State Academic Mariinsky Theater: description, repertoire and reviews. Mariinsky Theater building Where is the Mariinsky Theater
The theater was named Mariinsky in honor of the wife of Emperor Alexander II, Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
Foundation of the theater
And the history of the theater began in July 1783, when Catherine II issued a Decree approving the theater committee “to manage shows and music,” and on October 5 of the same year the Bolshoi Stone Theater was inaugurated on Carousel Square, which became known as Teatralnaya Square. The theater was built according to the project Antonio Rinaldi. Its stage was equipped with modern equipment for those times; French, Italian and Russian troupes alternately performed in the theater.
In 1802-1803 architect Thomas de Thomon redesigned the theater, and it was one of the landmarks of St. Petersburg until a fire occurred in it (on the night of January 1, 1811). The interior of the theater was destroyed and the façade was seriously damaged. The restoration of the theater lasted until 1818; Thomas de Thomon did not live to see this time.
Theater repertoire
The theater's repertoire included several operas Mozart(“The Magic Flute”, “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, “The Clemency of Titus”), Rossini(“Cinderella”, “Semiramis”, “The Thieving Magpie”, “The Barber of Seville”), Weber(“Free Shooter”). The theater's repertoire also included works by Russian composers: vaudevilles Alyabyeva And Verstovsky, as well as Kavos’s opera “Ivan Susanin”. S. Didelot stages Russian ballet at the theater. It is this period of the creative life of the theater that is captured in the novel by A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”:
The theater is already full; the boxes shine; 
The stalls and the chairs are all in full swing;
In paradise they splash impatiently,
And, rising, the curtain makes noise.
Brilliant, half-airy,
I obey the magic bow,
Surrounded by a crowd of nymphs,
Worth Istomin; she,
One foot touching the floor,
The other slowly circles,
And suddenly he jumps, and suddenly he flies,
Flies like feathers from the lips of Aeolus;
Either the camp will sow, then it will develop
And with a quick foot he hits the leg.
Theater improvement
In 1836 the architect A. Kavos(the composer’s son) replaced the domed ceiling of the theater hall with a flat one, removed the columns in the auditorium that obstructed the view and distorted the acoustics, gave the hall a horseshoe shape, increased its length and height, as a result, the number of spectators increased to two thousand. On November 27, 1836, the first performance took place in the rebuilt theater - it was an opera by M.I. Glinka "Life for the Tsar".
Over time, the performances of the Russian opera troupe were transferred to the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater and the Circus Theater, where performances by the ballet troupe and Italian opera continued. In 1859, the Circus Theater burned down, and A. Kavos built a new theater in its place. It was this theater that became known as Mariinsky in honor of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Emperor Alexander II and mother of Emperor Alexander III.
Empress Maria Alexandrovna
F. Winterhalter "Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna"
Born Princess Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria of Hesse.
On the initiative of Maria Alexandrovna, all-class women's gymnasiums and diocesan schools were opened in Russia. She founded countless shelters, almshouses and boarding houses, marked the beginning of a new period of women's education in Russia, established open all-class women's educational institutions (gymnasiums), which, according to the regulations of 1860, it was decided to open in all cities where it would be possible to ensure their existence . She organized the Red Cross in Russia, and devoted a lot of effort to expanding its activities during the Russian-Turkish War, refusing even to sew new dresses for herself, giving all her savings to benefit widows, orphans, the wounded and the sick.
Empress Maria Alexandrovna, with the support of her husband Alexander II, founded the largest theater in St. Petersburg and all of Russia (Mariinsky) and a ballet school, which was later headed by Agrippina Vaganova. Both the school and the famous theater were entirely supported by the imperial family, the empress personally, and, at the insistence of Emperor Alexander II, bore her name. The theater still bears her name. A bust of Empress Maria Alexandrovna is installed in the foyer of the theater.
Theater in a new building
The first theater season in the new building has opened October 2, 1860. It was again the opera “A Life for the Tsar” by M.I. Glinka under the direction of the chief conductor of the Russian Opera K. Lyadova. In 1863, the chief conductor of the theater became E. Napravnik. Productions of the most significant operas in the history of Russian music are associated with his name: “Boris Godunov” Mussorgsky, “Pskovite”, “May Night”, “Snow Maiden” Rimsky-Korsakov, "Prince Igor" Borodin, “The Maid of Orleans”, “The Enchantress”, “The Queen of Spades”, “Iolanta” Tchaikovsky, "Daemon" Rubinstein, "Oresteia" Taneyeva... At the beginning of the twentieth century. Operas appeared in the theater's repertoire Wagner(among them the tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung”), “Electra” Richard Strauss, “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” Rimsky-Korsakov, "Khovanshchina" Mussorgsky…
Ballet performances
Marius Petipa
In 1869, he headed the ballet troupe of the theater Marius Petipa. He continued the traditions of his predecessors Jules Perrot and Arthur Saint-Leon, and continued to stage classic performances “Giselle”, “Esmeralda”, “Corsair”. Petipa staged ballets on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Tchaikovsky“Sleeping Beauty” and in collaboration with Lev Ivanov – “The Nutcracker”. After Tchaikovsky’s death, Swan Lake found a second life on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. Petipa staged the ballet here Glazunov"Raymonda" Young Mikhail Fokin staged Armida's Pavilion at the Mariinsky Theater Tcherepnina, "Swan" Saint-Saens, "Chopiniana" to music Chopin, as well as ballets created in Paris - “Scheherazade” to music Rimsky-Korsakov, "Firebird" and "Parsley" Stravinsky.
In 1886, ballet performances, which until that time continued to be performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater, were moved to the Mariinsky Theater. And on the site of Bolshoi Kamenny, the building of the St. Petersburg Conservatory was erected.
In 1920, the theater began to be called the State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, and since 1935, the name “named after S. M. Kirov” was added to this name. The theater continued to stage classics, but they also added modern operas: “The Love for Three Oranges” S. Prokofiev, "Wozzeck" A. Berg, "Salome" and "Der Rosenkavalier" R. Strauss. New ballets have also appeared in the repertoire: “The Red Poppy” R. Gliera, “Flames of Paris” and “Bakhchisarai Fountain” B. Asafieva,"Laurencia" A. Crane, "Romeo and Juliet" S. Prokofiev and others.
During the Great Patriotic War, the theater was evacuated to Perm, where the premieres of several performances took place, including the premiere of the ballet Aram Khachaturyan"Gayane". Upon returning to Leningrad, the theater opened the season on September 1, 1944 with the opera M.I. Glinka"Ivan Susanin".
General reconstruction of the theater
It was carried out in 1968–1970. according to the project of S. Gelfer, as a result, the left wing of the building was “stretched” and acquired its current appearance.
Yuri Temirkanov
From 1976 to 1988, he was the artistic director and chief conductor of the theater Yuri Temirkanov. Under his leadership, the theater staged productions of “War and Peace” S. Prokofiev(1977), “Dead Souls” R. K. Shchedrina, “Peter I” (1975), “Pushkin” (1979), “Mayakovsky Begins” (1983) A. Petrova. Yuri Temirkanov At the same time he acted as a director: he staged the operas “Eugene Onegin” and “The Queen of Spades” P. I. Tchaikovsky. With the orchestra of this theater in 1987, he performed in London with productions of these operas, as well as the opera “Boris Godunov” M.P. Mussorgsky.
Valery Gergiev
In 1988, the theater's chief conductor became Valery Gergiev. On January 16, 1992, the theater was returned to its historical name - Mariinsky. And in 2006, the troupe and orchestra of the theater received at their disposal a building built on the initiative of the artistic director and director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev Concert hall on Dekabristov Street.
Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater
One of the oldest and leading musical theaters in Russia. The history of the theater dates back to 1783, when the Stone Theater was opened, in which drama, opera and ballet troupes performed. Department of opera (singers P.V. Zlov, A.M. Krutitsky, E.S. Sandunova, etc.) and ballet (dancers E.I. Andreyanova, I.I. Valberkh (Lesogorov), A.P. Glushkovsky, A.I. Istomina, E.I. Kolosova, etc.) troupes from the dramatic occurred in 1803. Foreign operas were performed on stage, as well as the first works of Russian composers. In 1836, the opera “A Life for the Tsar” by M.I. Glinka was staged, which opened the classical period of Russian opera. Outstanding Russian singers O.A. Petrov, A.Ya. Petrova, as well as M.M. Stepanova, E.A. Semyonova, S.S. Gulak-Artemovsky sang in the opera troupe. In the 1840s. The Russian opera troupe was pushed aside by the Italian one, which was under the patronage of the court, and transferred to Moscow. Her performances were resumed in St. Petersburg only in the mid-1850s. on the stage of the Circus Theatre, which after a fire in 1859 was rebuilt (architect A.K. Kavos) and opened in 1860 under the name Mariinsky Theater (in 1883-1896 the building was reconstructed under the direction of architect V.A. Schröter). The creative development and formation of the theater are associated with the performance of operas (as well as ballets) by A.P. Borodin, A.S. Dargomyzhsky, M.P. Mussorgsky, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Tchaikovsky (many works for the first time) . The high musical culture of the group was promoted by the activities of conductor and composer E.F. Napravnik (1863-1916). Choreographers M.I. Petipa and L.I. Ivanov made a great contribution to the development of ballet art. Singers E.A. Lavrovskaya, D.M. Leonova, I.A. Melnikov, E.K. Mravina, Yu.F. Platonova, F.I. Stravinsky, M.I. performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. and N.N. Figner, F.I. Chaliapin, dancers T.P. Karsavina, M.F. Kshesinskaya, V.F. Nizhinsky, A.P. Pavlova, M.M. Fokin and others. The performances were designed by major artists , including A.Ya. Golovin, K.A. Korovin.
After the October Revolution, the theater became state, and since 1919 - academic. Since 1920 it was called the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, since 1935 - named after Kirov. Along with classics, the theater staged operas and ballets by Soviet composers. A great contribution to the development of musical and theatrical art was made by singers I.V. Ershov, S.I. Migai, S.P. Preobrazhenskaya, N.K. Pechkovsky, ballet dancers T.M. Vecheslova, N.M. Dudinskaya, A. V. Lopukhov, K. M. Sergeev, G. S. Ulanova, V. M. Chabukiani, A. Ya. Shelest, conductors V. A. Dranishnikov, A. M. Pazovsky, B. E. Khaikin, directors V. A. Lossky, S. E. Radlov, N. V. Smolich, I. Yu. Shlepyanov, choreographers A. Ya. Vaganova, L. M. Lavrovsky, F. V. Lopukhov. During the Great Patriotic War, the theater was located in Perm, continuing to work actively (several premieres took place, including the opera “Emelyan Pugachev” by M.V. Koval, 1942). Some theater artists who remained in besieged Leningrad, including Preobrazhenskaya, P.Z. Andreev, performed in concerts, on the radio, and participated in opera performances. In the post-war years, the theater paid great attention to Soviet music. The artistic achievements of the theater are associated with the activities of the main conductors S.V. Yeltsin, E.P.Grikurov, A.I.Klimov, K.A.Simeonov, Yu.X.Temirkanov, directors E.N.Sokovnin, R.I.Tikhomirov , choreographers I.A. Belsky, K.M. Sergeev, B.A. Fenster, L.V. Yakobson, artists V.V. Dmitriev, I.V. Sevastyanov, S.B. Virsaladze and others. In the troupe ( 1990): chief conductor V.A. Gergiev, chief choreographer O.I. Vinogradov, singers I.P. Bogacheva, E.E. Gorokhovskaya, G.A. Kovaleva, S.P. Leiferkus, Yu.M. Marusin, V.M. Morozov, N.P. Okhotnikov, K.I. Pluzhnikov, L.P. Filatova, B.G. Shtokolov, ballet dancers S.V. Vikulov, V.N. Gulyaev, I.A. Kolpakova, G.T. Komleva, N.A. Kurgapkina, A.I. Sizova and others. Awarded the Order of Lenin (1939), the Order of the October Revolution (1983). Large-circulation newspaper “For Soviet Art” (since 1933).
Mariinskii Opera House. MARIINSKY THEATER (named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna), opera and ballet theater in St. Petersburg. Opened in 1860 with the production of the opera “A Life for the Tsar” by M.I. Glinka in the building of the Circus Theater on Theater Square, rebuilt in 1859... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
MARIINSKII OPERA HOUSE- opened in 1783 in St. Petersburg as the Stone (Bolshoi) Theater, from 1860 in a modern building (architect A.K. Kavos), at the same time received its modern name; in 1919 1991 State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, since 1935 named after. S. M. Kirov, since 1992... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
MARIINSKII OPERA HOUSE- (named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna), Opera and Ballet Theater in St. Petersburg. Opened in 1860 with the production of the opera Life for the Tsar by M.I. Glinka in the building of the Circus Theater on Teatralnaya Square, rebuilt in 1859 (reconstructed in 1968 1970). One... ...Russian history
Mariinskii Opera House- (see Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov). Saint Petersburg. Petrograd. Leningrad: Encyclopedic reference book. M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. Ed. board: Belova L.N., Buldakov G.N., Degtyarev A.Ya. et al. 1992 ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)
Mariinskii Opera House- Mariinsky Theatre, see Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov... Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg"
Mariinskii Opera House- opened in 1783 in St. Petersburg as the Stone (Bolshoi) Theater, from 1860 in a modern building (architect A.K. Kavos), then it received its modern name; in 1919 1991 State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, since 1935 named after S. M. Kirov ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Mariinskii Opera House Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Mariinskii Opera House- in St. Petersburg. open Oct 2 1860 revival of the opera Life for the Tsar. Rebuilt by architect A.K. Kavos from the circus theater that burned down in 1859. Recently (1894-96) the theater was completely rebuilt. Significant work to improve... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Mariinskii Opera House- see Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater... Music Encyclopedia
Mariinskii Opera House- MARIINSKY THEATER, see Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater... Ballet. Encyclopedia
Books
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- Big theater. Culture and politics. New history, Volkov Solomon. The Bolshoi Theater is one of the most famous brands in Russia. In the West, the word Bolshoi does not need translation. But this was not always the case. For many years, the main musical theater of the empire was considered...
1917-1967
The State Academic Mariinsky Theater is the oldest Russian musical theater. He plays an outstanding role in the history and development of classical and Soviet opera and ballet art.
Opera performances were staged in St. Petersburg throughout the 18th century, but the founding date of the theater is generally considered to be 1783, when performances began to be shown in the so-called Stone Theater (later it was rebuilt for the conservatory). The building that now houses the theater was built in 1860 by the architect A. Kavos.
As before, as now, the formation and replenishment of the troupe is carried out mainly from among graduates of the oldest educational institution - the St. Petersburg Conservatory, founded in 1862, and the ballet school, founded in 1738, now called the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet .
The activities of a brilliant galaxy of representatives of Russian musical culture are associated with the Mariinsky Theater throughout its two-century history. These are conductors A. Kavos, K. Lyadov, E. Napravnik; directors O. Palechek, G. Kondratiev; choreographers C. Didelot, M. Petipa, L. Ivanov, A. Gorsky, M. Fokin; artists K. Korovin, A. Golovin, A. Benois. Its stage was graced by performances by famous singers O. Petrov, I. Melnikov, F. Komissarzhevsky, E. Zbrueva, E. Mravina, N. Figner, L. Sobinov, F. Chaliapin. The glory of Russian ballet owes much to A. Istomina, A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina, V. Nijinsky, N. Legat.
On the stage of our theater for the first time the brilliant creations of classics of Russian music were performed: “Ivan Susanin” (1836) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1842) by Glinka, “Rusalka” by Dargomyzhsky (1856), “Pskovite” by Rimsky-Korsakov (1873), “Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky (1874), "The Maid of Orleans" (1881), "Mazeppa" (1884), "The Enchantress" (1887), "The Queen of Spades" (1890) by Tchaikovsky, "Prince Igor" by Borodin (1890). Many masterpieces of the world's opera classics, including Rossini's The Barber of Seville (1822), Mozart's Don Giovanni (1828), La Traviata (1868), Rigoletto (1878) and Verdi's Otello (1887) for the first time were performed in Russian and staged by the Mariinsky Theatre. Verdi wrote the opera “Force of Destiny” (1862) especially for this theater. The theater was famous for its productions of Wagnerian operas, especially the stage production of the entire tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung” (1900-1905).
Ballet art also reached its peak on this stage in productions of “The Sleeping Beauty” (1890), “The Nutcracker” (1892), “Swan Lake” (1895) by Tchaikovsky, “Raymonda” (1898) by Glazunov, “Chopiniana” (1908). These performances became the pride of the Russian and world ballet theater and to this day do not leave the stage.
A new stage in the history of the theater, which took the path of genuine service to the people, began only after the Great October Revolution.
From the first days of the establishment of Soviet power, state and party organizations showed great concern for the creative life and living conditions of the huge theater team. In 1920, it received the name of the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1935, it was named after S. M. Kirov, an outstanding figure of the Communist Party and the Soviet state. Large sums are annually allocated from the state budget to create the necessary conditions for the creative work of the theater. It is important that the pension issue has been resolved, and artists who have worked for 20-30 years (depending on their specialty) are provided with a pension. Vacancies that become available are used to attract new talented performers to the troupe.
It is very important to note that by preserving the great and progressive traditions of Russian classical music, the creative team of the theater and its outstanding artists increased the glory of their famous predecessors.
Creative collaboration with Soviet composers B. Asafiev, Yu. Shaporin, D. Shostakovich, S. Prokofiev, R. Glier, T. Khrennikov, O. Chishko, A. Crane, V. Solovyov-Sedy, A. Petrov. K. Karaev, I. Dzerzhinsky, D. Kabalevsky, V. Muradeli, A. Kholminov and many others determined the most important ideological and artistic achievements of the theater, its constant desire to gain a foothold in the art of socialist realism.
An exceptionally large role in transforming the score into full-fledged, highly artistic musical and stage works belongs to V. Dranishnikov, A. Pazovsky, B. Khaikin, who held the post of chief conductor for many years. And next to them are S. Yeltsin, D. Pokhitonov, E. Mravinsky, E. Dubovsky.
In the post-revolutionary years, directors Vs. made their contribution to the work of the theater. Meyerhold, S. Radlov, E. Kaplan. Most of the theater's repertoire and the enormous work on mastering the realistic style of acting are due to the activities of L. Baratov, I. Shlepyanov, E. Sokovnin as main directors.
A. Vaganova, whose role in the history of choreographic pedagogy is difficult to overestimate, wrote bright pages in the chronicle of the theater’s ballet troupe; choreographers F. Lopukhov, V. Vainonen, V. Chabukiani, L. Lavrovsky, B. Fenster. Their choreographer's talent was revealed in an interesting and profound embodiment of the best performances of the permanent repertoire. The closest creative associates of directors, conductors and choreographers were artists V. Dmitriev, F. Fedorovsky, S. Virsaladze, S. Yunovich, whose sets and costumes in such performances as “Boris Godunov”, “The Legend of Love”, “Ivan Susanin” , “The Tsar’s Bride”, etc., organically merged with the music and its interpretation.
For several decades, the success of our theater was facilitated by the fruitful work of outstanding singers I. Ershov, P. Andreev, R. Gorskaya, V. Kastorsky, S. Migai, M. Reizen, S. Preobrazhenskaya, V. Slivinsky, G. Nelepp, O. Kashevarova, I. Yashugin, N. Serval, K. Lapteva, A. Khalileeva, L. Yaroshenko; outstanding ballet soloists E. Luke, M. Semenova, G. Ulanova, O. Jordan, N. Dudinskaya, F. Balabina, T. Vecheslova, V. Chabukiani, K. Sergeev, S. Kaplan, G. Kirillova, N. Anisimova , A. Shelest, I. Belsky, V. Ukhov and others.
The presence of such creative forces within the theater made it possible to carry out tireless work to preserve the best examples of opera and ballet classics and introduce more and more new musical and stage works into the repertoire. It is significant that during the period from 1924 to 1967 the theater staged 63 new operas and ballets by Soviet composers. The best of them became part of the permanent repertoire for many years. T. Khrennikov’s opera “Into the Storm” was shown 74 times, “The Family of Taras” by D. Kabalevsky - 72, “Decembrists” by Yu. Shaporin - 86; ballets: “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray” by B. Asafiev - 386 times, “Laurencia” by A. Crane - 113, “Romeo and Juliet” by S. Prokofiev - 100, “The Bronze Horseman” by R. Gliere - 321, “Spartacus” by A. Khachaturian - 135 times. “Younger” performances have also firmly entered the repertoire, such as “Taras Bulba” by V. Solovyov-Sedoy, “The Stone Flower” and “Cinderella” by S. Prokofiev, “The Legend of Love” by A. Melikov, “Leningrad Symphony” to music D. Shostakovich, “The Fate of Man” by I. Dzerzhinsky.
In preparation for the festivities of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the theater developed a three-year plan, which included works by Soviet composers and classics of Russian and foreign music.
The operas “October” by V. Muradeli, “A Tale of One Love” by D. Tolstoy, “Optimistic Tragedy” by A. Kholminov, his “Anna Snegina”, “Peter Grimes” by the modern English composer B. Britten, “The Tsar’s Bride” have already been staged. N. Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Magic Flute” by W. Mozart, “Gunyadi Laszlo” by the classic of Hungarian music F. Erkel. The last ballet premiere was “Wonderland” by Leningrad composer I. Schwartz; work on the ballet “Mountain Woman” by the Dagestan composer M. Kazhlaev is close to completion. We expect a lot from the creative collaboration with composers D. Shostakovich, I. Dzerzhinsky, M. Matveev, N. Chervinsky, V. Veselov. Their work is the near future of our scene.
The theater's repertoire is large. It includes 36 operas and 29 ballets. I am happy to think that out of 65 performances, 28 operas and ballets were written by Soviet composers.
In order for this large repertoire to be brought to a high artistic level and capture the auditorium, it is necessary to provide each of the numerous “workshops” of our “production of artistic values” with highly qualified management and an appropriate composition of performers. The chief conductor of the theater is one of the country's largest conductors, People's Artist of the USSR Konstantin Simeonov; the main director is Roman Tikhomirov, widely known for his work in musical theater and cinema, Honored Artist of the RSFSR; chief choreographer - famous choreographer, formerly an outstanding ballet soloist, People's Artist of the USSR Konstantin Sergeev; the choir is led by an experienced master - Honored Artist of the RSFSR Alexander Murin; People's Artist of the RSFSR Ivan Sevastyanov is the main artist of the theater.
No matter how highly we evaluate the work of the leaders of all sections of the theater’s artistic activity, for the audience who fill the theater hall every evening, the face of the theater is determined primarily by the performing artists. The artistic level of the illustrious troupe is worthily represented by People's Artist of the USSR B. Shtokolov, People's Artists of the RSFSR G. Kovaleva, R. Barinova; Honored Artists of the RSFSR V. Atlantov, V. Kravtsov, I. Novoloshnikov, T. Kuznetsova; soloists L. Filatova, V. Morozov, I. Bogacheva, L. Morozov, V. Kinyaev, S. Babeshko, M. Chernozhukov, V. Malyshev, A. Shestakova, K. Slovtsova, E. Krayushkina, V. Toporikov; famous ballet soloists, People's Artist of the USSR I. Kolpakova; People's Artists of the RSFSR K. Fedicheva, A. Osipenko, Y. Solovyov; Honored Artists of the RSFSR V. Semenov, S. Vikulov, I. Gensler, O. Zabotkina; soloists N. Makarova, O. Sokolov, E. Minchenok, K. Ter-Stepanova and others.
It is certainly worth noting the work in the theater of People's Artists of the RSFSR V. Maksimova, I. Zubkovskaya, N. Kurgapkina, N. Krivuli, I. Alekseev, I. Bugaev, B. Bregvadze, A. Makarov; Honored Artists of the RSFSR L. Grudina, V. Puchkov, N. Petrova, O. Moiseeva and others; conductors D. Dalgat, V. Shirokov, choreographers L. Yakobson, Yu. Grigorovich, I. Belsky; teachers-tutors N. Dudinskaya, T. Vecheslova, S. Kaplan; choirmaster B. Shinder.
The theater pays great attention to the growth of young artists. Young people make up a third of our troupe. Therefore, youth shows and systematic introductions of young performers into opera and ballet performances are regularly held. We are pleased with the successes of young artists O. Glinskaite, M. Egorov, G. Komleva, P. Bolshakova. V. Afanaskov, V. Budarin, D. Markovsky, L. Kovaleva, E. Evteeva, conductor V. Fedotov and choirmaster L. Teplyakov. Recently the theater hired a young talented choreographer O. Vinogradov and accepted a capable, promising dancer M. Baryshnikov into the troupe.
The theater orchestra is represented by highly qualified artists, including many laureates of international and all-Union competitions. Currently it is one of the best orchestral groups in the country.
The choir, numbering one hundred artists, is distinguished by its purity of structure, ensemble quality, and clarity of diction.
Among the mass ensembles, it is necessary to note our corps de ballet, which has rightfully earned high praise from audiences in our country and abroad.
Preparation and performances require not only the participation of representatives of musical and choreographic professions, but also a huge amount of work from the artistic and production department and workshops. Experienced craftsmen work here - make-up artists, costume designers, prop makers, lighting technicians. assemblers, etc. They were supervised for many years by the oldest specialists N. Ivantsov (in the theater), A. Belyakov (in the workshops). Now the production department is headed by F. Kuzmin, and the theater workshops are headed by B. Korolkov. It is also necessary to note the decorative artists N. Melnikov, S. Evseev, M. Zandin, who devoted many years to work in the theater.
The S. M. Kirov Theater is one of the largest in the country; its staff, without theater workshops, numbers more than 1,000 people. The difficult task of organizing the production and creative process, covering all aspects of the theater’s life, involves the opera and ballet departments, the repertoire and literary department, the planning department, and the audience organization group. Former directors of the theater V. Aslanov, V. Bondarenko, G. Orlov and former heads of the director's department V. Krivalev and A. Picard left good memories.
A significant role in establishing the principal lines for the development of the theater's repertoire policy and in solving the most complex creative issues is played by the theater's artistic council, which includes the chief conductor, People's Artist of the USSR K. Simeonov, the chief director, Honored Artist of the RSFSR R. Tikhomirov, and the chief artist, People's Artist of the RSFSR I. Sevastyanov, chief choreographer, People's Artist of the USSR K. Sergeev, chief choirmaster, Honored Artist of the RSFSR A. Murin, head of the repertoire and literary department T. Bogolepova, leading soloists, People's Artists of the USSR B. Shtokolov, I. Kolpakova; People's Artists of the RSFSR G. Kovaleva, R. Barinova, K. Fedicheva, Y. Solovyov; orchestra soloists O. Barvenko, L. Perepelkin, A. Kazarina; teachers and tutors, People's Artist of the USSR N. Dudinskaya, Honored Artist of the RSFSR S. Kaplan, representatives of creative unions - composers B. Arapov, V. Bogdanov-Berezovsky, M. Matveev, artist S. Dmitrieva, etc.
The team is closely connected with the broad masses of spectators. During 1966 alone, about 600,000 people attended the theater and outdoor performances.
In 1940, the theater successfully took part in the Decade of Leningrad Art in Moscow; in 1965 he conducted a large tour in the capital of our Motherland. The performances, held at the Bolshoi Theater and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, were attended by 140,000 spectators. In 1964-1966, over 700,000 spectators attended performances and concerts of our artists in Greece, Italy, England, Belgium, France, the USA and Canada. Many spectators from the GDR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary attended the performances of the leading soloists of our theater. Thus, over the past years, the theater has widely promoted Soviet art among spectators of the Soviet Union and foreign countries, who highly appreciated its performances.
For services to the development of Soviet art in 1939, the theater was awarded the Order of Lenin. Over the past years, a large group of workers have been awarded orders of the Soviet Union, sixty-six theater workers have been awarded honorary titles of People's Artists, Honored Artists, Honored Artists, ten have been awarded the title of State Prize laureates, twelve have been awarded badges from the Ministry of Culture “For Excellent Work”. For successful participation in competitions, sixty artists received the title of laureate of international and all-Union competitions.
Many artists and other theater workers were awarded military orders of the Soviet Union and the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad.” Defending the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War, about 300 theater workers died at the fronts and during the defense of Leningrad.
Currently, the team is doing a lot of patronage work in units of the Soviet Army. For active participation and good results under patronage, the theater was given a challenge red banner of the USSR Ministry of Defense for storage. Sixty-five artists were awarded the honorary badge “Excellence in Cultural Patronage of the Armed Forces of the USSR.” The theater carries out significant work on cultural patronage at enterprises in the city and in rural areas of the Leningrad region.
Not to stop there, to persistently solve the ideological and creative problems put forward by modern times, to participate with your art in the struggle for the construction of a communist society, for the rise of musical culture - this is the path along which the theater is moving, inspired by the great ideas of Lenin’s party, which led the country and people to a significant 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.
P. I. Rachinsky. “Theater of Great Traditions and Quests”, 1967