Mariinsky Theater description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg (Topic)

Mariinsky Theater description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The State Academic Mariinsky Theater (also known as the Mariinsky Theater) occupies a special place among the many attractions that residents of the cultural capital of Russia are rightly proud of. This musical theater is famous not only within our country, but throughout the world.

The theater troupe was founded in the 18th century, and the building was built in the middle of the 19th century. It was named after Maria Alexandrovna , wife of Alexander II.

As a matter of fact, today's theater consists of a complex of buildings. It also has branches in other cities of the country.

History of the theater

The beginning of the history of the theater is considered to be the 80s of the 18th century . Interestingly, its age is counted from the date of foundation of another theater, namely - Bolshoi Kamenny . The latter existed for about a hundred years. The artists of the troupe, who much later became the Mariinsky collective, performed in it.

As mentioned above, its building was built only in the middle of the 19th century. It was erected on the site of a burnt-out circus. The building was designed by Albert Kavos. The first production at the new theater was shown in the middle of autumn 1860. It was an opera by the great Mikhail Glinka.

At the beginning In the 60s of the XIX century, Eduard Napravnik was appointed the chief conductor of the theater. His arrival marked the beginning of one of the most glorious eras in the history of the Mariinsky. This period lasted for about fifty years, during which the premieres of many operas that are now recognized as classics took place on the theater stage. It was the Mariinsky audience who first heard "Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky and "The Snow Maiden" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, "Iolanta" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and "The Demon" by Anton Rubinstein ... The list of great pieces of music, first performed within the walls of the famous theater, can be continued very much long.

I also need to say a few words about Marius Petipa , who headed the ballet troupe since the late 1860s. Contemporaries called him a choreographer-symphonist. He brought a number of innovative ideas to the theater stage.

In the 80s of the XIX century, the building was rebuilt according to the project of Viktor Schreter . On the left, a new building was added to the theater, consisting of three floors. It houses a power plant, a boiler room, theater workshops and rehearsal rooms. Instead of wooden rafters, reinforced concrete and steel ones were installed. The foyer of the building was enlarged, its facade was reconstructed.

After the construction work was completed, the theater's repertoire expanded: previously, only opera was offered to the audience here, but now ballet performances have appeared.

During the years of Soviet power, the theater was renamed into Kirovsky . During that period, he became academic. It demonstrated both classical works and the creations of new authors. Among the novelties of that time are, for example, "Laurencia" by the Soviet composer Alexander Kerin.

In the 40s of the XX century, in wartime, the theater was sent to evacuation . The troupe was in Perm for a long time, there were several premieres.

At the end of the 60s, reconstruction of the building began . It ended in the 70s. The reconstruction project was developed by Salome Gelfer. & Nbsp; In the early 90s of the XX century, the theater returned to its historical name.

Currently, on the stage of the famous St. Petersburg theater, you can see both classical performances and those created by our contemporaries.

History of the ballet troupe

The history of the renowned troupe begins at the end of the 1830s. It was then that the Dance School was established in the northern Russian capital, whose graduates later took part in court performances.

Speaking about the history of the troupe in the 19th century, one cannot but mention the name of Marius Petipa, about whom a few words have already been said above. In the 40s he was a ballet soloist, then was appointed ballet master . At the end of the 60s of the named century, he became the chief ballet master of the theater and remained in this position until the beginning of the 20th century. He has staged many magnificent ballets, including, for example, the immortal, world-famous Swan Lake . Only those dancers whose professionalism was really high could participate in his productions.

In the post-revolutionary period, the theater staff strove primarily to preserve the heritage and theatrical traditions. During wartime (in the 40s of the 20th century), some of the Mariinsky artists did not go to evacuation, but remained in the city. With their performances, they performed in front of the wounded in hospitals, went to factories and even to the front.

The 80s of the XX century became a bright page in the history of the troupe. It was then that many great new dancers appeared on the stage of the theater.

Theater venues

As already mentioned above, the theater is a complex of buildings and has branches in other cities. Firstly, this is the main building, built in the 19th century . When they talk about the Mariinsky, they usually mean this very structure (by default).

Secondly, this is a building built on the bank of the Kryukov Canal . There is the second stage of the theater. The building was commissioned relatively recently - already in the XXI century. Its construction took twenty two billion rubles. The architectural merits of the building are highly questionable by experts. Many people believe that this building is not at all glittering with beauty.

Some believe that it looks more like a department store or a catering facility than a theater. Someone thinks that the structure resembles an ordinary box or shed. There are practically no positive reviews about the building. It should be noted that from the very beginning there were many problems with his project. Back in the 90s of the XX century, a project of a very unusual structure was advanced, resembling garbage bags lying on the ground, but the townspeople opposed the construction of this building. Later, other projects were developed, but they had many technical flaws.

Then the building was built, which today is the second most important site of the famous theater. Its hall is designed for two thousand spectators. It should be noted that the interiors of this building are much more aesthetic than its external appearance. There is an unusual design of crystal chandeliers, illuminated onyx walls, and many magnificent stairs ... We emphasize that the project of these stairs was developed by teams of several companies. Both Russian and foreign specialists took part in the creation of the project. The result was highly appreciated by many experts: they note the virtuoso and elegant design solutions found by the authors of the project. When visiting the theater, pay special attention to these stairs - for example, the glass staircase, which is thirty-five meters long.

Another theater site is the concert hall . It was built in the 21st century - or rather, rebuilt from an older building that once housed decoration warehouses and workshops. In the early years of the XXI century, this building was badly damaged by fire. In fact, only the walls and foundation remained from it, everything else was completely destroyed by fire. Now, these ancient walls are home to a modern concert hall. A magnificent organ is installed in it. Several years ago, for the first time in the world, a 3D broadcast of a ballet production was conducted from this hall. The hall is twenty-four meters wide, fifty-two meters long, and fourteen meters high. Its total volume is one thousand three hundred cubic meters. The hall is designed for one thousand one hundred and ten spectators. The orchestra stage can accommodate one hundred and thirty musicians. The radius of the stage is twenty meters, its depth is fifteen meters. It should be noted that the stage consists of separate blocks that can be moved, thanks to which the stage space is transformed in accordance with the program of a particular performance.

As mentioned above, the theater has several branches located in different cities of the country ... One of them is located in Vladivostok . It opened in mid-autumn 2013. Interesting, that his building was designed after the model of one of the theaters in South Korea. Experts believe that this branch, or rather its building, is one of the best halls in our country. Another interesting fact about the branch: its ballet troupe includes not only Russian, but also Japanese, Brazilian, Romanian, Korean, American and Kyrgyz dancers.

Another branch is located in Vladikavkaz . This theater has existed since the middle of the 20th century, but it only became a branch of the famous Mariinsky Theater in 2017. One of the pearls of his repertoire is the opera Costa, written by the Soviet Ossetian composer Khristofor Pliev.

The third branch is also located in Vladikavkaz. The collective of this theater often goes on foreign tours. His performances have been repeatedly shown in European countries, as well as in African and Asian states.

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Topic: Mariinsky Theater description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg.