The first building of the theater was built on the right bank of It turned out to be very convenient: in the building there were galleries
the river Neglinka. It went out into Petrovka Street, hence the for the passage of spectators, stairs leading to tiers, corner and side
theater got its name - Petrovsky (later it will be called the Old halls for rest, and spacious dressing rooms. The huge auditorium
Petrovsky Theater). Its opening took place on December 30, accommodated over two thousand people. The orchestra pit was
1780. The solemn prologue “The Wanderers”, written by A. deepened. For the time of masquerades, the floor of the stalls was
Alesimov, and the great pantomimic ballet “The Magic raised to the level of the front stage, the orchestra pit was covered
School”, staged by L. Paradis to the music of J. Starzer, were with special shields, and a beautiful “dance floor” was obtained.
given. Then the repertoire was formed mainly from Russian
and Italian comic operas with ballets and individual ballets.
The building of the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater lasted almost 30 years.
But the same sad fate befell him: on March 11, 1853 a fire broke out in
On January 6, 1825, the grand opening of the new Petrovsky the theater, which lasted three days and destroyed everything he
Theater took place - much more than the lost old one, and could. Theatrical machines, costumes, musical instruments, notes,
therefore called Bolshoi Petrovsky. The prologue entitled “The decorations burned down ... The building itself was almost completely
Celebration of the Muses” written in verse (M. Dmitriev), destroyed, of which only the burnt stone walls and the columns of the
performed with choirs and dances to music by A. Alyabyev, A. portico remained.
Verstovsky and F. Scholz, as well as the ballet “Sandrillon”,
performed by dancer and choreographer F. .AT. Gulen-Sora Three prominent Russian architects took part in the competition for the
to the music of her husband F. Sora. The muses triumphed restoration of the theater. He won his professor at the St. Petersburg
over the fire that destroyed the old theater building and, led Academy of Arts, the chief architect of the imperial theaters Albert
by the Genius of Russia, whose role was played by the twenty- Kavos. He specialized mainly in theater buildings, well versed in
five-year-old Pavel Mochalov, resurrected a new temple of art theatrical technology and in the design of multi-tiered theaters with a
from the ashes. And although the theater was really very stage-box and with Italian and French types of boxes.
large, it could not accommodate everyone. Emphasizing the
importance of the moment and condescending to the Recovery work was progressing rapidly. In May 1855 the dismantling of
experiences of the suffering, the triumphal presentation was the ruins was completed and the reconstruction of the building began.
repeated in its entirety the next day. And in August 1856, it had already opened its doors to the public. This
speed was due to the fact that construction had to be completed for
The new theater, which even exceeded the size of the capital, the celebrations of the coronation of Emperor Alexander II. The Bolshoi
St. Petersburg's Big Stone Theater, was distinguished by its Theater, which was practically rebuilt and with very significant changes
monumental grandeur, proportionality of proportions, harmony in comparison with the previous building, opened on August 20, 1856
of architectural forms and richness of interior decoration. with the opera “Puritans” by V. Bellini.