The Mariinsky Theatre

St Petersburg contains many important cultural and historical sites, but the ones whose unmistakable presence is still felt today is the Mariinsky Theatre. This is the home of the Russian Opera and Ballet, famous for delivering the most memorable composers, singers and dancers. Ballet, the art form of the Russian Tsars, has always enjoyed popularity in St. Petersburg, when elsewhere its popularity had been in decline. The Mariinsky Theatre has impacted the cultural history of St. Petersburg and that of Russia through its ‘legends’, the famous creators, composers and dancers that blossomed on its stage.

The Imperial Opera and Ballet Theatre was founded in 1783 at the request of Catherine the Great as a home for developing arts, opera and ballet, although an Italian ballet troupe had performed at the imperial court since the early 18th Century.

A permanent building designed by Antonio Rinaldi for the company of opera and ballet artists was opened in 1783. This building was known as the Imperial Kamenny Theatre of the Bolshoi Theatre of Saint Petersburg, and was situated on Theatre Square. In 1836, the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre was reconstructed by Albert Cavos. In 1849, an Equestrian circus was opened on Theatre Square, built from wood in the neo-Byzantine style.

However the circus burnt down 10 years later and Cavos built an opera and ballet house on the site with the largest stage in the world. The theatre had an Italian U-shaped auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,625, and was named Mariinsky after the Tsar Alexander II’s wife, Maria. On its opening on the 2nd October 1860, it impressed audiences with its majestic facade and luxurious interior, including light-blue plush velvet seats, crystal chandeliers and gilt and white panelling.

The shear size of the new stage called for ever more spectacular and extravagant productions, revolutionising the ballet world. The outdated Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre was demolished in 1890’s to make way for the St. Petersburg Conservatory which turned out numerous famous composers.

In 1886 the Imperial Ballet and the Imperial Opera were relocated to the Mariinsky Theatre at the request of the theatre director Ivan Vsevolozhsky. In 1847 a Frenchman by the name of Marius Petipa, came to St. Petersburg as a dancer and trained under the former ballet-masters Perrot and St. Leon, and became the first ballet-master to the Tsar in 1869 until 1903. Petipa gave St. Petersburg ballet the structure it lacked and single-handedly created the corps de ballet. The renowned choreographer, Petipa, created 46 original ballets and revived 17 over his career at the Mariinsky. Some of his most memorable masterpieces came from his collaboration with the composer Tchaikovsky, giving us The Sleeping Beauty in 1890, The Nutcracker in 1892 and Swan Lake in 1895. Other famous ballets included Le Corsaire, La Bayadere, Don Quixote and Raymonda. Petipa was renowned for creating entire ballets and characters for certain dancers during his career as ballet-master, making famous such celebrated dancers a Pavel Gerdt, Mathilde Kschessinska and Anna Pavlova.

The Mariinsky’s success of exceptional ballet can be accounted for by its strict regime at the ballet school. Acceptance to the school was so rigorous that only 6 to 10 of every hundred applicants were admitted. The dancers were especially picked from a young age for their stamina, body shape and musical knowledge. The Mariinsky also had a tradition of keeping its best dancers on as teachers after their careers, perpetuating a cycle of ever-increasing talent.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, ballet went through a difficult time. The Mariinsky Theatre lost its imperial sponsors and many of its dancers left due to hardships. In 1935 the name was changed to the Kirov Theatre, after the death of the revolutionary, Sergei Kirov. The theatre faced many challenges during this time, but managed to keep the traditions preserved. In the 1920’s the great dance teacher Agrippina Vaganova fought to keep the traditions of her beloved classical ballet and the traditions of Marius Petipa alive. The theatre was badly damaged during the Siege of Leningrad, and most of the ballet work, including dancers, sets and costumes were evacuated from the city.