The Bolshoi Theatre

On March 28, 1776 - 240 years ago - Empress Catherine II granted Maddox and Urusov a royal 'privilege' (or license), granting them permission to organise public entertainment. And so the Bolshoi was born...

On December 30, 1780, Maddox and Urusov opened the ‘Petrovsky’ theatre to house their new company, so named because it stood on Petrovka Street in central Moscow.

The Petrovsky Theatre, which was built in record quick time – less than six months – was the first public theatre building of such grandeur and beauty to be erected in Moscow.

However, the financial burden of such a project soon weighed on the partners. By the time the theatre opened, Urusov had already ceded his business rights to Maddox. And Maddox too would go on to face debts and financial hardship. By 1796 his royal 'privilege' to run a theatre had expired, and so both the Petrovsky and its debts were transferred into government hands.

But all was not lost for the upstart English tightrope walker: the Empress Maria Feodorovna gifted Maddox a life-long pension of 3,000 roubles in gratitude to his service to the Russian theatre.

But once again disaster struck this Moscow monument. After operating for 30 years, the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theatre was again hit by a fire in 1853. The fire ravaged the structure for three days, burning everything from musical instruments and costumes, to the stone structure itself!

The rebuilding and restoration of the Bolshoi to its former glory began almost immediately under the watchful eye of architect Alberto Cavos (1800-1863).

Within just three years his restoration work was completed - finished quickly so that it could host Emperor Alexander II’s coronation celebrations. And, despite its various disasters and pitfalls, this is largely the structure that still stands today

This chandelier was originally composed of 300 oil lamps, which had to be lit by hand from a secret opening in the circular ceiling.

Taking its cue from the style of 19th-century Italian theatres, the Bolshoi - with its lavish gilt interior and red velvet draperies - is as alluring as the great theatres dotted across Europe, from La Fenice in Venice to the Palais Garnier in Paris.

The Bolshoi is a masterpiece of theatre design. Its architecture has been molded by adversity - with each consecutive architect adding another page to the story of this remarkable building.

The Bolshoi Theatre at night in 1970.

On December 7, 1919 the theatre changed its name from the 'Imperial Bolshoi Theatre' to the 'State Academic Bolshoi Theatre'.

As a symbol of Imperial excess and bourgeois entertainment, for a long time the new Communist state debated closing the Bolshoi’s doors permanently. But instead, the Bolshoi was incorporated into the new political order, playing host to Soviet meetings and events.

Detail of sketch of the curtain of the Bolshoi Theatre, by Fyodor Fyodorovich Fyodorovsky, 1952.

Indeed, it was from the Bolshoi Theatre stage that the formation of a new country – the USSR – was proclaimed.

After a period of steady decay, the Bolshoi theatre was closed for repairs and renovations in the spring of 1941. But, just two months later, Moscow was invaded by the Nazis.

The Bolshoi Theatre Company parted ways, with performers evacuated, joining the Red Army, or entertaining the troops - although some also remained, continuing to give performances in Moscow.

Later that year, a German bomb would fall on the Bolshoi Theater itself. But this was no match for the hardy Bolshoi! Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it once again resisted destruction. Despite the continuing war, it was renovated and re-opened again by 1943.

Here's to the next 240 years!