1955), “The Taming of the Shrew” by Shebalin (1957), “Mother” by Khrennikov (1957), “Jalil” by Zhiganov (1959), “The Tale of a Real Man” by Prokofiev (1960), “Fate” person" by Dzerzhinsky (1961), "Not Only Love" by Shchedrin (1962), "October" by Muradeli (1964), "The Unknown Soldier" by Molchanov (1967), "Optimistic Tragedy" by Kholminov (1967), "Semyon Kotko" by Prokofiev (1970 ).
Since the mid-50s, the Bolshoi Theater's repertoire has been replenished with modern foreign operas. For the first time, works by composers L. Janacek (Her Stepdaughter, 1958), F. Erkel (Bank-Ban, 1959), F. Poulenc (The Human Voice, 1965), B. Britten (A Midsummer's Dream) were staged night", 1965). The classical Russian and European repertoire has expanded. Among the outstanding works of the opera group is Beethoven's Fidelio (1954). Operas were also staged: “Falstaff” (1962), “Don Carlos” (1963) by Verdi, “The Flying Dutchman” by Wagner (1963), “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” (1966), “Tosca” (1971), “Ruslan” and Lyudmila" (1972), "Troubadour" (1972); ballets - “The Nutcracker” (1966), “ Swan Lake"(1970). The opera troupe of this time included singers I. I. and L. I. Maslennikov, E. V. Shumskaya, Z. I. Andzhaparidze, G. P. Bolshakov, A. P. Ivanov, A. F. Krivchenya, P. G. Lisitsian, G. M. Nelepp, I. I. Petrov and others. Conductors worked on the musical and stage embodiment of the performances - A. Sh. Melik-Pashaev, M. N. Zhukov, G. N. Rozhdestvensky, E. F. Svetlanov; directors - L. B. Baratov, B. A. Pokrovsky; choreographer L. M. Lavrovsky; artists - P. P. Fedorovsky, V. F. Ryndin, S. B. Virsaladze.
Leading masters of the Bolshoi Theater opera and ballet troupes have performed in many countries around the world. The opera troupe toured in Italy (1964), Canada, Poland (1967), East Germany (1969), France (1970), Japan (1970), Austria, Hungary (1971).
In 1924-59, the Bolshoi Theater had two stages - the main stage and a branch stage. The main stage of the theater is a five-tier auditorium with 2,155 seats. The length of the hall, including the orchestra shell, is 29.8 m, width - 31 m, height - 19.6 m. Depth of the stage - 22.8 m, width - 39.3 m, size of the stage portal - 21.5 × 17.2 m. In 1961, the Bolshoi Theater received a new stage venue - the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (auditorium for 6000 seats; stage size in plan - 40 × 23 m and height to the grate - 28.8 m, stage portal - 32 × 14 m; tablet The stage is equipped with sixteen lifting and lowering platforms). The Bolshoi Theater and the Palace of Congresses host ceremonial meetings, congresses, decades of art, etc.
Literature: The Bolshoi Moscow Theater and a review of the events that preceded the founding of the proper Russian theater, M., 1857; Kashkin N.D., Opera stage of the Moscow Imperial Theater, M., 1897 (in the region: Dmitriev N., Imperial Opera stage in Moscow, M., 1898); Chayanova O., “Triumph of the Muses”, Memo of historical memories for the centennial anniversary of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater (1825-1925), M., 1925; hers, Medox Theater in Moscow 1776-1805, M., 1927; Moscow Bolshoi Theater. 1825-1925, M., 1925 (collection of articles and materials); Borisoglebsky M., Materials on the history of Russian ballet, vol. 1, L., 1938; Glushkovsky A.P., Memoirs of a choreographer, M. - L., 1940; State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, M., 1947 (collection of articles); S. V. Rachmaninov and Russian opera, collection. articles edited by I. F. Belzy, M., 1947; “Theater”, 1951, No. 5 (dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theater); Shaverdyan A.I., Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, M., 1952; Polyakova L.V., Youth of the Bolshoi Theater opera stage, M., 1952; Khripunov Yu. D., Architecture of the Bolshoi Theater, M., 1955; Bolshoi Theater of the USSR (collection of articles), M., 1958; Grosheva E. A., Bolshoi Theater of the USSR in the past and present, M., 1962; Gozenpud A. A., Musical theater in Russia. From the origins to Glinka, L., 1959; his, Russian Soviet Opera Theater (1917-1941), L., 1963; by him, Russian Opera Theater of the 19th century, vol. 1-2, L., 1969-71.
L. V. Polyakova
Musical Encyclopedia, ed. Yu.V.Keldysh, 1973-1982
History of ballet
Leading Russian musical theater, which played an outstanding role in the formation and development of national traditions of ballet art. Its emergence is associated with the flourishing of Russian culture in the 2nd half of the 18th century, with the emergence and development of professional theater.
The troupe began to form in 1776, when the Moscow philanthropist Prince P. V. Urusov and the entrepreneur M. Medox received a government privilege to develop the theater business. The performances were given in the house of R.I. Vorontsov on Znamenka. In 1780 Medox built in Moscow on the corner of the street. Petrovka theater building, which became known as the Petrovsky Theater. Drama, opera and ballet performances took place here. It was the first permanent professional theater in Moscow. His ballet troupe was soon replenished with students ballet school Moscow Orphanage (existed from 1773), and then by serf actors of the troupe of E. A. Golovkina. The first ballet performance was “The Magic Shop” (1780, choreographer L. Paradise). It was followed by: “The Triumph of the Pleasures of the Female Sex,” “The Feigned Death of Harlequin, or the Deceived Pantalon,” “The Deaf Mistress” and “The Feigned Anger of Love” - all productions by choreographer F. Morelli (1782); “Village morning entertainment when the sun awakens” (1796) and “The Miller” (1797) - choreographer P. Pinucci; “Medea and Jason” (1800, according to J. Nover), “The Toilet of Venus” (1802) and “Revenge for the Death of Agamemnon” (1805) - choreographer D. Solomoni, etc. These performances were based on the principles of classicism, in comic ballets (“The Deceived Miller,” 1793; “Cupid’s Deceptions,” 1795) features of sentimentalism began to appear. Among the dancers of the troupe, G. I. Raikov, A. M. Sobakina and others stood out.
In 1805, the building of the Petrovsky Theater burned down. In 1806, the troupe came under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters and played in various venues. Its composition was replenished, new ballets were staged: “Gishpan Evenings” (1809), “Pierrot’s School”, “Algerians, or the Defeated Sea Robbers”, “Zephyr, or the Anemone, who became permanent” (all - 1812), “Semik, or Festivities in Maryina Roshcha" (to music by S. I. Davydov, 1815) - all staged by I. M. Abletz; “The New Heroine, or the Cossack Woman” (1811), “Celebration in the Camp of the Allied Armies in Montmartre” (1814) - both to the music of Kavos, choreographer I. I. Valberkh; “Festival on the Sparrow Hills” (1815), “Triumph of the Russians, or Bivouac near Krasny” (1816) - both to music by Davydov, choreographer A. P. Glushkovsky; “Cossacks on the Rhine” (1817), “Neva Walk” (1818), “Ancient Games, or Yule Evening” (1823) - all to the music of Scholz, the choreographer is the same; “Russian Swing on the Banks of the Rhine” (1818), “Gypsy Camp” (1819), “Festival in Petrovsky” (1824) - all choreographed by I. K. Lobanov, etc. Most of these performances were divertissements with extensive use folk rituals And character dance. Performances were especially important dedicated to events Patriotic War of 1812 - the first ballets on a modern theme in the history of the Moscow stage. In 1821, Glushkovsky created the first ballet based on the work of A. S. Pushkin (“Ruslan and Lyudmila” to the music of Scholz).
In 1825, with the prologue “The Triumph of the Muses,” staged by F. Gyullen-Sor, performances began in the new building of the Bolshoi Theater (architect O. I. Bove). She also staged the ballets “Fenella” to the music of Ober’s opera of the same name (1836), “Tom Thumb” (“The Cunning Boy and the Cannibal”) by Varlamov and Guryanov (1837), etc. T. N. stood out in the ballet troupe of this time Glushkovskaya, D. S. Lopukhina, A. I. Voronina-Ivanova, T. S. Karpakova, K. F. Bogdanov and others. In the 1840s. The Bolshoi Theater ballet was decisively influenced by the principles of romanticism (the activities of F. Taglioni and J. Perrot in St. Petersburg, the tours of M. Taglioni, F. Elsler, etc.). Outstanding dancers of this direction are E. A. Sankovskaya, I. N. Nikitin.
Of great importance for the formation of realistic principles of stage art were the productions at the Bolshoi Theater of the operas “Ivan Susanin” (1842) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1846) by Glinka, which contained detailed choreographic scenes that played an important dramatic role. These ideological and artistic principles were continued in Dargomyzhsky’s “Rusalka” (1859, 1865), Serov’s “Judith” (1865), and then in productions of operas by P. I. Tchaikovsky and the composers of “The Mighty Handful.” In most cases, dances in operas were choreographed by F. N. Manokhin.
In 1853, a fire destroyed all the interior of the Bolshoi Theater. The building was restored in 1856 by the architect A.K. Kavos.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the Bolshoi Theater ballet was significantly inferior to that of St. Petersburg (there was neither such a talented director as M. I. Petipa, nor the same favorable material conditions for development). The Little Humpbacked Horse by Pugni, staged by A. Saint-Leon in St. Petersburg and transferred to the Bolshoi Theater in 1866, enjoyed enormous success; This revealed the long-standing tendency of Moscow ballet towards genre, comedy, everyday and national characteristics. But few original performances were created. A number of productions by K. Blazis (“Pygmalion”, “Two Days in Venice”) and S.P. Sokolov (“Fern, or Night under Ivan Kupala”, 1867) indicated a certain decline in the creative principles of the theater. The only significant event was the play “Don Quixote” (1869), staged on the Moscow stage by M. I. Petipa. The deepening of the crisis was associated with the activities of choreographers V. Reisinger (The Magic Slipper, 1871; Kashchei, 1873; Stella, 1875) and J. Hansen (The Virgin of Hell, 1879) invited from abroad. The production of “Swan Lake” by Reisinger (1877) and Hansen (1880) was also unsuccessful, as they failed to understand the innovative essence of Tchaikovsky’s music. During this period, the troupe had strong performers: P. P. Lebedeva, O. N. Nikolaeva, A. I. Sobeshchanskaya, P. M. Karpakova, S. P. Sokolov, V. F. Geltser, and later L. N. Gaten, L. A. Roslavleva, A. A. Dzhuri, A. N. Bogdanov, V. E. Polivanov, I. N. Khlustin and others; talented mimic actors worked - F.A. Reishausen and V. Vanner, the best traditions were passed on from generation to generation in the families of the Manokhins, Domashovs, Ermolovs. The reform carried out in 1882 by the Directorate of Imperial Theaters led to a reduction in the ballet troupe and aggravated the crisis (especially manifested in the eclectic productions of the choreographer J. Mendes invited from abroad - “India”, 1890; “Daita”, 1896, etc.).
Stagnation and routine were overcome only with the arrival of choreographer A. A. Gorsky, whose activities (1899-1924) marked an entire era in the development of the Bolshoi Theater ballet. Gorsky sought to free ballet from bad conventions and cliches. Enriching ballet with the achievements of modern dramatic theater and fine art, he staged new productions of Don Quixote (1900), Swan Lake (1901, 1912) and other ballets by Petipa, and created the mime drama Gudula's Daughter by Simon (based on Notre Dame de Paris) V. Hugo, 1902), the ballet “Salammbô” by Arends (based on the novel of the same name by G. Flaubert, 1910), etc. In his pursuit of the dramatic fullness of a ballet performance, Gorsky sometimes exaggerated the role of the script and pantomime, and sometimes underestimated music and effective symphonic dance. At the same time, Gorsky was one of the first directors of ballets set to symphonic music not intended for dance: “Love is fast!” to the music of Grieg, “Schubertian” to the music of Schubert, the divertissement “Carnival” to the music of various composers - all 1913, “The Fifth Symphony” (1916) and “Stenka Razin” (1918) to the music of Glazunov. In Gorsky’s performances, the talent of E. V. Geltser, S. V. Fedorova, A. M. Balashova, V. A. Coralli, M. R. Reizen, V. V. Krieger, V. D. Tikhomirova, M. M. Mordkina, V. A. Ryabtseva, A. E. Volinina, L. A. Zhukova, I. E. Sidorova and others.
At the end of 19 - beginning. 20th centuries Ballet performances of the Bolshoi Theater were conducted by I. K. Altani, V. I. Suk, A. F. Arends, E. A. Cooper, theater decorator K. F. Waltz, artists K. A. Korovin, A. took part in the design of the performances. Ya. Golovin et al.
The Great October Socialist Revolution opened up new paths for the Bolshoi Theater and determined its blossoming as the leading opera and ballet company in the artistic life of the country. During the Civil War, the theater troupe, thanks to the attention of the Soviet state, was preserved. In 1919, the Bolshoi Theater joined the group of academic theaters. In 1921-22, performances at the Bolshoi Theater were also given at the New Theater. A branch of the Bolshoi Theater opened in 1924 (operated until 1959).
From the first years of Soviet power, the ballet troupe faced one of the most important creative tasks - to preserve the classical heritage and bring it to a new audience. In 1919, “The Nutcracker” was staged for the first time in Moscow (choreographer Gorsky), then new productions of “Swan Lake” (Gorsky, with the participation of V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, 1920), “Giselle” (Gorsky, 1922), “Esmeralda” "(V.D. Tikhomirov, 1926), "The Sleeping Beauty" (A.M. Messerer and A.I. Chekrygin, 1936), etc. Along with this, the Bolshoi Theater sought to create new ballets - one-act works were staged to symphonic music (“Spanish Capriccio” and “Scheherazade”, choreographer L. A. Zhukov, 1923, etc.), the first experiments were made to implement modern theme(children's ballet extravaganza “Eternally Living Flowers” to the music of Asafiev and others, choreographer Gorsky, 1922; allegorical ballet “Smerch” by Bera, choreographer K. Ya. Goleizovsky, 1927), development of choreographic language (“Joseph the Beautiful” Vasilenko, ballet Goleizovsky, 1925; “Footballer” by Oransky, ballet by L. A. Lashchilin and I. A. Moiseev, 1930, etc.). The play “The Red Poppy” (choreographer Tikhomirov and L.A. Lashchilin, 1927) acquired landmark significance, in which a realistic presentation of a modern theme was based on the implementation and renewal of classical traditions. The creative search for the theater was inseparable from the activities of artists - E. V. Geltser, M. P. Kandaurova, V. V. Krieger, M. R. Reizen, A. I. Abramova, V. V. Kudryavtseva, N. B. Podgoretskaya , L. M. Bank, E. M. Ilyushenko, V. D. Tikhomirova, V. A. Ryabtseva, V. V. Smoltsova, N. I. Tarasova, V. I. Tsaplina, L. A. Zhukova and others .
1930s in the development of the Bolshoi Theater ballet were marked by major successes in the embodiment of the historical and revolutionary theme (The Flame of Paris, ballet by V. I. Vainonen, 1933) and images of literary classics (The Bakhchisarai Fountain, ballet by R. V. Zakharov, 1936) . A direction that brought it closer to literature and dramatic theater triumphed in ballet. The importance of directing and acting has increased. The performances were distinguished by the dramatic integrity of the development of action and the psychological development of characters. In 1936-39, the ballet troupe was headed by R.V. Zakharov, who worked at the Bolshoi Theater as a choreographer and opera director until 1956. Performances on a modern theme were created - “The Little Stork” (1937) and “Svetlana” (1939) by Klebanova (both by ballet dancer A. I. Radunsky, N. M. Popko and L. A. Pospekhin), as well as “Prisoner of the Caucasus” by Asafiev (after A.S. Pushkin, 1938) and “Taras Bulba” by Solovyov-Sedoy (after N.V. Gogol, 1941, both by ballet dancer Zakharov), “Three Fat Men” by Oransky (after Yu. K Oleshe, 1935, ballet by I. A. Moiseev) and others. During these years, the art of M. T. Semyonova, O. V. Lepeshinskaya, A. N. Ermolaev, M. M. Gabovich, A. M. Messerer, the activities of S. N. Golovkina, M. S. Bogolyubskaya, I. V. Tikhomirnova, V. A. Preobrazhensky, Yu. G. Kondratov, S. G. Koren and others began. Artists participated in the design of ballet performances V.V. Dmitriev, P.V. Williams, Yu. F. Faier achieved high conducting skills in ballet.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Bolshoi Theater was evacuated to Kuibyshev, but part of the troupe that remained in Moscow (headed by M. M. Gabovich) soon resumed performances in a branch of the theater. Along with showing the old repertoire, a new performance was created “ Scarlet Sails"Yurovsky (ballet choreographer A. I. Radunsky, N. M. Popko, L. A. Pospekhin), staged in 1942 in Kuibyshev, in 1943 transferred to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Brigades of artists repeatedly went to the front.
In 1944-64 (with interruptions) the ballet troupe was headed by L. M. Lavrovsky. The following were staged (the names of the choreographers in brackets): “Cinderella” (R.V. Zakharov, 1945), “Romeo and Juliet” (L.M. Lavrovsky, 1946), “Mirandolina” (V.I. Vainonen, 1949), “The Bronze Horseman” (Zakharov, 1949), “Red Poppy” (Lavrovsky, 1949), “Shurale” (L. V. Yakobson, 1955), “Laurencia” (V. M. Chabukiani, 1956), etc. Repeatedly contacted Bolshoi Theater and to the revivals of the classics - “Giselle” (1944) and “Raymonda” (1945) staged by Lavrovsky, etc. In the post-war years, the pride of the Bolshoi Theater stage was the art of G. S. Ulanova, whose dance images captivated with their lyrical and psychological expressiveness. A new generation of artists has grown up; among them M. M. Plisetskaya, R. S. Struchkova, M. V. Kondratyeva, L. I. Bogomolova, R. K. Karelskaya, N. V. Timofeeva, Yu. T. Zhdanov, G. K. Farmanyants, V. A. Levashov, N. B. Fadeechev, Ya. D. Sekh and others.
In the mid-1950s. In the Bolshoi Theater productions, the negative consequences of choreographers’ passion for one-sided dramatization of a ballet performance (everydayism, the predominance of pantomime, underestimation of the role of effective dance) began to be felt, which was especially reflected in the performances “The Tale of the Stone Flower” by Prokofiev (Lavrovsky, 1954), “Gayane” (Vainonen, 1957), “Spartak” (I. A. Moiseev, 1958).
A new period began in the late 50s. The repertoire included landmark performances for Soviet ballet by Yu. N. Grigorovich - “The Stone Flower” (1959) and “The Legend of Love” (1965). In Bolshoi Theater productions, the range of images and ideological and moral problems expanded, the role of the dance element increased, the forms of drama became more diverse, the choreographic vocabulary was enriched, and interesting searches began to be carried out in the embodiment of modern themes. This was manifested in the productions of choreographers: N. D. Kasatkina and V. Yu. Vasilyov - “Vanina Vanini” (1962) and “Geologists” (“Heroic Poem”, 1964) by Karetnikov; O. G. Tarasova and A. A. Lapauri - “Second Lieutenant Kizhe” to the music of Prokofiev (1963); K. Ya. Goleizovsky - “Leyli and Majnun” by Balasanyan (1964); Lavrovsky - “Paganini” to the music of Rachmaninov (1960) and “Night City” to the music of Bartok’s “The Marvelous Mandarin” (1961).
In 1961, the Bolshoi Theater received a new stage - the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, which contributed to the wider activities of the ballet troupe. Along with mature masters - Plisetskaya, Struchkova, Timofeeva, Fadeechev and others - the leading position was taken by talented young people who came to the Bolshoi Theater at the turn of the 50-60s: E. S. Maksimova, N. I. Bessmertnova, N. I. Sorokina, E. L. Ryabinkina, S. D. Adyrkhaeva, V. V. Vasiliev, M. E. Liepa, M. L. Lavrovsky, Yu. V. Vladimirov, V. P. Tikhonov and others.
Since 1964 chief choreographer Bolshoi Theater - Yu. N. Grigorovich, who consolidated and developed progressive trends in the activities of the ballet troupe. Almost every new performance at the Bolshoi Theater is marked by interesting creative explorations. They appeared in “The Rite of Spring” (ballet by Kasatkina and Vasilev, 1965), “Carmen Suite” by Bizet - Shchedrin (Alberto Alonso, 1967), “Aseli” by Vlasov (O. M. Vinogradov, 1967), “Icare” by Slonimsky (V.V. Vasiliev, 1971), “Anna Karenina” by Shchedrin (M.M. Plisetskaya, N.I. Ryzhenko, V.V. Smirnov-Golovanov, 1972), “Love for Love” by Khrennikov (V. Boccadoro, 1976), “Chippolino” by K. Khachaturyan (G. Mayorov, 1977), “These enchanting sounds...” to the music of Corelli, Torelli, Rameau, Mozart (V.V. Vasiliev, 1978), “Hussar Ballad” by Khrennikov ( O. M. Vinogradov and D. A. Bryantsev), “The Seagull” by Shchedrin (M. M. Plisetskaya, 1980), “Macbeth” by Molchanov (V. V. Vasiliev, 1980), etc. It acquired outstanding significance in the development of Soviet ballet play “Spartacus” (Grigorovich, 1968; Lenin Prize 1970). Grigorovich staged ballets on the themes of Russian history (“Ivan the Terrible” to the music of Prokofiev, arranged by M. I. Chulaki, 1975) and modernity (“Angara” by Eshpai, 1976), which synthesized and generalized the creative searches of previous periods in the development of Soviet ballet. Grigorovich's performances are characterized by ideological and philosophical depth, a wealth of choreographic forms and vocabulary, dramatic integrity, and a wide development of effective symphonic dance. In the light of new creative principles, Grigorovich also staged productions of the classical heritage: “The Sleeping Beauty” (1963 and 1973), “The Nutcracker” (1966), “Swan Lake” (1969). They achieved a deeper reading of the ideological and figurative concepts of Tchaikovsky’s music (“The Nutcracker” was staged entirely anew, in other performances the main choreography of M. I. Petipa and L. I. Ivanov was preserved and the artistic whole was decided in accordance with it).
Ballet performances of the Bolshoi Theater were conducted by G. N. Rozhdestvensky, A. M. Zhiuraitis, A. A. Kopylov, F. Sh. Mansurov and others. V. F. Ryndin, E. G. Stenberg, A. D. participated in the design. Goncharov, B. A. Messerer, V. Ya. Levental and others. The designer of all performances staged by Grigorovich is S. B. Virsaladze.
The Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe toured the Soviet Union and abroad: in Australia (1959, 1970, 1976), Austria (1959. 1973), Argentina (1978), Egypt (1958, 1961). Great Britain (1956, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1974), Belgium (1958, 1977), Bulgaria (1964), Brazil (1978), Hungary (1961, 1965, 1979), East Germany (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 ), Greece (1963, 1977, 1979), Denmark (1960), Italy (1970, 1977), Canada (1959, 1972, 1979), China (1959), Cuba (1966), Lebanon (1971), Mexico (1961 , 1973, 1974, 1976), Mongolia (1959), Poland (1949, 1960, 1980), Romania (1964), Syria (1971), USA (1959, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979), Tunisia (1976), Turkey (1960), Philippines (1976), Finland (1957, 1958), France. (1954, 1958, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1979), Germany (1964, 1973), Czechoslovakia (1959, 1975), Switzerland (1964), Yugoslavia (1965, 1979), Japan (1957, 1961, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1980).
Encyclopedia "Ballet" ed. Yu.N.Grigorovich, 1981
On November 29, 2002, the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater opened with the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden”. On July 1, 2005, the Main Stage of the Bolshoi Theater was closed for reconstruction, which lasted more than six years. October 28, 2011 took place grand opening The historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
Publications
On its 82nd birthday, May 25, the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater opened its doors to spectators and let them into its bowels: onto the stage and even under the roof. More than two thousand people who signed up for excursions saw the Bolshoi from the inside and learned how it prepares for performances, how rehearsals are held and how the scenery is created.
"When you do something for the first time, everyone considers it an adventure. This was the case with the Christmas Opera Forum, the Big Ball, the Bolshoi Theater evenings at the Radziwill Castle, International competition vocalists... Everything happens for the first time, and then everything good becomes a tradition", said the general director of the Bolshoi Theater on the solemn day Vladimir Gridyushko in his office.
Back in winter, they announced an internal competition for proposals on how to celebrate the theater’s birthday. Among other ideas, the head of marketing and advertising Tatiana Alexandrova and Deputy General Director Svetlana Kazyulina offered to show it that day inner life Big.
"When a person comes to the theater, he sees everything in a festive format. But not everyone can understand what it means to create a performance. It's hard labor", Vladimir Gridyushko explained why he liked the idea. This idea was conveyed to visitors on the holiday by 20 guides, specially trained theater employees.
Winding along the corridors of the theater, we find ourselves on a stage with an area of 600 square meters no backstage (the back of the stage, a reserve room for decorations that create the illusion of depth; with it the stage area is 800 square meters. – TUT.BY) .Back in the 20s, an opera and ballet troupe, a choir and an orchestra operated on the basis of BDT-1. In 1924 it was created music college, a year later, opera and ballet departments appeared on the basis of the technical school. Then, in 1930, opera and ballet studios arose, and on May 25, 1933, the premiere of the opera “Carmen” of the then State Opera and Ballet Theater of the BSSR took place on the stage of the current Kupala Theater. The main party performed by Larisa Pompeevna Alexandrovskaya. It is noteworthy that the opera was in Belarusian, Carmen was the heroine of the proletariat, and the smugglers fought injustice. In 1935, Carmen was staged again, also in the Belarusian language, but without the proletarian flair.
In 1939, the current building of the Bolshoi Theater was built, and the first opera was Mikhas Padgorny. It, together with “Flower of Happiness” and the ballet “Nightingale”, was shown at the ten-day period of Belarusian art in Moscow in 1940. At the same time, the theater received the title of Bolshoi. In 1964, the theater was awarded the title of academic, and in 1996 - national.
On June 14, the Bolshoi will host the eighth production of Carmen in the history of the theater. The theater administration revealed the secret and said that the artists were learning flamenco and Sevillana.
When there is no performance, the stage is closed with a fire curtain. Mechanic Anatoly specially raised the curtain for a while on the open day, and the auditorium appeared - at first glance so small from the stage.
On the stage itself there are seven tripods with spotlights and four more side towers for lighting. Each spotlight rotates in any plane independently of the other. This allows you to create the necessary lighting for the performance. All stage mechanics are controlled using an electronic remote control and a touch screen. There are 21 platforms under the stage, which can rise separately and change the slope. The stage itself, according to the rules, has a slope of 4 degrees.
The chandelier in the auditorium, with a diameter of 4 meters and a weight of 1200 kg, consists of 30 thousand pendants, 500 light bulbs connected using 1 km of wires. After the season closes, the chandelier is lowered, and you can see that it is twice the height of a person.
With fire curtain raised
Stage without fire curtain. After the reconstruction of the theater, which took place from 2006 to 2009, the structures were secured. There is a schedule for regular inspection of premises, when the slightest changes are measured.
There is a small props room near the stage so that goblets, swords, sabers, masks and bottles are at hand for stage feasts.
On the open day, the theater was preparing for the evening ballet “The Sleeping Beauty.” In the scene, a safe was lifted from the floor, in which soft decorations are stored. Each of the four tiers contains three sets of decorations. They are all labeled so workers know which beam to tie the drapery to.
The upper part of the theater stage is the grate. They are located high above the stage and covered with bars to lower the scenery. Frankly, even on a flat floor you feel uneasy and your legs give way when you look down through the cracks. The grate bars contain motors capable of lifting up to 1 kg of decorations.
Grate bars. The most mystical room under the roof of the Bolshoi.
More than 40 thousand costumes for performances are stored under the roof. Winding through the corridors with the costume designer Natalya Kharabrova, we are talking about the labyrinths of the theater.
According to her, in the first year of work, the employees themselves become lost. But the turnover in the theater is low, people have been working for decades, so they navigate almost intuitively, including in the room with costumes.
Natalya herself already remembers by heart where each suit is kept. It’s hard for an inexperienced person to believe this, because without preparation in such a mass of costumes, even with the signatures of each row, it would be difficult to find something. We went to the largest warehouse, and there are 11 more of them in the theater, but smaller in size.
One performance can involve 250-300 costumes, and for the costume designer this is a busy day: all the costumes are carried by hand or on trolleys. " The costume designer must have good memory to remember which sock or handkerchief is which", says Natalya Kharabrova.
Periodically, the sanitation station comes to the warehouses and treats them to prevent moths and dust. After the performance, some costumes are washed, some are dry-cleaned, some are washed by hand in a special laundry. According to the costume designer, all the outfits for the performance are unique, “it is impossible to repeat them,” this is the reason why the theater does not rent them out – it is like a work of art. And some costumes have been kept for decades, such as the leather ones for the ballet “Spartacus” - they have been at the Bolshoi since the 80s.
However, the theater will not stop at opening its doors. The birthday boy is already preparing certificates for performances for the next season. According to the director, when theater tickets are given as a gift, a person does not always have the opportunity to go to a specific performance at a specific time. The certificate will allow you to buy any ticket for any time for the specified amount.
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A significant contribution to the interpretation of Shakespeare on the Soviet stage was the play “Twelfth Night” at the 2nd Moscow Art Theater, which premiered on December 26, 1933.
The performance was staged by S. V. Giatsintova and V. V. Gotovtsev. Artist - V. A. Favorsky, composer - N. Rakhmanov. A. M. Azarin played the role of Malvolio, V. V. Gotovtsev played the role of Sir Toby.
“It was a lively and vibrant performance. Even more juicy and thicker than in the performance of the First Studio in 1917, the theme of the “full-blooded” Shakespeare was carried by S. V. Giatsintov in the role of Mary - “carnal earthly Mary,” as one of the critics called her - and V. V. Gotovtsev, who created a truly Falstaffian image in the role of the cheerful, dissolute and violent Sir Toby Belch. M. A. Durasova, who played the roles of Viola and Sebastian, had a lot of genuine poetry. The performance was imbued with a passionate love of life and unbridled fun, so typical of those sunny comedies that Shakespeare created in his first period. creative path. And yet this performance still suffered from serious flaws. As in the 1917 production, all talk about Malvolio’s “Puritanism” was removed from the text, for example. Instead of a caricature of a Puritan or, more broadly speaking, of a “respectable” narcissistic English gentleman, a scarecrow with monkey lips and a piercing falsetto voice appeared on the stage, filled, as one critic put it, with “the arrogance of a fool.” Although A. M. Azarin played the role of Malvolio in his own complete way, the primitive mask he created had little relation to Shakespeare’s image. Let us also note that the Second Moscow Art Theater treated Shakespeare’s text very unceremoniously. Z.L., who specially studied this issue. Troitsky comes to the conclusion that instead of deciphering the text, dark places were simply cut out and that “in general, the text was a loose and motley composition that had little in common with Shakespeare’s original” ().
The lyrical songs were taken from Fest and given to Viola-Sebastian. The theater, apparently, did not even suspect that Festus is a complex and significant image, akin to Touchstone, “shooting arrows of wit from his cover,” as well as the “sweet” and at the same time “bitter” jester from King Lear. In the performance of the Second Moscow Art Theater, Fest was just some kind of impersonal merry fellow, although this role was played by such a master as S. V. Obraztsov. (M.M. Morozov. Selected articles and translations “Shakespeare on the Soviet Stage”, M., GIHL, 1954)
From the memoirs of Olga Aroseva
Surprisingly, Vladimir Vasilyevich (Gotovtsev) remembered the performance of the Second Moscow Art Theater down to the smallest detail. He preserved the wonderful mise-en-scène with a beer mug, when Maria, on a hot summer day, lowered her face into the mug, sipped the beer with pleasure and laughed loudly into its glassy echo; laughed happily, because she was young, healthy, full of strength and because her friends were nearby - merry fellows and mischievous people, and old Sir Toby, in love, completely lost his head over her, and also because the summer southern day was blooming and shining all around magical land Elyria.
The Bolshoi Theater of Russia is a state academic theater (SABT), one of the oldest theaters in the country (Moscow). Academic since 1919. The history of the Bolshoi Theater dates back to 1776, when Prince P. V. Urusov received the government privilege “to be the host of all theatrical performances in Moscow” with the obligation to build a stone theater “so that it could serve as a decoration for the city, and moreover, a house for public masquerades, comedies and comic operas." In the same year, Urusov invited M. Medox, a native of England, to participate in expenses. The performances were held at the Opera House on Znamenka, which was in the possession of Count R. I. Vorontsov (in the summer - in the “voxal” in the possession of Count A. S. Stroganov “near the Andronikov Monastery”). Opera, ballet and dramatic performances were performed by actors and musicians from the theater troupe of Moscow University, the serf troupes of N. S. Titov and P. V. Urusov.
After the fire of the Opera House in 1780, in the same year, a theater building in the style of Catherine's classicism was erected on Petrovka Street in the same year - the Petrovsky Theater (architect H. Rosberg; see Medoxa Theater). Since 1789 it has been under the jurisdiction of the Board of Guardians. In 1805, the Petrovsky Theater burned down. In 1806, the troupe came under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of the Moscow Imperial Theaters and continued to perform in different premises. In 1816, a project for the reconstruction of Teatralnaya Square by architect O. I. Bove was adopted; in 1821, Emperor Alexander I approved the design of a new theater building by architect A. A. Mikhailov. The so-called Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater in the Empire style was built by Beauvais according to this project (with some modifications and using the foundation of the Petrovsky Theater); opened in 1825. A horseshoe-shaped auditorium was inscribed into the rectangular volume of the building; the stage area was equal in area to the hall and had large corridors. Main facade was accented by a monumental 8-column Ionic portico with a triangular pediment, topped with a sculptural alabaster group “Apollo’s Quadriga” (placed against the backdrop of a semicircular niche). The building became the main compositional dominant of the Theater Square ensemble.
After the fire of 1853, the Bolshoi Theater was restored according to the design of the architect A. K. Kavos (with the replacement of the sculptural group with work in bronze by P. K. Klodt); construction was completed in 1856. The reconstruction significantly changed its appearance, but retained the layout; The architecture of the Bolshoi Theater acquired features of eclecticism. The theater remained in this form until 2005, with the exception of minor internal and external reconstructions (the auditorium seats over 2,000 people). In 1924-59, the Bolshoi Theater Branch operated (in the premises former Opera S.I. Zimina on Bolshaya Dmitrovka). In 1920, a concert hall, the so-called Beethoven Hall, opened in the former imperial foyer. During the Great Patriotic War, part of the Bolshoi Theater staff was evacuated to Kuibyshev (1941-42), some gave performances on the premises of the branch. In 1961-89, some Bolshoi Theater performances took place on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. During the reconstruction (since 2005) of the main theater building, performances are staged on the New Stage in a specially built building (designed by architect A.V. Maslov; in operation since 2002). The Bolshoi Theater is included in the State Code of Especially Valuable Objects cultural heritage peoples of the Russian Federation.
N. N. Afanasyeva, A. A. Aronova.
A significant role in the history of the Bolshoi Theater was played by the activities of the directors of the imperial theaters - I. A. Vsevolozhsky (1881-99), Prince S. M. Volkonsky (1899-1901), V. A. Telyakovsky (1901-1917). In 1882, a reorganization of the imperial theaters was carried out, the positions of chief conductor (kapellmeister; became I.K. Altani, 1882-1906), chief director (A.I. Bartsal, 1882-1903) and chief choirmaster ( U. I. Avranek, 1882-1929). The design of performances became more complex and gradually went beyond simple stage decoration; K. F. Waltz (1861-1910) became famous as the chief machinist and decorator. Subsequently, the main conductors of the Bolshoi Theater: V. I. Suk (1906-33), A. F. Arende (chief ballet conductor, 1900-24), S. A. Samosud (1936-43), A. M. Pazovsky (1943-48), N. S. Golovanov (1948-53), A. Sh. Melik-Pashaev (1953-63), E. F. Svetlanov (1963-65), G. N. Rozhdestvensky (1965-1970), Yu. I. Simonov (1970-85), A. N. Lazarev (1987-95). Main directors: V. A. Lossky (1920-28), N. V. Smolich (1930-1936), B. A. Mordvinov (1936-40), L. V. Baratov (1944-49) , I. M. Tumanov (1964-70), B. A. Pokrovsky (1952-55, 1956-63, 1970-82). Main choreographers: A. N. Bogdanov (1883-89), A. A. Gorsky (1902-24), L. M. Lavrovsky (1944-56, 1959-64), Yu. N. Grigorovich (1964 -95 years). Main choirmasters: V. P. Stepanov (1926-1936), M. A. Cooper (1936-44), M. G. Shorin (1944-58), A. V. Rybnov (1958-88) , S. M. Lykov (1988-95, artistic director choir in 1995-2003). Main artists: M. I. Kurilko (1925-27), F. F. Fedorovsky (1927-29, 1947-53), V. V. Dmitriev (1930-41), P. V. Williams (1941 -47 years), V. F. Ryndin (1953-70), N. N. Zolotarev (1971-88), V. Ya. Levental (1988-1995). In the 1995-2000s, the artistic director of the theater was V. V. Vasiliev, the artistic director, set designer and chief artist was S. M. Barkhin, music director- P. Feranets, since 1998 - M. F. Ermler; artistic director of the opera B. A. Rudenko. Manager of the ballet troupe - A. Yu. Bogatyrev (1995-98); artistic directors of the ballet troupe - V. M. Gordeev (1995-97), A. N. Fadeechev (1998-2000), B. B. Akimov (2000-04), since 2004 - A. O. Ratmansky . In 2000-01, the artistic director was G. N. Rozhdestvensky. Since 2001, the musical director and chief conductor is A. A. Vedernikov.
Opera at the Bolshoi Theater. In 1779, one of the first Russian operas was staged at the Opera House on Znamenka - “The Miller - the Sorcerer, the Deceiver and the Matchmaker” (text by A. O. Ablesimov, music by M. M. Sokolovsky). The Petrovsky Theater staged the allegorical prologue “Wanderers” (text by Ablesimov, music by E. I. Fomin), performed on the opening day of 12/30/1780 (10/1/1781), opera performances “Misfortune from the Coach” (1780), “The Miser” ( 1782), “St. Petersburg Gostiny Dvor” (1783) by V. A. Pashkevich. The development of the opera house was influenced by the tours of the Italian (1780-82) and French (1784-1785) troupes. The troupe of the Petrovsky Theater consisted of actors and singers E. S. Sandunova, M. S. Sinyavskaya, A. G. Ozhogin, P. A. Plavilshchikov, Ya. E. Shusherin and others. The Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater opened on January 6 (18), 1825 prologue “The Triumph of the Muses” by A. A. Alyabyev and A. N. Verstovsky. Since that time, the operatic repertoire has increasingly included works domestic authors, mainly vaudeville operas. For over 30 years, the work of the opera troupe was connected with the activities of Verstovsky - inspector of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters and composer, author of the operas "Pan Tvardovsky" (1828), "Vadim" (1832), "Askold's Grave" (1835), "Longing for homeland" (1839). In the 1840s, the Russian classical operas “A Life for the Tsar” (1842) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1846) by M. I. Glinka were staged. In 1856, the newly rebuilt Bolshoi Theater opened with V. Bellini’s opera “The Puritans” performed by an Italian troupe. The 1860s were marked by increased Western European influence(the new Directorate of Imperial Theaters favored Italian opera and foreign musicians). Among domestic operas, “Judith” (1865) and “Rogneda” (1868) by A. N. Serov, “Rusalka” by A. S. Dargomyzhsky (1859, 1865) were staged; since 1869, operas by P. I. Tchaikovsky. The rise of Russian musical culture at the Bolshoi Theater is associated with the first production on the big opera stage of “Eugene Onegin” (1881), as well as other works by Tchaikovsky, operas by St. Petersburg composers - N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, M. P. Mussorgsky, with the conductor activities of Tchaikovsky. At the same time, the best works of foreign composers were staged - W. A. Mozart, G. Verdi, C. Gounod, J. Bizet, R. Wagner. Among the singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: M. G. Gukova, E. P. Kadmina, N. V. Salina, A. I. Bartsal, I. V. Gryzunov, V. R. Petrov, P. A. Khokhlov . The conducting activity of S. V. Rachmaninov (1904-1906) became a milestone for the Bolshoi Theater. The heyday of the Bolshoi Theater in 1901-17 is largely associated with the names of F. I. Chaliapin, L. V. Sobinov and A. V. Nezhdanova, K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, K. A. Korovin and A. Ya. Golovin.
In 1906-33, the de facto head of the Bolshoi Theater was V.I. Suk, who continued to work on Russian and foreign opera classics together with directors V. A. Lossky (“Aida” by G. Verdi, 1922; “Lohengrin” by R. Wagner, 1923; “Boris Godunov” by M. P. Mussorgsky, 1927 year) and L.V. Baratov, artist F.F. Fedorovsky. In the 1920-1930s, performances were conducted by N. S. Golovanov, A. Sh. Melik-Pashaev, A. M. Pazovsky, S. A. Samosud, B. E. Khaikin, V. V. Barsova sang on stage, K. G. Derzhinskaya, E. D. Kruglikova, M. P. Maksakova, N. A. Obukhova, E. A. Stepanova, A. I. Baturin, I. S. Kozlovsky, S. Ya. Lemeshev, M. D. Mikhailov, P. M. Nortsov, A. S. Pirogov. Premieres of Soviet operas took place: “The Decembrists” by V. A. Zolotarev (1925), “Son of the Sun” by S. N. Vasilenko and “The Stupid Artist” by I. P. Shishov (both 1929), “Almast” by A. A. Spendiarova (1930); in 1935, the opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by D. D. Shostakovich was staged. At the end of 1940, Wagner’s “Die Walküre” was staged (directed by S. M. Eisenstein). The last pre-war production was Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina (13.2.1941). In 1918-22, the Opera Studio operated at the Bolshoi Theater under the direction of K. S. Stanislavsky.
In September 1943, the Bolshoi Theater opened its season in Moscow with the opera “Ivan Susanin” by M. I. Glinka. In the 1940-50s, Russian and European classical repertoire was staged, as well as operas by composers from Eastern Europe - B. Smetana, S. Moniuszko, L. Janacek, F. Erkel. Since 1943, the name of director B. A. Pokrovsky has been associated with the Bolshoi Theater, who for over 50 years determined the artistic level of opera performances; His productions of the operas “War and Peace” (1959), “Semyon Kotko” (1970) and “The Gambler” (1974) by S. S. Prokofiev, “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by Glinka (1972), “Othello” are considered standard. » G. Verdi (1978). In general, the opera repertoire of the 1970s - early 1980s is characterized by stylistic diversity: from operas of the 18th century (“Julius Caesar” by G. F. Handel, 1979; “Iphigenia in Aulis” by K. V. Gluck, 1983), opera classics of the 19th century (“Das Rheingold” by R. Wagner, 1979) to Soviet opera (“Dead Souls” by R.K. Shchedrin, 1977; “Betrothal in a Monastery” by Prokofiev, 1982). In the best performances of the 1950-70s, I. K. Arkhipova, G. P. Vishnevskaya, M. F. Kasrashvili, T. A. Milashkina, E. V. Obraztsova, B. A. Rudenko, T. I. sang. Sinyavskaya, V. A. Atlantov, A. A. Vedernikov, A. F. Krivchenya, S. Ya. Lemeshev, P. G. Lisitsian, Yu. A. Mazurok, E. E. Nesterenko, A. P. Ognivtsev, I. I. Petrov, M. O. Reizen, Z. L. Sotkilava, A. A. Eisen, conducted by E. F. Svetlanov, G. N. Rozhdestvensky, K. A. Simeonov and others. With the exception of the position of chief director (1982) and the departure of Yu. I. Simonov from the theater began a period of instability; Until 1988, only a few opera productions were performed: “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” (directed by R. I. Tikhomirov) and “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (directed by G. P. Ansimov) by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, “Werther” J. Massenet (director E. V. Obraztsova), “Mazeppa” by P. I. Tchaikovsky (director S. F. Bondarchuk). Since the late 1980s, the opera repertoire policy has been determined by a focus on rarely performed works: Tchaikovsky’s “The Maid of Orleans” (1990, for the first time on the Bolshoi Theater stage), “Mlada”, “The Night Before Christmas” and “The Golden Cockerel” by Rimsky-Korsakov, "Aleko" and " Stingy Knight» S. V. Rachmaninov. Among the productions is the joint Russian-Italian work “Prince Igor” by A. P. Borodin (1993). During these years, a mass exodus of singers began abroad, which (in the absence of the position of chief director) led to a decrease in the quality of performances.
In the 1995-2000s, the basis of the repertoire was Russian operas of the 19th century, among the productions: “Ivan Susanin” by M. I. Glinka (resumption of the 1945 production by L. V. Baratov, director V. G. Milkov), “Iolanta” by P. . I. Tchaikovsky (director G. P. Ansimov; both 1997), “Francesca da Rimini” by S. V. Rachmaninov (1998, director B. A. Pokrovsky). On the initiative of B. A. Rudenko, they were executed Italian operas(“Norma” by V. Bellini; “Lucia di Lammermoor” by G. Donizetti). Other productions: “The Beautiful Miller's Maid” by G. Paisiello; “Nabucco” by G. Verdi (director M. S. Kislyarov), “The Marriage of Figaro” by W. A. Mozart (German director I. Herz), “La Bohème” by G. Puccini (Austrian director F. Mirdita), the most successful of them - “The Love for Three Oranges” by S. S. Prokofiev (English director P. Ustinov). In 2001, under the direction of G. N. Rozhdestvensky, the premiere of the 1st edition of Prokofiev’s opera “The Gambler” took place (directed by A. B. Titel).
Fundamentals of repertoire and personnel policy (since 2001): enterprise principle of working on a performance, inviting performers on a contract basis (with a gradual reduction of the main troupe), rental of foreign performances (“Force of Destiny” and “Falstaff” by G. Verdi; “Adrienne Lecouvreur” F. Cilea). The number of new opera productions has increased, among them: “Khovanshchina” by M. P. Mussorgsky, “The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, “Turandot” by G. Puccini (all 2002), “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by M. I. Glinka (2003; authentic performance), “The Rake’s Progress” by I. F. Stravinsky (2003; for the first time at the Bolshoi Theater), “Fiery Angel” by S. S. Prokofiev (for the first time at the Bolshoi Theater) and “The Flying Dutchman” by R. Wagner (both 2004), “Children of Rosenthal” by L. A. Desyatnikov (2005).
N. N. Afanasyeva.
Bolshoi Theater Ballet. In 1784, the troupe of the Petrovsky Theater included students of the ballet class that was opened in 1773 at the Orphanage. The first choreographers were Italians and French (L. Paradise, F. and C. Morelli, P. Pinucci, G. Solomoni). The repertoire included their own productions and transfers of performances by J. J. Noverre. In the development of the ballet art of the Bolshoi Theater in the 1st third of the 19th century, the activity of A.P. Glushkovsky, who headed the ballet troupe in 1812-39, was of greatest importance. He staged performances of various genres, including stories based on A. S. Pushkin (“Ruslan and Lyudmila, or the Overthrow of Chernomor, evil wizard"F.E. Scholz, 1821). Romanticism established itself on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater thanks to the choreographer F. Gyullen-Sor, who worked at the Bolshoi Theater in 1823-39 and transferred a number of ballets from Paris (“La Sylphide” by F. Taglioni, music by J. Schneizhoffer, 1837, etc.). Among her students and the most famous performers: E. A. Sankovskaya, T. I. Glushkovskaya, D. S. Lopukhina, A. I. Voronina-Ivanova, I. N. Nikitin. Special significance In the 1850s there were performances by the Austrian dancer F. Elsler, thanks to whom the ballets of J. J. Perrault (Esmeralda by C. Pugni, etc.) were included in the repertoire.
From the mid-19th century, romantic ballets began to lose their importance, despite the fact that the troupe retained the artists who gravitated towards them: P. P. Lebedeva, O. N. Nikolaeva, and in the 1870s - A. I. Sobeshchanskaya. Throughout the 1860s-90s, the Bolshoi Theater changed several choreographers who led the troupe or staged individual performances. In 1861-63, K. Blazis worked, who gained fame only as a teacher. The most popular in the repertoire in the 1860s were the ballets of A. Saint-Leon, who transferred Pugny’s The Little Humpbacked Horse (1866) from St. Petersburg. A significant achievement was Don Quixote by L. Minkus, staged by M. I. Petipa in 1869. In 1867-69, S. P. Sokolov staged several productions (“Fern, or Night on Ivan Kupala” by Yu. G. Gerber, etc.). In 1877, the famous choreographer V. Reisinger, who came from Germany, became the director of the 1st (unsuccessful) edition of “Swan Lake” by P. I. Tchaikovsky. In the 1880-90s, choreographers at the Bolshoi Theater were J. Hansen, H. Mendes, A. N. Bogdanov, I. N. Khlustin. By the end of the 19th century, despite the presence of strong dancers in the troupe (L. N. Gaten, L. A. Roslavleva, N. F. Manokhin, N. P. Domashev), the Bolshoi Theater ballet was in crisis: there was even a question of liquidating the troupe , halved in 1882. The reason for this was partly the lack of attention paid to the troupe (which was then considered provincial) by the Directorate of Imperial Theaters, untalented leaders who ignored the traditions of Moscow ballet, the renewal of which became possible in the era of reforms in Russian art of the early 20th century.
In 1902, the ballet troupe of the Bolshoi Theater was headed by A. A. Gorsky. His activities contributed to the revival and flourishing of the Bolshoi Theater ballet. The choreographer strove to saturate the performances with dramatic content, achieving logic and harmony of action, accuracy of national coloring, and historical authenticity. Gorsky's best original productions were “Gudula's Daughter” by A. Yu. Simon (1902), “Salambo” by A. F. Arends (1910), “Love is Fast!” to music by E. Grieg (1913), great value there were also alterations classical ballets(“Don Quixote” by L. Minkus, “Swan Lake” by P. I. Tchaikovsky, “Giselle” by A. Adam). Gorsky’s like-minded people were the leading dancers of the theater M. M. Mordkin, V. A. Karalli, A. M. Balashova, S. V. Fedorova, E. V. Geltser and V. D. Tikhomirov also worked with him, dancers A. E. Volinin, L. L. Novikov, pantomime masters V. A. Ryabtsev, I. E. Sidorov.
The 1920s in Russia were a time of searching for new forms in all forms of art, including dance. However, innovative choreographers were rarely allowed into the Bolshoi Theater. In 1925, K. Ya. Goleizovsky staged the ballet “Joseph the Beautiful” by S. N. Vasilenko on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater Branch, which contained many innovations in the selection and combination of dance movements and group formation, with the constructivist design of B. R. Erdman. The production of “The Red Poppy” by V. D. Tikhomirov and L. A. Lashilin to the music of R. M. Gliere (1927) was considered an officially recognized achievement of the Bolshoi Theater, where the topical content was expressed in a traditional form (ballet “dream”, canonical steps -de-de, elements of extravaganza).
Since the late 1920s, the role of the Bolshoi Theater - now the capital's, "main" theater of the country - has been increasing. In the 1930s, choreographers, teachers and artists were transferred here from Leningrad. M. T. Semyonova and A. N. Ermolaev became leading performers along with Muscovites O. V. Lepeshinskaya, A. M. Messerer, M. M. Gabovich. The repertoire included the ballets “Flames of Paris” by V. I. Vainonen and “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” by R. V. Zakharov (both to music by B. V. Asafiev), “Romeo and Juliet” by S. S. Prokofiev, staged by L. M. Lavrovsky, moved to Moscow in 1946, when G. S. Ulanova moved to the Bolshoi Theater. From the 1930s to the mid-1950s, the main trend in the development of ballet was its convergence with realistic drama theater. By the mid-1950s, the dramatic ballet genre had become obsolete. A group of young choreographers has emerged, striving for transformation. In the early 1960s, N. D. Kasatkina and V. Yu. Vasilev staged at the Bolshoi Theater one-act ballets(“Geologists” by N. N. Karetnikov, 1964; “The Rite of Spring” by I. F. Stravinsky, 1965). The performances of Yu. N. Grigorovich became a new word. Among his innovative productions, created in collaboration with S. B. Virsaladze: “The Stone Flower” by Prokofiev (1959), “The Legend of Love” by A. D. Melikov (1965), “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky (1966), “ Spartak" by A. I. Khachaturyan (1968), "Ivan the Terrible" to the music of Prokofiev (1975). These large-scale, highly dramatic performances with large crowd scenes required a special style of performance - expressive, sometimes pompous. In the 1960-1970s, leading artists of the Bolshoi Theater were regular performers in Grigorovich’s ballets: M. M. Plisetskaya, R. S. Struchkova, M. V. Kondratyeva, N. V. Timofeeva, E. S. Maksimova, V. V. Vasiliev, N. I. Bessmertnova, N. B. Fadeechev, M. Liepa, M. L. Lavrovsky, Yu. K. Vladimirov, A. B. Godunov and others. Since the late 1950s, the Bolshoi Theater ballet began regularly performs abroad, where he gained wide popularity. The next two decades were the heyday of the Bolshoi Theater, rich in bright personalities, demonstrating its production and performing style all over the world, which was aimed at a wide and, moreover, international audience. However, the predominance of Grigorovich's productions led to the monotony of the repertoire. Old ballets and performances by other choreographers were performed less and less often; comedy ballets, traditional for Moscow in the past, disappeared from the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The troupe no longer needed character dancers or mimes. In 1982, Grigorovich staged his last original ballet at the Bolshoi Theater - “The Golden Age” by D. D. Shostakovich. Individual performances were staged by V.V. Vasiliev, M.M. Plisetskaya, V. Boccadoro, R. Petit. In 1991, the ballet “ Prodigal son"Prokofiev staged by J. Balanchine. However, until the mid-1990s the repertoire was almost not enriched. Among the performances staged at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries: “Swan Lake” by Tchaikovsky (1996, staged by V.V. Vasilyev; 2001, staged by Grigorovich), “Giselle” by A. Adam (1997, staged by Vasilyev), “Daughter” pharaoh" by C. Pugni (2000, staged by P. Lacotte based on Petipa), "The Queen of Spades" to the music of Tchaikovsky (2001) and "Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris"M. Jarre (2003; both by choreographer Petit), "Romeo and Juliet" by Prokofiev (2003, choreographer R. Poklitaru, director D. Donnellan), "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to the music of F. Mendelssohn and D. Ligeti (2004, choreographer J. Neumeier), “Bright Stream” (2003) and “Bolt” (2005) by Shostakovich (choreographer A. O. Ratmansky), as well as one-act ballets by J. Balanchine, L. F. Myasin and etc. Among the leading dancers of the 1990-2000s: N. G. Ananiashvili, M. A. Alexandrova, A. A. Antonicheva, D. V. Belogolovtsev, N. A. Gracheva, S. Yu. Zakharova, D. K. Gudanov, Yu. V. Klevtsov, S. A. Lunkina, M. V. Peretokin, I. A. Petrova, G. O. Stepanenko, A. I. Uvarov, S. Yu. Filin, N. M. Tsiskaridze.
E. Ya. Surits.
Lit.: Pogozhev V.P. 100th anniversary of the organization of imperial Moscow theaters: In 3 books. St. Petersburg, 1906-1908; Pokrovskaya 3. K. Architect O. I. Bove. M., 1964; Zarubin V.I. Bolshoi theater: The first productions of operas on the Russian stage. 1825-1993. M., 1994; aka. Bolshoi theater: The first ballets on the Russian stage. 1825-1997. M., 1998; "Servant of the Muses..." Pushkin and the Bolshoi Theater. M., ; Fedorov V.V. Repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR 1776-1955: In 2 volumes. N.Y., 2001; Berezkin V.I. Artists of the Bolshoi Theater: [In 2 vols.]. M., 2001.