Mariinsky Theatre
Categories: Theaters in Russia | Saint Petersburg
The Mariinsky Theatre (In Russian, Мариинский Театр), known as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1934-92, is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in St Petersburg. Since Konstantin Sergeyev's retirement in 1988, the theatre has been run by Valery Gergiev.
The imperial opera and ballet theatre was established in 1783 on behest of Catherine the Great. Its famous Neo-Byzantine building was designed by Albert Kavos (son of the opera composer Caterino Kavos) and completed by 1859. The following year, the imperial theatre was named Mariinsky after the ruling empress Maria Alexandrovna.
The theatre hosted premieres of all the operas by Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. World premieres of the ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Spartacus were also produced there.
The imperial and Soviet theater was the home of numerous great impresarios, conductors, and musicians. Its ballet school spawned careers of Mathilde Kschessinska, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Galina Ulanova, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
In 2003, the postmodernist architect Dominique Perrault won a much publicized contest to design a new building for the theatre, which would be situated side by side with the old one.