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The Bolshoi Theatre

The majestic building of the Bolshoi Theatre stands in Theatre Square in Moscow’s central quarter, not far from the Kremlin. This is the leading Russian opera house with the best vocalists and choreographers in its company,

The Bolshoi traces its history to 1776 when a standing opera company was organized in Moscow.

On September 7, 1842, M.I. Glinka’s opera “Life for the Tsar” (“Ivan Susanin”), the corner-stone of Russian classical opera music, was for the first time shown at the Bolshoi. At later times operas by Dargomyzhsky, Serov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Moussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rubinstein were produced here.

At the same time the Bolshoi company staged the best operas and ballets by West European composers — Mozart, Rossini, Weber, Verdi, Gounod, Bizet, Wagner, Delibes, to mention a few.

The artistry of the Bolshoi company grew in their work on the chef-d’œuvres of world art, and their glorious traditions were vividly reflected in the art of the great Russian actors P. Khokhlov, L. Sobinov, A. Nezhdanova, N. Obukhova, F. Shaliapin.

After the October Revolution in 1917 the Bolshoi company continued to play a prominent place in the country’s life as the leading opera and ballet theatre.

Those were difficult times for the artists. In addition to new productions of classical operas many ope­ras by composers of those times saw their first night at the Bolshoi. In 1936 the theatre produced I.Dzerzhinsky’s opera “And Quiet Flows the Don”, later the opera “Battleship Potyomkin” by O Chishko, “Nikita Vershinin” by D. Kabalevsky, “The Decerbrists” by Y. Shaporin, “War and Peace” and “The Story of a Real Man” by S. Prokofiev, and “The Mother” by T. Khrennikov, to mention a few.

June 14, 1927, is the day of the birth of the Soviet propaganda ballet the “Red Poppy” by R. Gliere, when it was produced at the Bolshoi. But the productions of ballets by Russian composers, such as “The Flames of Paris” and “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” by B. Asafiev, “Romeo and Juliet” and “Cinderella” by S. Prokofiev were important landmarks in the history of world choreography.

Nowadays the Bolshoi ballet company enjoys well-deserved fame as the world’s finest. This is equally true of its brilliant realistic style of performance and the repertoire.

The fame of the Russian ballet is associated with a number of actors of the Bolshoi — great masters of choreography. The names of Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya and many others are inscribed in golden letters in the history of bal­let art. Many young talented dancers have come to the stage to continue the fame of the greatest artists.

Ballet lovers always eagerly look forward to new productions of the Bolshoi, every one of which is a veritable festival of mu­sical art.

Questions

1. Where does the majestic building of the Bolshoi Theatre stand?

2. When a standing opera company was organized in Moscow?

3. What classical opera was for the first time shown at the Bolshoi?

4. The Bolshoi company staged the best operas and ballets by West European composers —

Mozart, Rossini, Weber, Verdi, Gounod, Bizet, Wagner, Delibes, didn’t it?

5. Who vividly reflected the glorious traditions in the great Russian art?

6. Does the Bolshoi ballet company enjoy well-deserved fame as the world’s finest?