The Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg is one of the most famous and largest opera and ballet theaters in the world. The date of its foundation is October 5, 1783. Now the main conductor, artistic director and director is Valery Gergiev.
Theater History
The theater was founded in 1783 by order of Catherine the Great. Then it was called the Bolshoi Theater. But in 1811 he was badly damaged in a fire. In 1818 the building was restored, and operas and ballets were resumed again. In addition to the Russian troupe, bands from France and Italy performed here. Later, Russian artists showed their performances in a separate building where the Circus Theater was previously located, but in 1859 it suffered a sad fate - it burned down and a new one was built in its place, where all the productions were soon transferred. In honor of Maria Alexandrovna - the wife of Emperor Alexander II - he received the name Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg). His repertoire consists mainly of operas and ballets of Russian and foreign classical composers, but along with them, modern productions are performed.
Late 18th - early 19th century
The Mariinsky Theater is one of the oldest and largest Russian musical theaters. He played and continues to play a very important role in the development of Russian art in the field of opera and ballet. The repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater during this period was quite diverse, while the formation of the Russian composer school was actively supported. Along with the famous foreign operas and ballets by K. M. Weber, A. Gretri, L. Cherubini, P. A. Monsigny, J. Paisiello and others, the works of Russian composers of that time were staged: M. I. Glinka, E. I. Fomin, V. A. Pashkevich, S. I. Davydov and others. The opening of the new building was marked in 1836 by the production of M. I. Glinka “Life for the Tsar”.
Late 19th - early 20th century
During this period, the theater underwent reconstruction of facades and interiors, the acoustics were improved, and a new building was added. The society has undergone profound changes, the flowering of Russian opera has occurred, and a tendency has appeared to introduce Russian composers into the repertoire. The Mariinsky Theater’s repertoire consisted of the operas and ballets of M. I. Glinka (“The Mermaid”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”), A. N. Serov (“Judith” and “Enemy Force”), N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (“ Mlada ”,“ May Night ”), A. S. Dargomyzhsky (“ Stone Guest ”), P. I. Tchaikovsky (“ Smith Vakula ”,“ Iolanta ”,“ Queen of Spades ”), S. I. Taneyev (“ Oresteia ” "), M. P. Mussorgsky (" Boris Godunov "). The repertoire also included Western European classics: J. Verdi (La Traviata, Rigoletto, Othello, Falstaff), V. A. Mozart, J. Puccini, K. M. Weber, R. Wagner ( “The Ring of the Nibelung”), R. Strauss (Electra).
October Revolution and World War II
After the October Revolution, the Mariinsky Theater was elevated to the status of a state, so many such performances appeared on the repertoire that were staged at the request of soldiers and workers. Agitation brigades were created from artists who gave away performances in factories, factories, and military units. The Mariinsky Theater’s repertoire included new productions: R. Wagner (“Tannhauser”, “Rienzi”), R. Strauss (“Cavalier of Roses”), A. Berg (“Wozzeck”). In the 1920s, operas of a revolutionary and Soviet orientation appeared, written by Soviet composers: A. F. Pashchenko ("Eagle Riot"), V. M. Deshevov ("Ice and Steel"), O. S. Chishko ("Battleship" Potemkin “”), T. Khrennikov (“Into the storm”), S. S. Prokofiev (“Love for three oranges”). Since that time, the ballet repertoire began to expand: F. I. Stravinsky (“The Firebird”, “Pulcinella”), A. K. Glazunov (“The Seasons”), K. A. Korchmarev (“The Serf Actress”), R. M. Glier (“Red Poppy”), B. V. Asafiev (“Lost Illusions”), A. A. Crane (“Laurencia”), S. S. Prokofiev (“Romeo and Juliet”).
During the war, the Mariinsky Theater was evacuated to Perm, where premieres of productions such as the opera Emelian Pugachev by M.V. Koval and the ballet Gayane by A.I. Khachaturian took place. Concert brigades were created from the artists, who traveled with concerts to the front lines, to military units and hospitals, to collective farms, and factories. In 1944, the troupe returned to Leningrad, and the new theater season was opened by M. I. Glinka's opera Ivan Susanin.
40-50s of the 20th century
The repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater in the postwar years consisted of classical and Soviet productions.
Opera
• “The Queen of Spades”;
• "Dubrovsky";
• "Aida";
• "Carmen";
• “Faust”;
• Rigoletto;
• "Ruslan and Ludmila";
• "Mazepa";
• “Khovanshchina”;
• "Pskovite";
• "Sadko";
• “Duenna”;
• “Taras Family”;
• “Decembrists”;
• “Mother”;
• "The fate of man."
As well as ballets:
• “Cinderella” and “Stone Flower” by S. S. Prokofiev;
• The Bronze Horseman by F.Z. Yarullin;
• “Spartak” by A. Khachaturian;
• “Path of Thunder” by K. Karaev;
• “Coast of Hope” by A. P. Petrov;
• "Masquerade" by L. A. Laputin.
Many of the performances were innovative, original and became the gold fund of the Mariinsky Theater repertoire.
60-70s of the 20th century
In the second half of the last century, the repertoire at the Mariinsky Theater included the latest productions: V. I. Muradeli “Lohengrin”; F. Erkel "Gunyadi Laszlo"; “Optimistic tragedy” by A. N. Kholminov; "Vasily Gubanov" D. L. Klebanova, J. Bizet "Carmen"; “Peter I” by A. P. Petrov, “The Magic Flute” by V. A. Mozart, the ballet “Othello” by A. D. Machavariani; “The Twelve” B. I. Tishchenko, “Pearl” N. S. Simonyan, “Man” V. N. Salmanov, “Wonderland” I. I. Schwartz, “Two” A. D. Melikov, “Hamlet” N Chervinsky, “Creation of the World” by A. P. Petrov, “Distant Planet” by Meisel.
Opera and ballet of the 21st century
Today, residents and guests of the northern capital are offered a rich and diverse repertoire. The Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg) is a mix of classical and modern productions. The opera repertoire consists of performances: Aida, Ariadne on Naxos, Atilla, Boris Godunov, Valkyrie, The Magic Flute, Don Carlos, Eugene Onegin, Woman without a Shadow, Enufa ”,“ Player ”,“ Iolanta ”,“ Spanish Hour ”,“ Flying Dutchman ”,“ Madame Butterfly ”,“ Mazepa ”,“ The Mystery of the Apostle Paul ”,“ Fiery Glance ”,“ Othello ”,“ Pagliacci ”,“ Palleas and Melisenda ”,“ Turn of the screw ”,“ Rigoletto ”,“ Sadko ”,“ Sister Angelica ”,“ Means of Macropolus ”,“ La Traviata ”,“ Electra ”. Ballet repertoire: Adagio Hammerklavir, Giselle, Jewelry, The Little Humpbacked Horse, Variations for Two Couples, Swan Lake, Infra, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Dizzying rapture by accuracy ”,“ Cinderella ”,“ Choreographic game 3X3 ”,“ Simple things ”.
Mariinsky-2
In 2013, the second Mariinsky Theater was opened (new stage). The Mariinsky-2 repertoire includes operas and ballets by classical and contemporary composers, both Russian and foreign. The auditorium in the new building is designed for two thousand spectators, it has excellent acoustics and excellent visibility, and the backstage is a whole city, well-equipped technically, with a large number of necessary rooms, capable of accommodating a large theater staff, which has 2500 people. The new building, which provides three sites, will realize even the most daring and daring projects. Now it is possible to broadcast performances throughout the country, even to the corners farthest from the central part. The new building of the Mariinsky Theater is one of the most equipped venues in the world.
Concert hall
The repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater Concert Hall includes operas, as well as various concerts dedicated to the work of various composers or consisting of songs of the war years, solo projects of opera performers and instrumental musicians, as well as choirs and orchestras.
Among other things, various competitions and festivals are regularly held at its stage venues.