Bolshoi Theater Historical Stage Entrance 6. As Anya went to the Bolshoi. Scenes and playbill of the theater

(Bolshoi Theater), or simply the Bolshoi Theater, as it is usually called, is one of the greatest monuments in the history of Russia and the whole world. The reason to visit this wonderful cultural museum is not only the performance of an opera or ballet in the main hall, but also its other concert events. Currently, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow houses three operating concert venues: the main historical stage, the new stage and the Beethoven Hall. A visit to the latter can also be the main reason for a visit to As there is no more interesting and beautiful place in Russia that would be dedicated to the genius German classical composer. Beethoven Hall, art at its best, has a long and complicated history.

Through milestones in history

Initially, the place where the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theater is located did not have its own name, but the Imperial Foyer, which served as the entrance to just that name. The building was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and was originally intended for a certain circle of people, most often for the royal family and its entourage. The decorative hall has been restored and reconstructed in every possible way for 80 years. In 2002, it was officially decided to return the original name, and to call the concert hall Beethoven. The interior of the room was made in the best traditions of the Old Italian school of the times of Louis XV. In 1965, a memorial bust of Ludwig van Beethoven was installed inside, where the entrance to the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theater is located. In general, the hall received the name of the master not by chance, and not only due to its unique acoustics. The music of the German maestro was appreciated like no other, because it was believed that it had exceptional communist ideas.

Design and site features

The construction of the concert and rehearsal hall, bearing the name of the great German genius of the 19th century, has a very complex and multi-level structure. Its design is currently made according to the latest engineering technology. The hall has a technological system that is used on ocean liners. The room itself is located on three levels: on the main one, which is the stage, and on two side levels, which are most often used as a spectator area. The levels of the Beethoven Hall have special mechanical equipment that can change the distance between them. Rearrangement control in the hall is carried out using a special stationary control panel. Lowering or raising the levels of the room is necessary for listening to opera performances together with the orchestra, choir and soloists without using the main stage; for holding all sorts of events in the Imperial Foyer using a place to accommodate spectators or for performing music with the participation of chamber ensembles. Engineering innovations are capable of combining the place where the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theater is located with the general structure of the Imperial Foyer and transforming it into a monolithic concert venue.

How to find the Beethoven Hall

The Beethoven Hall in the Bolshoi is located on the minus first floor of the Bolshoi's main building at Teatralnaya Ploschad, building 1. You can get to the square where the Bolshoi Theater Beethoven Hall is located either by personal transport or by bus and metro train. It will be very convenient to drive along Petrovskaya Street by car, and then you can literally come to the main entrance of the building. By public transport, you need to get to the Teatralnaya station, located on the right side of the theater, or Kuznetsky Most. Which is north of the Bolshoi Theater. The theater square can be reached on foot from the station. The journey usually takes no more than 10 minutes. The main building has three entrances: the central one and along the facades. When entering inside, you need to go down the main staircase to the minus first floor. You can get to the hall itself directly through the Imperial Foyer. The room also has location markers and service personnel ready to guide or guide people in difficulty.

Maestro's symphonies and beyond

After a grandiose restoration and renovation, the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theater became the center of performances by domestic and foreign artists of world renown. Vera Dulova, a famous Soviet harpist, has already visited the stage as soloists; Egon Petri is an outstanding classical pianist and teacher; Svyatoslav Knushevitsky - Soviet cellist, Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR; Nadezhda Obukhova is a famous Soviet opera singer of the early twentieth century, and many other brilliant instrumentalists, opera singers and artists of the world. As a rehearsal base for opera troupes, the Beethoven Hall often hosts the world's most famous operas. To date, all operas that include mass choral scenes are pre-auditioned in the small hall. The place where the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theater is located was also often the venue for full-fledged symphonic performances.

Despite the fact that the Bolshoi Theater opened after restoration several years ago, getting there is difficult for many reasons, including the high cost of tickets. However, there is a way out! Tours are organized at the Bolshoi Theater, so that everyone can visit the historical stage and inspect the building on certain days. This is what my review today is about.

Official excursions to the Bolshoi Theater are held regularly, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), they start exactly at 12-10 a.m. -00 and is located in the 12th entrance). Live queue. The whole problem is that only one Russian-speaking group of 20 people is recruited.
There is another option to get into the historic building - to join a tour organized by a travel agency, but the price difference is significant. An official tour from the Bolshoi Theater costs 500 rubles, a tour as part of a tourist group from an agency will cost you at least 1500 rubles. As the saying goes, if you don't see the difference, why pay more?

On Wednesday we got up early and went to the building of the Bolshoi Theater, which is located at 1 Teatralnaya Square. It is more convenient to get out of Metro Teatralnaya, because this way you will not have to cross the road.
We were at the theater at 11-15, but people were already crowding at the entrance we needed (tickets for excursions are sold at the box office, entrance 12). We counted those present over their heads - we were 18th. That is, there was a chance to get on the excursion. By the way, by 12 o'clock there was a very long tail behind us, another 20 people. People did not believe that there would be only one group. In general, if you arrive at exactly 12 o'clock, then you will be wasting your time.

So, the time was approaching 12 and we did not lose hope of getting inside. Meanwhile, "girlfriends" began to approach everyone who stood in line. So we were already 30 in the queue ... Hope was melting before our eyes.
To our delight, at 12 o'clock the door opened, a guard came out with a machine gun and asked the queue to be divided into two parts, foreigners and Russians (a tour for foreigners costs 1,300 rubles). As it turned out, there were a lot of foreigners in front of us. So to our part, we managed to get on the list of the lucky ones.
At the entrance, the guard counted out exactly 20 people from the Russian queue. And more and more did not miss a single person. Literally behind us, the heavy door closed and the screams of the angry crowd, those who did not hit, could not be heard.

Joyful, we bought tickets for the tour and went down to the cloakroom. True, I had to go through the control through the metal detectors and show the contents of the bags.

The guide appeared and started the excursion.
So, a few words about the theater itself. Fast forward to the street.
It is considered to be the date of the foundation of the theater on March 28, 1776, when one of the first performances was played in the house of Prince Vorontsov on Znamenka. And already in 1780, the theater settled in its current place, where a building was built for it. Theater Square was then called Petrovskaya, and the theater itself was Petrovsky. In 1805 the theater was on fire (as it will be many times later, candles, you understand). According to the project of O.V. Bove and A.A. Mikhailov, a new building was built in 1821-1824, a monument of Russian classicism of the XIX, which we can admire today. In 1853, a fire breaks out again and the whole theater burns out, except for the beautiful walls.

After 3 years, it was restored by the architect A.K. Kavos. The building was restored in 13 months, it was necessary to be in time for the coronation of Alexander III. The volume of the building was preserved, the quadriga, ruled by Apollo (works of Klodt), rose again over the central portico.

The last reconstruction of the theater began in 2005 and lasted 6 long years, the underground space of the theater was significantly expanded, the foyer and the auditorium were restored.

On this I will end my small excursion into history and return to the excursion.
First of all, we went to see the newly created underground space of the Bolshoi Theater. To do this, we loaded into a large glass elevator and went down to the ground floor.

It should be noted that it goes underground by 27 meters. There is a new transforming hall underground - the Beethoven Hall. The guide told us that geographically we were no longer in the theater building, but somewhere under the theater square, between the theater and Vitali's fountain.

Beethoven Hall is an ultra-technological hall where the walls fold like an accordion, and the stage itself can rise and fall 6 meters down. The walls of this hall are made of reinforced concrete, so the acoustics are not very good. But on the other hand, rehearsals and conferences are regularly held here. By the way, it should be noted that there are no difficulties with buying tickets for a concert in the Beethoven Hall - see the official website of the Bolshoi.

Unfortunately, I have no photographs of this hall, as there was a rehearsal there, and the guide forbade us to take pictures.

One of the halls, near the elevator.

There is a very beautiful chandelier in this hall.

After visiting the Beethoven Hall, we went to see the Historical Scene - in fact, why many came on the excursion.

Here our group was very unlucky, the lights were turned off in the hall, so it was not possible to see all the luxury of the Historical Hall.

On the stage, preparations were in full swing for the scenery for the new performance.

The guide, practically in a whisper, told us about how and where the decorations are stored, about where it is better to sit in the hall (you need to focus on the royal box in the center - it is best seen there, well, and choose the first rows of balconies).

By the way, there are wooden chairs in the hall, and soft armchairs in the boxes.

It was very interesting to me that the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater was made on the principle of a musical instrument, for example, the Guitar. The auditorium is completely wooden, made of a special kind of pine.
The ceiling is the soundboard, the stage is the hole for the sound out, and the hall is the very bend of the ringing guitar. Therefore, the sound reaches the audience so lively and full.

In the dark, we tried to make out the stucco molding, the golden ornament that adorns the hall. It turned out to be papier-mâché covered with gold leaf. Despite the fact that the whole room looks like gold, only 8 kg of gold were used for the decoration. Over the course of 3 years, 800 restorers worked on the restoration of the gilding.

Some of the excursionists asked to turn on the light - but naturally they didn’t do it, they told us: “This is not a museum for you, the theater lives its own life, and you are guests here”. Oh, it's a pity, I can imagine how beautiful it is here when the lights are on.

After sitting a little on the first row, we went to the 6th tier to inspect the hall from above.

The cheapest seats are located on the sixth tier. I was surprised that the seats here are standing, like a bus. We were told that they are for students. It is very difficult to see something from the side, so only the floor of the stage will be visible. The side is very low, I even got a little scared from the height that opens from above.

But from here you can see in detail the chic Bolshoi chandelier, which appeared here in 1870. The chandelier is 7 meters high and has a diameter of 6. It weighs about 2 tons.
Impressively beautiful!

The most impressive is the White Spectator Foyer. The guide told us that before the restoration, the walls of this hall were white. However, the restorers noticed that beautiful paintings were hidden under the paint, so the ceiling painting was restored using the grisaille technique from the surviving drawings and drawings.

The ceremonial halls are also located on the right and left of the spectator foyer.
First, we examined the red small and large imperial foyers. These rooms were decorated in the French style for the Emperor Nicholas II. The small foyer is famous for its acoustics, where you can even speak in a whisper.

In the large foyer, unique wall panels attract special attention. Therefore, a special temperature regime has been established here. Some panels depict a two-headed eagle, and others - a sign from the first letters of the names of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. In the 20th century, concerts and sometimes party conventions were held here.

On the other side of the beautiful foyer with staircases, there is also a hall where exhibitions are located. During our visit there were stands dedicated to the ballet Ruslan and Lyudmila.

Several costumes from the performances were exhibited in the center of the hall.

The windows are very nicely decorated in this room.

At the end of the excursion, we went down to the Bolshoi Theater gift shop, where we could buy books about the theater and, of course, memorable souvenirs. So the simplest mug with a logo will cost 1.5 thousand rubles, a porcelain pair - 2.5 thousand rubles. And beautiful statuettes with ballerinas for 30 thousand rubles.

In general, I liked the tour of the Bolshoi Theater. When else is it possible to photograph the halls of the Bolshoi Theater without guests?
There are also disadvantages - an hour of waiting in line in the cold, nerves about whether you will get inside. In addition, the excursion lasted only 1 hour, we literally ran through all the halls. People did not even have time to take a few photos.

Passwords and names

Address: Moscow, metro Teatralnaya (metro Okhotny Ryad, Ploschad Revolyutsii), Teatralnaya square, 1
Time: 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 bought at the box office of the Bolshoi Theater 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).

Discount tickets - 250 rubles (schoolchildren, students, WWII veterans and others). Children under 14 years of age are not allowed on the tour.

Details on official website The Bolshoi Theater

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Undoubtedly The Bolshoi Theatre is one of the most recognizable sights of Moscow. Suffice it to recall that his image was honored to get on the banknotes of the Russian Federation. Founded in 1776, it quickly acquired the status of the Imperial Theater, while becoming the center of the stage life of that time. The theater has not lost this status to this day. The phrase "Bolshoi Theater" has long become a brand known and understood by art lovers all over the world.

The history of the Bolshoi Theater

The Bolshoi Theater was founded on March 13, 1776. On this day, Prince Peter Urusov received permission from Empress Catherine II to create a theater. This year, construction began on the right bank of the Neglinka, but the theater did not manage to open - all the buildings were destroyed in a fire. The new theater was built on Arbat Square under the direction of the Russian architect of Italian origin Karl Ivanovich Rossi. This time the theater burned down during Napoleon's invasion. In 1821, under the leadership of the architect Osip Bove, the building of the Bolshoi Theater appeared, to which we are so accustomed. The opening of the Bolshoi Theater took place on January 6, 1825. This date is considered the second birthday of the theater. The repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater began with the concert "Triumph of the Muses" by M. Dmitriev (music by A. Alyabyev and A. Verstovsky).

The Bolshoi Theater has a very difficult and further fate. Its building burned down, fell into disrepair, German bombs fell there ... The next reconstruction, begun in 2005, should give the historical theater building its original appearance, open to spectators and tourists all the splendor of the old building. There is very little time left: soon admirers of high art will be able to enjoy the masterpieces of world music in the wonderful and unique atmosphere of the main stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The Bolshoi Theater has long specialized in the arts that have been the pride of Russian culture for many years - opera and ballet. The respective troupes of the theater, as well as the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, are composed of exceptionally talented artists. It is difficult to name a classical opera or ballet that has never been staged at the Bolshoi. Repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater consists exclusively of works of great composers: Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Mozart, Puccini!

Buy tickets to the Bolshoi Theater

Buy tickets to theaters in Moscow not easy in principle. Moreover, the Bolshoi Theater is, of course, the most prestigious, and tickets there are very difficult to get, despite their high cost. Therefore, you should take care of purchasing tickets to the Bolshoi Theater in advance. At the box office, tickets are sold out very quickly, and the choice of seats in the hall is limited. Use a more modern and convenient way -

How many times have I run by The Bolshoi Theater, honoring him with a fleeting glance: “In place? - In place " and ran on. And it never occurred to me that the Bolshoi Theater is a kind of "state within a state", that it is a special world with its own laws, traditions, and its own hierarchy.
And so into this world the door of ... entrance number 12, where the theater ticket offices are located, unexpectedly opened, and our wonderful blogging group gathered, led by a guide from the Bolshoi Theater Museum.
It will be difficult for me to convey in words all the splendor that appeared to our eyes ... Undoubtedly, the Bolshoi Theater is one of the most beautiful theaters in the world! The grandiose, recently completed renovation allowed us to see it in all its truly imperial splendor!
Just imagine that below the theater there are 6 more underground floors; that the Beethoven Hall, where musical concerts are held, is built according to the principle of a "folding cup", it is necessary to press the magic button and the stage, along with the rows, begins to rise and fold to the flat floor, and then
the concert hall turns into a banquet hall; that under the very roof there is a brand new rehearsal hall with a sloping stage lined with rectangles and a luxurious dark wood hall where artists rest while waiting for their part and where there is no access for strangers.
The Bolshoi Theater is great without further ado!

The last thing I want to do is rewrite Wikipedia - let's just admire in silence!
But at the same time it is still very brief. About the Bolshoi Theater.

The first name of the theater is Moscow Public Theater (1776).
Second - Petrovsky theater (1780).
Third - Imperial theater (1805).

In 1824 it was rebuilt by an architect Osip Bove.
The theater acquired its exemplary modern appearance in 1856 and owes it to the architect Albert Cavos.
Pyotr Klodt installed on the pediment the famous quadriga (four) of horses with the god of arts Apollo.

In the 1920s, the Bolshoi Theater was named by V.I. Lenin "A piece of purely landlord culture" and was on the verge of closing.
In 1983 - the theater received several nearby buildings.
In 2002 - the New Stage was opened.

Theatre square. Grand Theatre

We were very lucky with the guide. Larisa is intelligent, graceful, with an excellent presentation of information about the history of the theater

From the entrance lobby, we go down the stairs to the marble hall (gift shop, small wardrobe, toilet rooms), and from there we go down the escalator again and get into Beethoven Concert and Rehearsal Hall, the same "folding cup".
When the orchestra is rehearsing, photographing is strictly prohibited.
Therefore, there is only one photograph, but it also gives a complete picture of the beauty of this technologically advanced and modern concert hall (noise-proof moving walls, and yes, glass partitions, rows of chairs, the stage itself, everything disappears, rises / falls / levels out).

Here is a sectional diagram of the Bolshoi Theater.
Find the number 5 - this is the Beethoven Hall! That is, approximately it is located under the fountain on Theater Square!
(c) Illustration by iCube studio

And now, with bated breath, we enter the auditorium!

Aren't you blinded by the glitter of gold?
It turns out that there is one little trick, the so-called. optical illusion. In fact, not the entire surface is gilded, but only decorative protruding parts.
The white background is clearly visible in this photo.

And this is almost gone) The royal box is magnificent!

And here, too, is a trick. The atlas is not marble, as it might seem, but papier-mâché.

Now I would like to translate the delighted and emotional conversation into a practical channel, and discuss so important for theater-goers - comfortable and inconvenient places in the auditorium. Thank God, in due time I have been to the Bolshoi many times, no less than ten, for sure. I watched both opera and ballet, sat in the stalls, on all balconies and tiers, in the gallery, and once I had a place “behind the column”.
So let's see what constitutes parterre.
Chairs! The floor is sloped, so the rows are one slightly higher than the other.

The color of the velvet upholstery is crimson. Very nice

There is a kind of ventilation cover mounted under each chair. Earlier, in my opinion, this was not the case, it appeared after the repair. Very comfortably

Nevertheless, it must be admitted that in the stalls there is not the best view of the scene.
Check out these lovely scarlet soft chairs. Amphitheater! It is located next to the parterre, under the royal box. The review is excellent!

See how you can see from here! The whole stage is at a glance!

Now let's look at the lodges.
The first tier is the benoir lodge.

This is how it can be seen from the boxes of the benoir. Very good.
But, in the boxes so - the first row is the best. The second - and already the heads are in front of you. In the Bolshoi now, instead of third-row chairs, they began to put high stools, similar to bar ones. They are much cheaper, but you can see it perfectly.
* Anya atlanta_s I was corrected (and she is a ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater!) - high chairs in boxes 10-14 really give a good view, but in boxes 1-3 you can see less than 50% of the stage! Knowing such essential nuances will help you choose really good tickets.

Take a closer look - see chairs with high legs? If they offer tickets for them - take it without hesitation!

Mezzanine boxes are at the level of the Tsar's box.
Therefore, the review from here is certainly the best.
Do you see the lower box on the right of the stage itself? It is intended for artists who celebrate their anniversaries in the theater, from here welcoming the audience, accepting bouquets and bathing in applause.
Above it is the Guest Box for VIPs.

Wait wait admire the chandelier! We will admire and consider it in detail below. And now - fix your gaze on the gallery. See the gilded metal railings? This is an innovation in the Bolshoi - standing places... These are quite inexpensive - 200-300r. Sold by student ID. A similar experience has long been practiced in European theaters, now, finally, it has come down to us.
But! Still ... I am a snob, dear comrades. And I don't understand why you need to stand on your feet for two or three hours and see a piece of the stage ... If you just go in to admire the theater, watch a little and ... leave.
View from the balcony of the 4th tier

Well, now, do-oh-x.
And a delighted breath!

The weight of the steel frame with brass elements is about 1860 kg. Together with crystal elements - about 2.3 tons. Diameter - 6.5 meters, height - 8.5 meters.
By the way, the top of the curtain is called "Portal harlequin", and it is decorated with Russian heraldic symbols.

If you raise your head, then on the theatrical plafond you will see Apollo playing the golden "cithara", and 9 muses: Calliope with a flute(muse of poetry) Euterpu with book and flute(muse of lyrics), Erato with lyre(muse of love songs) Melpomene with a sword(muse of tragedy) Waistline with mask(muse of comedy) Terpsichore with a tambourine(dance muse) Clea with papyrus(muse of history) Urania with a globe(muse of astronomy). And instead of the ninth muse of the sacred hymns of Polyhymnia, the artists depicted the "self-styled" muse of painting with a palette and a brush.

Now we take the elevator even higher!

And then we will overcome several flights of stairs.
Just think out of breath and knees hurt, but now we are in Bolshoi rehearsal room(in the photo of the section of the Bolshoi Theater, find # 4)!
And we are wildly lucky, the rehearsal has just ended, and we can shoot a little.

The rectangles on the stage show the location of the decorations.
The stage has a visually visible roll of three degrees - as is customary in the Russian ballet tradition.

But let's not interfere.
Admired and that's enough.
We go down again and go to White foyer, which is located above the entrance to the theater.
The interior of 1856 has been restored here - painting in the "grisaille" technique (performed in different shades of the same color, which gives the impression of convex stucco images), large mirrors that increase the visual volume of the room, three crystal chandeliers.