Mariinsky Theatre
Listed under Entertainment in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Mariinsky Theatre (Russian: Мариинский театр, also spelled Maryinsky Theatre) was opened in 1860 and so began a war between it and the Bolshoi in Moscow for which is Russia's pre-eminent opera and ballet theatre. Both theatres claim to have staged the first production of Swan Lake, but the Mariinsky definitely premiered some important works by Tchikovsky, Glinka, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, and it also premiered many of Petipa's choreographic masterpieces, including The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The theatre is home to the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Companies and the Mariiansky Orchestra, nee Kirov, and has been the home theatre of many great performers including Anna Pavlova, Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Vaslav Nijinsky and Natalia Makarova.
The theatre's name comes from Empress Maria Alexandrovna whose bust is in the foyer as a reminder.
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can we have a guided tour of the Mariinsky Theatre
can we have a guided tour of the Mariinsky Theatre while we are in
St Petersburg in mid September 2010?. We will be staying at the Grand hotel Europe for 5 days.
2 Replies
The Mariinsky website has a virtual tour if that helps: www.mariinsky.ru/en/about/history_teatre/virtual
There are several tour companies that offer packages including a backstage tour of the theatre, however it might be easiest for you to go though the theatre itself: mariinsky.rt.com/contacts.html