From the History of the Bolshoi Theatre

More than two hundred years ago (in 1776) a rich Moscow nobleman Prince (князь) Urusov asked the govern­ment for the privilege of founding a Russian theatre in Moscow. He said that he would erect a stone building for it within five years and that the building of the theatre would improve the appearance of the city, would make it more attrac­tive.

The privilege having been given, Prince Urusov organized the first company which consisted of serfs. It was the birth of the Moscow Opera House. But as the building of the theatre was not ready yet the performances for some years took place in different city halls.

In the meantime Prince Urusov and an En­glishman Michael Maddock bought a piece of land in Petrovkastreet in Moscow where the famous Bolshoi Theatre building is still standing today, although its facade has under­gone numerous changes and transformations.

However before the construction started Prince Urusov went bankrupt and the work was done by Maddock alone. Maddock was able to organize the work in such a way and he himself worked so hard that the building was finished in five months instead of five years as it had been first planned.

The official opening ceremony took place in December 1780.

In 1806 the theatre became a state property. But due to the fire which took place the same winter the building was completely destroyed. For nearly twenty years per­formances took place in various city houses and halls, including a specially built wooden building which was also destroyed when Napoleon's troops entered Moscow.

The new building completed in 1824 was more impressive than the old one, its interior being second only to the theatre in Milan.

Another fire in 1853 destroyed the theatre again, leaving nothing but the walls and the front colonnade. Three years later the necessary repairs were completed. Five tiers were added and the acoustics was greatly improved.

Bronze horses decorated the pediment. This is how the building looks today.

At the Bolshoy

BROWN: Look, who’s there! Hello, Mr Ivanov!

IVANOV: Hello, Mr Brown! It’s a small world! May I introduce you to my wife, Mr Brown? … Mary, this is Mr Brown, my old business friend.

MARY: How do you do, Mr Brown.

BROWN: How do you do, Mrs Ivanov. It’s a pleasure to meet you. …Well, a wonderful ballet, isn’t it?

MARY: Yes, it’s an excellent production.

BROWN: Who is the director?

MARY: I don’t know, but the scenery and costumes are beautiful.

BROWN: The cast is very good too. Who is dancing the main part tonight?

MARY: Maksimova. She is very popular. And what’s on at London theaters?

BROWN: Well, a bit of everything, you know. … Oh, here’s the bell! Let’s go to the hall. What are your seats?

MARY: We have seats in the dress circle. Where’s yours?

BROWN: Mine’s in the stalls.

IVANOV: Let’s meet after the performance, shall we?

BROWN: Yes, sure. We can have a drink together in the nearest café.

Look, who's there! О, кого я вижу; It's a small world! Мир тесен!; May I introduce... Позвольте представить...; It's a pleasure to meet you. Рад с вами познакомиться; excellent ['eksələnt] отличный; production постановка; director режиссер; scenery ['si:nəri] декорации; costumes костюмы; cast [ka:st] состав исполнителей; a bit of everything всего понемногу; here's the bell! звонок!; dress circle бельэтаж; the stalls [sto:lz] партер; to have a drink выпить

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