Bolshoi Theatre

The Bolshoi Theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect Joseph Bove, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are each one of the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively.

Firstly the company was founded in 1776 by Prince Peter Urusov and Mi-chael Maddox. Initially, it held performances in a private home, but in 1780, it acquired the Petrovka Theatre and began producing plays and operas. The current building was built on Theatre Square in 1824 to replace the Petrovka Theatre, which had been destroyed by fire in 1805. The Moscow theatre was inaugurated on 18 January 1825 with a performance of Fernando Sor's ballet. Initially, it presented only Russian works, but foreign composers entered the repertoire starting around 1840. A fire in 1853 caused extensive damage; reconstruction was carried out by Albert Kavos, son of Caterino Kavos, an opera composer. The theater reopened in 1856. During World War II, the theatre was damaged by a bomb, but it was promptly repaired.

The Bolshoi is a repertory theatre, meaning that it draws from a stable of productions, any one of which may be performed on a given evening. It normally introduces two to four new ballet or opera productions each season and retires a similar number. The sets and costumes for most productions are made in the Bolshoi's own workshops. The Bolshoi has been associated from its
beginnings with ballet. Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" premiered at the theatre on Saturday, March 4, 1877. After the death of Stalin, international touring companies from the Bolshoi became an important source of cultural prestige, as well as foreign currency earnings, and as a result the "Bolshoi Ballet" became a well-known name in the West. Bolshoi-related troupes continue to tour regularly in the post-Soviet era. The opera company specializes in the classics of Russian opera such as Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov", Glinka's A Life for the Tsar, and Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Tsar's Bride", as well as the operas of Tchaikovsky. Many operas by western composers are also performed, especially works of Italian composers such as Rossini, Verdi, and Puccini. Some operas, such as Borodin's Prince Igor, include extensive ballet sequences.

The main Bolshoi Theatre closed for restoration in 2005, and, as of early 2008, is scheduled to reopen in 2009 with the theatre making its first performance in November. The restoration will cost SUS730 million, and is funded entirely by the federal government. The renovation is intended to restore the original acoustics of the theatre, which were largely lost as a result of renovations during the Soviet era. At the very top of the facade, the two-headed eagle of the original Russian coat of arms has been installed in place where the Soviet sickle and hammer hung for decades.

The New Bolshoi Theatre, adjacent to the original and built incredibly in only six months, continues to stage an extensive repertory of concerts and performances. Since these two theatres are the most famous in Moscow, they are usually frequented by tourists, and the prices can be correspondingly much more expensive when compared to other Russian theatres.

HERMITAGE

The state Hermitage occupies six magnificent building situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartholomew Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble, formed in the 18th and 19^th centuries, is extended by the eastern wing of the General Stuff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository.

The Hermitage collection of works of art (3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.Today the Museum is creating its digital self-portrait to be displayed around the world. Computer technologies enable the State Hermitage Museum to provide people from all over the world with wider access to information about the Museum and its treasures.

Fifty watercolors by 19th century artists depicting with extraordinary accuracy the rooms and galleries of the New Hermitage have serves as the basis of this virtual excursion. You will travel back in time to the Imperial Museum strolling around its rooms and together with the first visitors. You will also be able to compare almost every depiction of a room or a gallery shown in a 19^th century watercolors with its present-day appearance.

In July 1839 the "Proposal on the Establishment of the museum..." was approved, laying down that the project drawn up by Klenze should be realized by the Winter Palace Building Commission headed by the chief architect Vasily Stasov. The commission included the prominent architects Alexander Briulov and Nikolai Yefimov, while the creator of the project undertook to monitor construction, making occasional visits to St. Petersburg. The story of the eleven years of construction that began in 1840 is one of many conflicts between the high-handed, stem Stasov, who was obviously unhappy as a foreigner being called in, and Klenze, who feared that his design would be distorted. The architects exchanged acrimonious letters, but the deciding word in their disputes belonged to the Emperor.

The new Hermitage was created under the watchful eye of Nicholas I.

The Emperor went into all the questions and carefully studies the plans and drawings sent by von Klenze. The architect produced more than 800 sketches, reflecting every detail of the finishing of the rooms, the furniture and even the displays which he sought to harmonize with the interior. The beauty and luxury of the museum rooms not only emphasize the Hermitage was a part of the imperial residence, but also invested it with the significance of the work of art. In memory of the creator of the museum, a plaque inscribed "Erected by Emperor Nicholas I in 1850" was placed above the main staircase of the New Hermitage. The museum was opened to the public in February 1852.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04