Imperial Ballet and the Bolshoi of Petersburg

[Solor]

I was wondering about the situation regarding the Imperial Ballet and their once home theatre of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theatre. I think it was around 1886 that they began performing at the Mariinksy Theatre.

When was the Mariinksy Built? Why did the Imperial Ballet leave the Bolshoi Theatre of St. Petersburg to perfom at the Mariinksy instead? Is the Bolshoi of Petersburg still there?

[vrsfanatic]

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/info/tour

Solar, here is a brief history from the Mariinsky website. Hopefully it has the information you are looking for.

[rg]

English language sources on the particulars of the imperial theaters are somewhat patchy.

Murray Frame’s THE ST. PETERSBURG IMPERIAL THEATERS: STAGE AND STATE IN REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA, 1900 – 1920, is helpful here and there as are both of Wiley’s books: TCHAIKOVSKY’S BALLETS and A CENTURY OF RUSSIAN BALLET. Ditto, Lynn Garafola’s “Studies in Dance History” issue entitled THE DIRARIES OF MARIUS PETIPA.

Another book with useful information on Russia’s ballet and opera theaters is Richard Taruskin’s DEFINING RUSSIA MUSICALLY.

A few details gleaned from such sources include the fact that Vsevolozhsky is responsible for moving the ballet from the Bolshoi Kammeny (as in 'grand stone' theater), which was then razed and replaced with the Conservatory (much to the regret of some vocal contemporaries of the Maryinsky). Now called the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, this building is still in place in St. Petersburg.

Previous to the move of the ballet to the Maryinsky, during the 1880s, the 1860 theater Cavos designed and christened for the Empress Maria Alexandrovna (nee Marie of Hesse) was the home of St. Petersburg’s Russian opera troupe (and repertory), and thus initially less fashionable than the home of Italian opera, the Bolshoi.

Petipa’s after-St.Leon VIVANDIERE would seem to be the first of his creations to be given at the Maryinsky. Thereafter several further Petipa ballets continued to be given at the Bolshoi. Petipa’s 1886 MAGIC PILLS seems to be ballet that marked the imperial troupe’s permanent move to the Maryinsky.

the attached postcard is a turn-of-the-20th-century souvenir of the Maryinsky sent in 1913.

[Natalia]

RG et al - Apparently (as I've been told by 'locals'), the staircase of the old Bolshoi Kammeny Theater was not demolished & was incorporated into the construction of the Conservatory building. I've been in the Concervatory several times & can attest to the fact that there is an elegant staircase and landing, in stark contrast to the rather dowdy rest of the building. While the mustard-yellow Soviet-kitsch auditorium depresses, it's a joy to go up and down the Tsarist-Era staircase.

Nikita Dolgushin's Conservatory Ballet performs there, as well as occasional visitors, such as the Eifman troupe.

[rg]

St. Petersburg’s BOLSHOI KAMMENY Theater, 3 illus.

1] 18th c. watercolor – winter panorama of St. Petersburg dominated by the Bolshoi Theater

2] watercolor cross-section of Bolshoi Theater by its architect A. Rinaldi

3] black-and-white illustration of theater in warm weather

[Natalia]

Thanks for the lovely cards, RG. The entrance of the old building -- the facade that we clearly see in the 3rd postcard -- corresponds to the facade & entrance of the present Conservatory, so the location of the staircase makes sense.

The little kiosk that is here seen to the right of the facade, was close to the Griboyedov Canal.

The location of the Mariinsky would be to the left of the facade...way beyond, across the plaza....with facade of the Mariinsky facing the plaza. In other words, the facade of the Mariinsky faced the side of the Bolshoi (now Conservatory).

The artist of this 3rd postcard would have been sitting at the location of today's Consulate of Italy, for those of you who know that vicinity.

The canal shown on the 1st postcard is a different one, further south, which name escapes me. The area has really changed.

[rg]

two footnotes here:

i suspect the linked history of maryinsky/kirov theater has a mis-keyed date: i don't think the virsaladze change of the golovin's red, 1914 portal curtain scheme to blue came so late as 1952; i thought the rethinking dated from something more like '32.

and re: natalia's canal commentary, another illustration in the book from which the three bolshoi theater illustrations were taken shows a 19th c. aerial plan of the site for the bolshoi kammeny that includes the KRUKOV canal. maybe this is the name of the canal in question.

[ViolinConcerto]

You guys just blow me away with your depth and breadth of knowledge. I thank you for being so generous with it!

[Solor]

English language sources on the particulars of the imperial theaters are somewhat patchy.

Murray Frame’s THE ST. PETERSBURG IMPERIAL THEATERS: STAGE AND STATE IN REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA, 1900 – 1920, is helpful here and there as are both of Wiley’s books: TCHAIKOVSKY’S BALLETS and A CENTURY OF RUSSIAN BALLET. Ditto, Lynn Garafola’s “Studies in Dance History” issue entitled THE DIRARIES OF MARIUS PETIPA.

Another book with useful information on Russia’s ballet and opera theaters is Richard Taruskin’s DEFINING RUSSIA MUSICALLY.

A few details gleaned from such sources include the fact that Vsevolozhsky is responsible for moving the ballet from the Bolshoi Kammeny (as in 'grand stone' theater), which was then razed and replaced with the Conservatory (much to the regret of some vocal contemporaries of the Maryinsky). Now called the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, this building is still in place in St. Petersburg.

Previous to the move of the ballet to the Maryinsky, during the 1880s, the 1860 theater Cavos designed and christened for the Empress Maria Alexandrovna (nee Marie of Hesse) was the home of St. Petersburg’s Russian opera troupe (and repertory), and thus initially less fashionable than the home of Italian opera, the Bolshoi.

Petipa’s after-St.Leon VIVANDIERE would seem to be the first of his creations to be given at the Maryinsky. Thereafter several further Petipa ballets continued to be given at the Bolshoi. Petipa’s 1886 MAGIC PILLS seems to be ballet that marked the imperial troupe’s permanent move to the Maryinsky.

the attached postcard is a turn-of-the-20th-century souvenir of the Maryinsky sent in 1913.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanx RG -

Yes I to have both of those books by Wiley (BRAVO WILEY) as well as "Diaries of Marius Petipa", given to me by Ms. Garafola herself (her last copy I might add....the woman is awesome!) --- I just had to brag, as "Diaries" is so extraordinary

QUOTE -

"On the 29th of January 1849, a circus opened with a festive equestrian show in the hall built opposite the Bolshoi Theatre by the architect Albert Cavos. This building was designed so that it could accommodate theatrical performances.

Exactly ten years later, the circus caught fire and burnt down. This time the reconstructed building was designed purely for musical performances. The opera company of the Bolshoi Theatre was the first to be transferred here, followed by its ballet troupe.

The new theatre was opened on the 2nd of October 1860 with a performance of Glinka´s opera A Life for the Tsar. It was named the Mariinsky Theatre after Alexander II´s wife Maria. "

---So was the Mariinksy orignally built in 1849, but then it was damaged via the circus fire?? The way this is worded makes it a little unclear.......

[rg]

it would seem that today's maryinsky was built (and then had subsequent renovations/additions made) on the site of the original circus theater, which burnt to the ground, presumably, thus allowing a new structure to be built on the same site. court architect, albert cavos, was the father of camille cavos benois, and thus grandfather of aleksandr benois. (it seems this architect designed both the circus and the replacement, marysinsky theater.)