Mikhailovsky Ballet and Opera theatre backstage tour on 17 December 2018
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You have unique opportunity to get to know the behind-the-scene life of the
Mikhailovsky Theatre and discover its secrets. This backstage tour is completely
closed for general public, so we will make sure that you have an experience of a
lifetime. Accompanied by a Mikhailovsky Theatre special guide, you will visit
the theatre areas that are usually inaccessible to the public. You will be
allowed to visit the rehearsal rooms - its one of the most fantastic
parts of the tour. Backstage tour takes place when preparations are being made
for the evening's performance - dancers warming up and musicians
practicing. You will hear about the history of the theatre company and
Mikhailovsky Theatre building, about outstanding people of art who worked at the
Mikhailovsky Theatre - singer Feodor Chaliapin, composers Dmitry Shostakovich
and Sergei Prokofiev, choreographer Feodor Lopukhov. You will visit the
famous stage and see how a performance is engineered and how the scenery is
made. Also you will visit stage properties workshop and costume
area. Mikhailovsky backstage tour is really once in a lifetime
experiences. Duration: about 1 hour Number of visitors: from 2 to 15
More information
> In 2001, the Mikhailovsky Theatre got its original name back.
Year 2007 witnessed the revival of the Mikhailovsky Theatre; its magnificence
came back to Arts Square. Nowadays, the Theatre both keeps traditions and
introduces innovations.
General Director of the Theatre Vladimir Kekhman
initiated and sponsored the repair works in the building. Under Vladimir Kekhman
a constellation of famous artists appeared in the theatre: Elena
Obraztsova became the head of the Mikhailovsky Opera, Farukh
Ruzimatov took the lead of the Mikhailovsky Ballet Company. In May 2009,
Mikhail Messerer, the outstanding ballet repetiteur, took the position of Ballet
Mater in Chief. In June 2009, the Mikhailovsky Theatre started its cooperation
with Peter Feranec who was later appointed Music Director and
Principal Conductor of the Theatre. On 1 January 2011 the new Artistic
Director of the Mikhailovsky Ballet, the famous Spanish choreographer Nacho
Duato took the lead of the company. Nowadays Farukh
Ruzimatov and Elena Obraztsova continue their cooperation with the
Mikhailovsky Theatre as Artistic Advisors to General Director of the
Mikhailovsky Theatre. Famous ballet repetiteurs such as Nikita
Dolgushin, Alla Osipenko, Evgeny Popov, and Svetlana Efremova among many
others are responsible for the quality of the current repertoire. Leading
ballet masters of Europe and America such as Natalia Makarova, Jennifer Goube,
Gilbert Mayer, and Cyril Atanasoff hold master classes at the theatre. The
priorities of the repertoire policy of the Mikhailovsky Theatre are classical
masterpieces of Russian and European musical theatre. The Mikhailovsky Theatre
maintains the policy of introducing the public to the major opera and ballet
works of the 19th and 20th century. Special attention is paid to expanding
children repertoire.
The first performance on the stage of the Emperor the Musorgsky
Theatre, just built by the architect A.Brullov, took place 08 November
1833. The brilliantly suitable to the architectural ensemble of
Michailovskaya square building became the third Emperor stage in Saint
Petersburg. But differently from its neighbors - the Mariinsky and Alexandrovsky
theatres - this stage did not have its own troupe and definite repertoire and
genre tendency. Firstly the theatre building was mainly used as a concert hall.
But, to tell the truth, there were opera performances among drama performances
and musical comedies performed by the troupe of the Alexandrinsky theatre or
coming French and German actors. There were they who noted the necessity of
enlarging the sizes of stage and hall. Followed in 1859 rebuilding made the
inner shapes of the theatre similar to the requirements for scale opera and
ballet performances. until that moment when musical performances were constant
at Mikhailovsky stage, it was long time. The French drama troupe and the German
competitor. Seldom opera performances at Mikhailovsky stage were organized
mainly with the help of the Emperor Russian opera (the Mariinsky theatre). In
connection with the repairing of Mariinka in 1894 opera performances became
often, the tradition of every Sunday opera performances was set up, but later it
disappeared.
But The Great October Revolution changed the fortune of the
theatre a lot. After the French troupe leaving the Mikhailovsky stage, the
problem of forming the own theatre troupe. Under the initiative of
A.V.Lunacharsky the theatre was to be the second opera theatre in Petrograd.
"Born by revolution"-this title was the characteristics of a new opera troupe
for a long time which really became forming in 4 months after the establishment
of the Soviet power. The second birthday of the Mikhailovsky theatre is on 6
March 1918, and also of his opera troupe. That day the theatre opened its doors
again, "The Sevilla Barber" was presented to the spectators. But the birthday
can be called so very conditionally:The Mariinsky Theatre troupe continued its
performances on the stage of Michailovsky theater (but now the stage was state,
not Emperor). It‘s own orchestra. Chorus and mimance will appear only in he next
season, but the soloists (up to early 30‘s) will be from the Mariinsky theatre.
But a new theatre was born. What happened in nearest years was
great. A young theatre gained its own image, its aesthetic credo very soon. The
concentration on entertaining and comical material was reflected in a new title
that was gained by the theatre in 1920. The state Academic theatre of comical
opera. But the title was changed again very soon; since 1921 the theatre got the
name of Maly Academic Theatre, and since 1926 - Leningrad Academic Maly Opera
Theatre (Malegot for short). Malegot did not follow any genre restrictions in
its repertoire and staged both classical opera heritage and light operetta or
experimental modern compositions. By the mid 20‘s, during new economic politics
operetta started to prevail at stage. The second half of 20‘s was marked by
"modernism": turn to stict experimental samples of new opera art (opera of
E.Kshenek, E.Dressel, D.Shostakovich) - a phase afterwards estimated by critics
as "the furthest point of turning from realistic trend"), and now understood as
one of the brightest pages of Malegot‘s history, fully reflected all searches of
"gold" 20‘s. In 30‘s while setting up the concept of socialistic realism in
Soviet art the development of the theatre started its new period and for many
years it became the laboratory of Soviet opera. All mistakes and achievement the
theatre had with its epoch, it‘s rising and reflected the line of social and art
life quite exactly. The masterpieces that are famous now but some time ago
caused a lot of arguments and different opinions such as Shostacovich‘s "Nose"
and "Lady Macbeth of Mzensk uyezd" and Prokofiev‘s "War and Piece" are obliged
to Malegot by its staging birth.
S. Gaudasinsky, directed the theatre since 1981, could restore
the traditions of "the theatre a singer and actor", which Malegot was famous for
in the period of its coming-to-be. The everyday rehearsal work was directed by a
producer to working out vocal speech by actors. The chorus was completely
changed from undifferencial people into the mobile multifaced company of actors.
The stage of the theatre became a real school of actor art for soloists. The
repertoire politics of the theatre was also changed. The main strategic task was
to revive the opera theatre of Russian classics at the stage of Maly theatre.
One by one the opera masterpieces of Russian composer came back into the
repertoire: Musorgsky‘s "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshina", Chaikovsky‘s "Eugeny
Onegin" and "Queen of Spades", Rimsky-Korsakov‘s "Golden Cockerel" and "A tale
about Tsar Saltan", Borodin‘s "Grand Duke Igor". Russian opera became an
aesthetic credo of the theatre. The range of the task made the theatre to change
its name once again because the title "Maly" was not suitable for the theatre
stage ideas any more. Since 1989 Malegot became Saint-Petersburg Academic
Mussorgsky Opera and Ballet Theatre. The name of Musorgsky was not accidental.
The staging of "Boris Godunov" was the greatest and the most important success
of the theatre, promoting the renewing of Russian repertoire. At the same
time together with Russian classics the European opera including its modern
samples (M.Landovky‘s "Madman" and K.Michem‘s "Tartuf") and even operetta
continue living at opera stage (one of the last works of I.Strausss - "The Bat"
- is a light sample of creative diapason of the troupe). Even the most popular
opera compositions, such as Verdi‘s "Traviata" get here new sounding and
freshness.
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You can cancel or change the date of the backstage tour for any reason and receive a full 100% refund !
Cancellations and changes are possible up to 14 days (2 weeks) before the backstage tour date.
Please note that the tour should be bought in advance, it is best to buy it not later than 1 month before your visit. It is not possible to buy the tour in less than 1 week (7 days) before your visit.
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