ボリショイ劇場 １８５周年

ボリショイ劇場が１月１８日で１８５周年だったそうです。

モスクワ駐在時の２００５年から改修で本館はCLOSEしており完成が伸び伸びとなっていますが下記記事によると来年１０月にオペラRUSLANとLyudmilaを杮落としで上演とのことです。予定通りOPENすれば良いですね。写真は２００６年６月時点のボリショイ劇場本館と左後方の新館です。

Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater turns 185

January 18 marks the 185th anniversary of the best-known theater in Moscow – the legendary Bolshoi.

The theater’s predecessors, however, lived short and tragic lives. In 1776 the Professional Russian Theater was built on Znamenka Street by the city governor of the time, but after only four years in operation it was so severely damaged by fire there was no point in restoring it.

The persistent governor then ordered the construction of another building on Petrovka Street, but the edifice again burnt to the ground during one of the city’s fires.

In 1808 a third attempt to construct a theater was made, but it too went up in flames during the Napoleonic invasion.

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Finally another theater was built on Petrovka Street 185 years ago – the Bolshoi. The theater survived some tough periods in the history of Moscow. In 1853 it was damaged by fire, but was reconstructed. After the blaze the ceilings were made higher and the wainscots and the upper circles were constructed of wood thus making it a perfect place in terms of acoustics. The Bolshoi Theater, with its seating capacity of up to three thousand people, came to represent one of the trademarks of the Russian capital.

The magnificent multi-pillared building is a fine exponent of the classic style in architecture. Its portico is decorated with an Apollo chariot and its interior is a mixture of golden and scarlet ornaments. In the 19th century the Bolshoi was considered the most beautiful theater in Europe, second only to Milan’s La Scala in beauty and splendor.

In 2005 the Bolshoi Theater was closed for restoration. In October 2011 the renovated theater is set to greet audiences with the premier of the celebrated “Ruslan and Lyudmila” opera