What is the name of the large chandelier in the theater. Let there be light! Apollo and the Muses
Many of us, while visiting the theater, noticed how large and beautiful chandeliers the concert halls are decorated with. Often, such lighting products are made to order, using for these purposes many elements that can provide the necessary atmosphere in the room.
Large modern stores offer such high-quality models at an affordable price. You can also order a chandelier according to a special project.
Features of theater chandeliers
Chandeliers used for theaters can be called a real work of art. Multi-tiered models not only illuminate a huge space, but also decorate concert halls.
Most often, crystal products are used for theaters. This material combines high quality, beauty and elegance.
For many connoisseurs of theatrical art, chandeliers have long been a kind of symbol. These products embody sparkle and beauty, which is so important for creating a “cultural” atmosphere.
Particular attention should be paid to candles that are used in antique theater chandeliers. Today, these elements operate using electricity; previously, gas jets were used for these purposes.
As for modern theater chandeliers, they must meet the following requirements:
- energy supply standards;
- safety requirements;
- chandeliers should be light and mobile.
Unlike bulky options, modern theatrical models should be somewhat lighter. This is necessary so that the chandeliers can be periodically provided with care and maintenance (for example, removing dirt, restoring elements that have lost their functionality).
The best chandeliers
Basically, large chandeliers used to illuminate large rooms are called chandeliers. These designs contain many elements that provide soft lighting in the hall.
Today, in many theaters around the world, chandeliers are one of the main elements. The best options include:
- chandelier at the Paris Opera. The plafond ceiling that complements the design was painted by Marc Chagall himself;
- model of Milan's La Scala theater. Compared to the previous version, this chandelier is less bulky, but still, it has incredible beauty;
- theatrical structure in the city of Cleveland. What makes this chandelier special is that it is located in Playhouse Square.
Regarding the last point, it is worth saying that the huge lighting structure consists of 4200 pieces of crystal.
When you come to the theater, you don’t even think about its life, everyday life, or any of its components. They came, watched the performance, and admired the interiors of the theaters. And almost no one thinks about how it all works. For example, all visitors to the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theater admire the chandelier in the auditorium - it is simply mesmerizing. But has anyone thought about how many light bulbs there are, what they are, and how often they are changed? I'm sure not.
And so, before the opening of the new theater season, the management of the Opera and Ballet Theater decided to reveal the secrets of chandelier maintenance. And this technological process is very difficult and lengthy - it takes at least a day. And such a ritual is performed annually, just before the opening of the theater season.
At first it was decided to show the maintenance of chandeliers in the Blue Living Room of the theater. This is the place where various official events of the theater take place (press conferences, presentations, etc.).
In the photo, by the way, you can see the garbage that has accumulated on the chandelier over the year. 
To clean chandeliers, replace burnt out bulbs - to do this, they need to be lowered closer to the floor. And the chandeliers are lowered using special mechanisms that lower the chandelier to the floor using winches. There are 2 chandeliers in the Blue Living Room. Each of them weighs about half a ton, and there are 60 light bulbs in each.
Here you can see how the chandelier goes down 
The light bulbs in chandeliers, by the way, are the most common, 40-watt. But two forms are used. But energy-saving light bulbs cannot be installed in chandeliers - this will disrupt the entire lighting process. 
There is a legend that these chandeliers were supposed to hang at the Teatralnaya station of the Moscow metro, but for some reason they ended up in the Saratov theater. 
The chandelier was specially turned on - this way all the burnt out bulbs can be detected. 
The switched-on chandelier looks even more beautiful up close 
And here is the main chandelier of the theater - in the auditorium. It weighs almost a ton. And there are much more light bulbs here - 256 pieces. The chandelier is very heavy, so it takes a very long time to lower it - this process takes 30-40 minutes, 1 cm/second. 
When lowered, the chandelier sways a little, and with a long shutter speed of the camera you can get this effect 
The chandelier is lowered and it is also turned on after that 
Looks very impressive 
Nothing will decorate a spacious room better than a large crystal chandelier. With its help, light will penetrate even the most remote area of the room.
The Lustravik online store offers a large assortment of large chandeliers, from which each buyer will choose the appropriate option. Products in a classic style have a figured metal frame of golden color and glass shades in the shape of a bowl. Exactly like this large chandeliers in Moscow are especially popular. They decorate the halls of museums, theaters and restaurants or provide access to light in the living room or dining room of a luxury villa.
Advantages of large chandeliers:
- solemn atmosphere;
- creating special lighting effects;
- high-quality lighting of a spacious room;
- interior decoration in classic or empire style.
To fill your home or restaurant halls with an atmosphere of warmth and light, it is enough. High-quality lighting will be the best interior decoration.
Advantages of cooperation with the Lustravik store:
- partnership with trusted suppliers;
- prompt and free delivery;
- quality certificate manufacturer's guarantee;
- careful attention to every order;
- checking for manufacturing defects before sending the goods.
Need to go to another region? Contact the Lustravik online store, discuss the details of the purchase with the manager and wait for the goods to be delivered by the transport company. Luxury is closer than you think.
Large multi-tiered chandeliers for the hall and living room. Theater chandeliers with a lot of light bulbs. Large crystal pendant chandeliers. Massive chandeliers made of bronze using artistic casting. You can buy a large multi-tiered chandelier with delivery throughout Moscow and Russia, as well as order assembly and installation in our online store
My daughter Anastasia was at the theater on a tour and performance, and these impressions were mainly hers.
It is generally accepted that the founding date of the theater is March 28, 1776, when one of the first performances was performed in the house of Prince Vorontsov on Znamenka. And already in 1780, the theater settled in its current location, where a building was built for it. Theater Square was then called Petrovskaya, and the theater itself was called Petrovsky. In 1805, the theater burned down (as would happen many times later, due to candlelight). According to the design of O. V. Bove and A. A. Mikhailov, a new theater building was built in 1821-1824, a monument of Russian classicism of the 19th century, which we can still admire today. In 1853, there was a fire again and the entire theater burned down, except for the walls.
Just 3 years later it was restored again by the architect A.K. Kavos. The building was restored in 13 months; it had to be done in time for the coronation of Alexander III. The volume of the building was preserved, and the quadriga, controlled by Apollo (the work of the sculptor Klodt), once again rose above the central portico.
Now the theater can be viewed along with a guided tour; the duration of the tour is one hour.
Chandelier in the staircase of the New building:
Chandelier in the central hall of the New building:
Painting on the ceiling in the auditorium of the New Building.
The ceiling is painted according to sketches by an outstanding Russian artist of the “Silver Age” (early 20th century) Lev Bakst interpreted by Zurab Tsereteli:
New building scene.
The interiors of the New Stage are designed in white-terracotta and white-green tones interspersed with gold. The floors are stacked parquet and marble mosaic. Lots of light thanks to the abundance of crystal chandeliers. The main chandelier - in the auditorium - is designed in the style of the famous chandelier of the historical Bolshoi building.
By A stage curtain was made based on Tsereteli's sketches:
Chandelier from one of the halls of the main building:
From the 6th tier you can see in detail the chandelier of the main historical stage; it amazes with its shape and size. The diameter of this three-tier structure is 6.5 meters, the height is 8.5 meters. The chandelier sparkles with 20 thousand crystals, which weigh about 260 kilograms. In general, the weight of the entire structure, taking into account the gold-plated elements, lamps and openwork pendants, is 2.3 tons!
The chandelier appeared in the theater in 1870:
We were told about how and where the scenery is stored, where it is better to sit in the hall (we need to focus on the Royal Box in the center of the hall - it is best to see the stage from there, and choose the first rows of balconies).
The hall has wooden chairs to improve acoustics, and the boxes have soft chairs:
Royal box:
The historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater is made on the principle of a musical instrument, such as a guitar. The auditorium is entirely wooden, made from a special type of pine.
The ceiling is the soundboard, the stage is the hole for the sound to escape, and the hall is actually the very bend of the ringing guitar. That’s why the sound reaches the audience so alive and full.
In the dark it is difficult to see the stucco molding and gold ornaments that decorate the hall. It turned out that it was papier-mâché covered with gold leaf. Despite the fact that the entire hall seems to be decorated with gold, only 8 kg were used for finishing. 800 restorers worked over 3 years to restore the gilding.
In the central hall during rehearsal:
Central hall before the performance:
The most impressive hall in the foyer is White spectator foyer. Before the restoration, the walls of this hall were pure white. Restorers discovered that beautiful paintings were hidden under the paint, so the ceiling painting was restored using the grisaille technique according to the surviving drawings and drawings:
From the spectator foyer there are state rooms to the right and left.
First we looked around Red Small and then Grand Imperial Foyer. These rooms were decorated in French style for Emperor Nicholas II. The small foyer is known for its excellent acoustics; you can speak there even in a whisper, and everything will be heard.
In the Great Foyer, unique wall panels attract attention. Therefore, the climate control system maintains a special temperature regime here. Some panels depict a double-headed eagle, while others show a sign from the first letters of the names of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. In the 20th century, under the Soviet system, concerts were held here, as well as party congresses.
On the other side of the beautiful White foyer with stairs there is another hall, where are the exhibitions located?. During our visit, there were stands dedicated to the ballet Ruslan and Lyudmila (now the exhibition is different):
Stage costumes from "Ruslan and Lyudmila":
Now, after reconstruction, the theater building goes 27 meters underground:
There is a new transforming hall underground - Beethoven Hall. The guide told us that when we were there, we were no longer under the theater building, but somewhere under the theater square, between the theater and the Vitali fountain.
Beethoven Hall is high-tech hall, where the walls fold like an accordion, and the stage itself can rise and fall 6 meters vertically. The walls of this hall are reinforced concrete, so the acoustics are not ideal. But, on the other hand, there is plenty of space to regularly hold rehearsals and conferences. There are no difficulties with purchasing tickets for concerts in the Beethoven Hall - see the information on the official website of the Bolshoi.
Beethoven Hall:
Project of a new architectural structure of the Bolshoi with underground premises:
Foyer of the New Theater Building, located next to the main theater building:
Information on the cost of rebuilding the Bolshoi Theater and constructing the New Building after all the work has not yet been found; apparently, this is due to financial irregularities during the implementation of the project, which were written about in the media. This topic interested me, I will do another material on the Bolshoi Theater, more detailed, it will be published in another blog, I will inform you about the release date with a link in this blog in the last post.
New building:
Bolshoi Theater address: Moscow, Teatralnaya metro station (Okhotny Ryad metro station, Revolution Square), Teatralnaya Square, no. 1
Excursion times: Mon, Wed, Fri at 12-10. There are only two excursions per day: one in Russian (20 people) and one in English.
Tickets can be purchased at the Bolshoi Theater box office on the day of the tour (entrance 12), the box office opens at 12-00.
Tour cost (in Russian): 500 rubles, 1300 rubles (in English).
| The gilding of the most significant decoration of the Bolshoi Theater auditorium has begun - an antique chandelier (weighing more than two tons). In the first years after the opening of the Bolshoi building, restored by Albert Kavos, the theater premises were illuminated with candles and oil lamps. To light the oil lamps of the auditorium chandelier, it was lifted upstairs to a special room. But already in 1863 this chandelier was replaced with a new one with gas jets (there were 408 of them!). According to contemporaries, the glasses of gas lamps became so hot that they sometimes burst, showering fragments on the heads of spectators. Thirty years later, electricity appears at the Bolshoi Theater. Moreover, to illuminate the Bolshoi and Maly theaters in the building of the Maly Theater in the early 1890s. a separate power station was built. The gas jets of the main chandelier of the Bolshoi were converted into electric lamps - and in this form the chandelier has survived to this day. |
In 2006, the country's best craftsmen began restoring the chandelier. In the process of comprehensive research, lost parts made of crystal, glass and brass were identified. Subsequently, they were recreated using analogues of surviving historical details. Antique crystal pendants that were chipped were not replaced, but were carefully sanded and polished with the utmost care so as not to disturb the original edges. Thanks to the painstaking work of restorers, the openwork pendants and crystal “oak leaves” of the baskets were completely restored. New parts were created in exact accordance with the surviving historical elements.
The craftsmen had to completely clear the remaining gilding. A previous analysis of the condition of the chandelier showed that the layers of gilding were made using different techniques and differed in the materials used. If the first layer was made with oil gilding “on the face”, then subsequently created gold or powder based on a copper alloy was used. During previous restorations, brass parts were not gilded, but polished. This was largely due to the fact that restoration work was often carried out without following the technological cycle. The current state of gilding by restorers currently working at the Bolshoi was considered unsatisfactory. The primer layers became brittle over time and easily peeled off along with the gold plating. Traces of corrosion were found on the iron parts.
“Now the main chandelier is restored to its historical splendor. After the master gilders complete their work, the main chandelier of the theater will begin to be decorated with updated crystal pendants,” noted the official representative of the general contractor, director of the Public Relations Department of the Summa Capital Investment Group, Mikhail Sidorov.