The Mussorgsky Theatre

The Mussorgsky Opera House is St. Petersburg’s second largest musical stage, whose repertoire includes world classics of opera and ballet. Among the works in the programme are Borodin’s “Prince Igor”, Verdi’s “La Traviata”, “Otello” and “Requiem”, Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville, Bizet’s “Carmen” and Prokofiev’s ballet “Cinderella”.

Designed and constructed by the prominent architect Alexander Brullov between 1831 to 1933, the Mussorgsky Theatre was originally named Mikhailovsky Theatre in honour of Emperor Nicholas I’s brother. Built in Mikhailovsky Square, its architecture was in keeping with the surrounding buildings, and became the third Emperor stage in St. Petersburg.

The difference between this stage the other two of the Mariinsky and Alexandrovsky theatres of the time, was that the theatre did not have its own troupe and repertoire. The theatre was mainly used as a concert hall, with occasional performaces of opera, drama and comedy by the troupe of the Alexandrinsky theatre. In 1859 re-building work commenced after it became evident that the stage and hall required enlarging to allow for the requirements of large scale opera and ballet. This allowed for a French and German drama troupe to perform at the stage more frequently. During the repairing of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1894, the Mikhailovsky Theatre was used by the troupe, and the tradition of opera every Sunday was established, but later disappeared.

The fortune of the Makhailovsky Theatre changed after the October Revolution, with the French drama troupe leaving, leaving the theatre with the problem of forming its own troupe. Under the leadership of A. V. Lunacharsky, the theatre was to become the second opera theatre in Petrograd. Four months after the establishment of the Soviet Union, a new opera troupe was formed, known by the name “Born by Revolution”. On the 6th March 1918, the theatre re-opened its doors again as a State theatre with a performance of Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”. It was not until the second season that the theatre established its own orchestra, with the Mariinsky Theatre still providing support with soloists up until the early 1930’s. But this was enough for the birth of a new theatre.

The new theatre gained its own image concentrating on entertaining and comical material, resulting in its name changing to “The Sate Academic Theatre of Comical Opera” in 1920. However, this name did not stay long when in 1921 it became known as the “Maly Academic Theatre” and then followed in 1926 with a name change to “Leningrad Academic Maly Opera Theatre”.

The theatre did not restrict is repertoire in anyway, performing classical opera and light operetta or even experimental modern compositions. During the mid 1920’s the stage started to perform more new economic political operetta. By the latter half of the 1920’s the stage was performing more “modern” experimental forms of opera from composers such as E. Kshenekk, E. Dressel and D. Shostakovich.

During the 1930’s the theatre became a testing ground for Soviet opera development. During this time many of its premiering of performance caused arguments and difference of opinion, but produced famous pieces such as Shostakovich’s “Nose” and “Lady Macbeth of Mzensk Uyezd” and Prokofiev’s “War and Piece”.

In 1981 a new director, S. Gaudasinsky restored the traditions of a singer and actor theatre. The everyday rehearsal work allowed the theatre to become a real school of actor art and soloists. The politics of the theatre repertoire were also changed to revive the old opera theatre of Russian classics. One by one the masterpieces of Russian composers were added back into the repertoire including Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshina”, Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” and “Queen of Spades”, Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Golden Cockerel” and “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” and Borodin’s “Prince Igor”. Russian opera became an important part of the theatre.

With all this change, the theatres name was no longer appropriate for the repertoire, and so in 1989 the theatre became known as “The St. Petersburg Academic Mussorgsky Opera and Ballet Theatre”. The name Mussorgsky in the name was not accidental; it followed the greatest and most important success of the theatre in staging “Boris Godunov”, which promoted and renewed the theatres repertoire of Russian masterpieces. At the same time, the theatre staged European opera and even operetta.