Bolshoi Theatre
Russia's leading opera and ballet house, with a Neoclassical Historic Stage on Teatralnaya Square.
The Bolshoi company dates its history to 1776, when Prince Pyotr Urusov received an imperial licence to run performances in Moscow. The theatre moved to Teatralnaya Square in 1825 with a building by Joseph Bove, which burned in 1853. Alberto Cavos rebuilt it on the surviving walls and it reopened in 1856, gaining the Neoclassical portico of eight columns and the bronze quadriga of Apollo by Pyotr Klodt that still define the square.
The auditorium of the Historic Stage rises through five tiers under a painted ceiling and a large chandelier, with gilding and crimson upholstery restored during the closure of 2005 to 2011. The theatre has premiered works central to the Russian repertoire, among them Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Voyevoda and Rachmaninoff's Aleko. A second auditorium, the New Stage, opened alongside in 2002 and also hosts opera, ballet and chamber programmes; the Beethoven Hall is used for recitals.
Highlights
- Neoclassical portico crowned by Klodt's bronze quadriga of Apollo
- Five-tier gilded auditorium restored between 2005 and 2011
- Home of one of the world's largest resident ballet companies
- New Stage of 2002 and the Beethoven Hall for chamber programmes
