The building of the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. A historical building in the classicist style, part of the architectural ensemble of Ostrovsky Square. It was built according to the design of K.I. Rossi in 1828-1832. It houses one of the oldest theaters in the country - the Russian State Academic Drama Theater named after. A. S. Pushkin.
On the site of the current Alexandrinsky Theater there was originally a vast garden of the Anichkov Palace, on the territory of which there was, among other things, a wooden theater pavilion - an Italian opera group performed in it. In 1801, the pavilion was rebuilt, creating the Maly Theater on its basis. Over time, the growing cultural needs of St. Petersburg required the construction of a new, larger and more convenient stone theater building. Therefore, in 1818, the territory cut off from the park of the Anichkov Palace was transferred to the management of the theater directorate.
The Alexandrinsky Theater was named after the wife of Emperor Nicholas I, Alexandra, who patronized this type of art. The design of the theater building was directly linked to the layout of the architectural ensemble of modern Ostrovsky Square (after the opening of the theater it also became known as Alexandrinskaya Square). K.I. Rossi made the theater the main element of the entire square. The massive building in the classical Empire style had its main façade facing Nevsky Prospekt and its back facing Zodchego Rossi Street.
The front of the Alexandrinsky Theater was decorated with a multi-columned loggia of the Corinthian order, and the side facades were decorated in the form of eight-column porticoes. The entire perimeter of the upper part of the building is occupied by a sculptural frieze with antique theatrical masks and laurel garlands. At the ends of the theater in special niches there are statues of muses - Terpsichore, Melpomene, Clio and Thalia, and the attic of the main facade is crowned with the famous quadriga of Apollo (a carriage drawn by four horses) - the work of S. S. Pimenov.
The interior decoration of the theater building is also striking in its splendor. The auditorium was designed according to a modern multi-tier system with boxes, an amphitheater and a stalls. The capacity of the hall was designed for 1,700 people. The interiors were decorated with velvet, gilded carvings and wall paintings.
The roof of the Alexandrinsky Theater was an interesting design - the innovative idea of using metal arched trusses with cast iron stops was first used in construction. Moreover, the author of such a roof arrangement was K.I. Rossi himself. Another technological innovation of the building was the installation of steam heating in the theater.
As a token of gratitude to the architect for creating such a masterpiece, after the opening of the theater, K. I. Rossi received the lifetime use of a box in the Alexandrinsky Theater, tickets for which he then often sold to wealthy citizens.
The building of the Alexandrinsky Theater is included in the Unified State Register of Objects cultural heritage(historical and cultural monuments) of Russia.
Note to tourists:
A tour of the building will be of interest to theater lovers who want to attend a performance, and to all other tourists interested in the architecture of the first half of the 19th century century, and can also become one of the points of the excursion program while exploring neighboring attractions -
Elizabeth appoints Russian playwright Alexander Sumarokov as director, and puts Fyodor Volkov, the creator of the first permanent Russian theater, at the head of the troupe. The repertoire of that time included plays by Denis Fonvizin, Yakov Knyazhnin, Vladimir Lukin, Jean Racine, Voltaire, Jean Baptiste Moliere and Pierre Beaumarchais.
The favor that the imperial court showed to the arts was difficult to underestimate, but in fact the affairs of the theater were in a disastrous state: in 1759, two thousand rubles were added for maintenance, and there was still not enough money. In addition, problems of a different sort arose. For example, on the eve of a performance, the director could receive a letter in which he was notified that “there will be no music from the Court, because the musicians played in a masquerade the day before and were tired.” Sumarokov raged, got angry, shook his hands angrily and... ran to look for other musicians.
Imperial Theater
At the time when the Empress decided to establish a theater, there was no room in the city in which the troupe could perform constantly, and therefore performances were shown in one place or another. The problem was solved in 1801, when the architect Vincenzo Brenna undertook the reconstruction of the wooden pavilion (which stood on the site of the current square) in which the Italian entrepreneur Antonio Casassi organized the Italian opera troupe.
Until 1801, the territory where the Alexandrinsky Theater now stands was part of the property of Colonel Anichkov, the builder of the bridge of the same name in St. Petersburg. However, subsequently the authorities bought this plot of land and gave it for the construction of a theater. The premises that the architect Brenna designed, of course, could not satisfy the growing needs of the young theater for a long time, but the unstable political situation, conflicts with Turkey and the Napoleonic War of 1812 pushed back the construction of the building for an unknown period.
When Alexander I returned to St. Petersburg after the war, the main expense of the royal treasury was the construction of the General Staff building. However, the architect Carl Rossi, despite the refusal to build the theater, as if jokingly, creates his own project, simultaneously remodeling the interiors of the Anichkov Palace.
It was decided to implement Rossi’s project in 1825, when Nicholas I ascended the throne. First, a plan was came up for the emperor to rebuild the square in front of the Grand Duke’s palace, which was approved on April 5, 1828, and the next day a Commission was created “to build a stone theater and behind of two buildings."
Alexandrinsky Theater and monument to Catherine II. Photo by n. XX century.
The secret of the blue upholstery of the hall
Despite the fact that the Alexandrinsky Theater was and remains one of the most majestic buildings in the city, a full-fledged design project for the hall was never fully implemented. Rossi wanted the halls to be more elegant, and wood carvings and artistic painting replaced with elements made of bronze and copper. Alas, the precarious financial situation of the state, drained of blood by the war and the lack of funds that went to the needs of the army, did not allow the imagination of the great architect to unfold to the full extent of his talent.
Petersburg. Alexandrinsky Theater.
Fragment of a lithograph by P. Ivanov based on Fig. V. S. Sadovnikova. 1830—1835
When they began upholstering the auditorium, Nicholas I announced that he wanted only red to be used. However, the cunning Rossi, who saw other images and colors before him, announced to the emperor that such fabric was not available, and if he waited for its purchase, it would not be possible to open the theater on time. So Rossi, not by battle, but by cunning, won his right to use the color blue.
The theater's auditorium has 1,378 seats. The carvings of the royal box and some boxes near the wall have been preserved to this day. A distinctive feature of the Alexandrinsky Theater is its excellent acoustics: from any place in the auditorium, every whisper uttered by an actor from the stage can be clearly heard, which significantly enhances the impression of the performance.
The grand opening of the theater took place on September 12, 1832. That day, the performance opened with the tragedy “Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow” and “Spanish divertissement, that is, various Spanish dances,” as they wrote in the capital and Moscow press.
Alexandrinsky Theater. Photo late XIX century.
The theater was named after the wife of Emperor Nicholas I, Alexandra Feodorovna, who participated in the development of the design of boxes and rotundas. Although the name was euphonious, it was rarely possible to hear it from St. Petersburg residents. The word “Alexandrinka” became a kind of sign of involvement in the world of art, which St. Petersburg residents used in conversations, emphasizing their significance with this word and thereby seeming to become closer to the theater.
During the construction of the Alexandrinsky Theater, the architect C. Rossi used cast iron ceilings, which was an innovation for theatrical architecture. The emperor, having learned about this, ordered the work to be suspended and invited the architect to his place. In a conversation with Rossi, he doubted the strength of such cast iron structures. The architect, confident in his project, allegedly swore to the emperor that he would vouch for the success of the construction: if the theater vault suddenly collapsed, let him be publicly hanged from the rafters of the building! This answer satisfied the emperor, and he allowed construction to continue.
Alexandrinsky Theater. Photographer E. Yuar. 1856
Carl Rossi's embarrassment
When the theater was ready, the king and his subjects were very pleased with the result. As a token of gratitude, Rossi was given lifelong use box No. 14 of the second tier. at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
However, on January 14, 1837, the director of the imperial theaters, Alexander Gedeonov, asks to report on his arrival to the Minister of the Court and, somewhat embarrassed, says: “Mr. Rossi asked the directorate if she would like to take this box away from him, and pay him money for it. Due to the unknown whether Mr. Rossi still has the right to make such a transfer of a lodge without special permission... I did not dare to accept his proposals.” Gedeonov also reported that the box is never empty: “various people from the audience” appear at almost all performances and, of course, they are allowed in, since they have a ticket issued by Rossi. Later, through observations, it became known that on the day of the performance a special person is sent to the theater, who, standing in the corridor, sells tickets to the box. This man was repeatedly warned and was even caught once while committing a “deal” and warned that next time he would be taken to the police. Despite this, at the evening performance seven people were allowed into the box, between whom a quarrel and a fight broke out. During the investigation by the police, it turned out that among those sitting in that box were nobles, officials, as well as serfs.
Portrait of Karl Ivanovich Rossi.
Needless to say, the enterprising architect decided to earn a little extra money from the fine arts and put the profit in his pocket. After this incident, Rossi was announced that another such incident would result in the loss of his ticket. The 62-year-old architect agreed with the reasonableness of the argument and no longer sold tickets.
Departure from the Alexandrinsky Theater. Lithograph by R. K. Zhukovsky. 1843
Golden Age of Theater
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the theater became the main entertainment of the nobility and the subject of special attention from the emperor. The repertoire was dominated by plays of an official or entertaining nature. The action unfolded on stage with elements of external splendor, pomp and magnificent effects. This period of the theater is characterized by an appeal to serious social themes, to the vaudeville genre and the attraction of outstanding Russian actors to the theater: Nikolai Duras, Varvara Asenkova, Andrei Karatygin, Ivan Sosnitsky.
Scene from the play “It shines, but does not warm” Engravings based on drawings by K. Broz. 1880
In the second half of the 19th century, a troupe was formed in the theater associated with the names of Vladimir Davydov, Maria Savina, Pyotr Svobodin, Varvara Strelskaya, Vasily Dalmatov, Polina Strepetova, and then Vera Fedorovna Komissarzhevskaya herself. Then in The theater staged for the first time the plays “Woe from Wit” by Griboedov, “The Inspector General” by Gogol and “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky.
The decline of the old school
The crisis of the old school in the theater was revealed in 1896, when it was decided to stage the play “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov. At rehearsals, and later at the premiere itself, outdated production principles, a lack of modern direction and flexibility among the artists, who saw in the play just an original comedy and that’s all, became obvious. The performance, despite the talented and reverent performance of the role of young Nina Komissarzhevskaya, failed, and the actress herself soon left Alexandrinka to open her own Drama Theater on Italianskaya street.
V. F. Komissarzhevskaya - Varya. "Savage" by A. N. Ostrovsky and N. Ya. Solovyov. 1898
A turning point in the life of the theater was the arrival in 1908 of director Vsevolod Meyerhold, who tried to summarize the best traditions of the theater and achieve the unity of all elements stage action. This is how the performances “Don Juan”, “The Thunderstorm” and “Masquerade” appear on stage. The play "Masquerade", staged in the days preceding the revolution, began to be perceived as a "premonition of the death of the autocracy."
A turning point in the life of the theater was the arrival of director Vsevolod Meyerhold in 1908. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / FlorsteinState Drama Theater named after A. S. Pushkin
After February 1917, the theater, like many other state institutions, was first subjected to devastating criticism, in which the words “liquidation of the old world of bourgeois art” were the most diplomatic and moderate, and then, in 1920, it was reorganized and began to be called the “Petrograd State academic theater dramas." The repertoire in the theater, as one would expect, was “class-correct” - the life of peasants, the red color of the revolution, slogans and leaders became indispensable attributes of the new theater.
In the first years of Soviet power, Maxim Gorky’s plays “The Bourgeois” and “At the Lower Depths” were performed on stage, and performances were staged based on the works of Friedrich Schiller, Alexander Ostrovsky, Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw, Alexei Tolstoy and Dmitry Merezhkovsky. In 1920, a philosophical play by the future People's Commissar of Education of the RSFSR Anatoly Lunacharsky, Faust and the City, was staged.
From 1922 to 1928, the head of the artistic department of the theater was Yuri Yuryev, who, to the best of his ability, managed to protect the theater from the penetration of philistine repertoire into it. During this period, in the theater troupe, along with the old masters - Ekaterina Korchagina-Alexandrovskaya, Vera Michurina-Samoilova, artists of the new generation worked - Natalya Rashevskaya, Elena Karyakina, Leonid Vivien, Yakov Malyutin and others.
Since 1920, the theater began to be called the “State Drama Theater” (or “Ak-drama” - from “academic”), and in 1937 the theater was named after A. S. Pushkin.
Scenes from the play "Masquerade" by M. Yu. Lermontov. 1926
During the Great Patriotic War The theater operated in Novosibirsk and during these years the performances “Front”, “Russian People”, “Invasion” appeared on the stage. In the fall of 1944, the theater resumed work in Leningrad.
In the late 40s - early 50s, the development of theater was hampered by the then popular principles of leveling and idealization historical figures, however, even in these years significant performances were staged on stage: “The Winners” by Boris Chirskov and “Life in Bloom” by Alexander Dovzhenko.
The name “Alexandrinsky” was returned to the theater only in 1990. Now the artistic director of the theater has been Valery Fokin for 11 years.
Of course, like any theater of this scale, Alexandrinka is a mysterious place. It was erected on the site of the Hare Marshes and the former Italian theater. Previously it was connected by underground passages to neighboring buildings. The inside is more like a labyrinth - there is a known case when one of the actors, who had previously worked in Alexandrinka for 30 years, could not leave the theater for several hours.
Building Alexandrinsky Theater, created K.I. Rossi, is one of the most characteristic and outstanding architectural monuments Russian classicism. It plays a dominant role in the ensemble of Ostrovsky Square.
As a result of the redevelopment of the Anichkov Palace estate in 1818, a vast city square arose between the Public Library and the Anichkov Palace garden. For more than 10 years, from 1816 to 1827, Rossi developed a number of projects for the reconstruction and development of this square, which included the construction of city theater. The final version of the project was approved on April 5, 1828. Construction of the theater began in the same year. On August 31, 1832, its grand opening took place.
The theater faces the square (Teatralnaya) deep multi-column loggia, the space of which is, as it were, part of the current Ostrovsky Square. At the same time, the side facades are emphasized eight-column porticos), the through galleries of which allow you to go around the building and enter Teatralnaya (now the Street of the Architect of Russia) street, the perspective of which is closed over the entire width by the rear, almost flat, but richly decorated facade) of the theater. The main decorative decoration of the theater building is an expressive sculptural frieze with antique theatrical masks and garlands of laurel branches at the level of Corinthian capitals), statues of muses in niches on the end facades and a magnificent quadriga of Apollo on the attic) of the main facade (sculptors IN AND. Demut-Malinovsky, S.S. Pimenov, A. Triscorni, I. Leppe).
The Alexandrinsky Theater was built according to the most advanced technology for its time multi-tiered box system with an amphitheater) and a spacious stalls) (capacity - over a thousand people. The interiors of the theater have largely retained the original decoration. The five-tier auditorium with 1,700 seats is distinguished by good proportions and excellent acoustics. Its decoration is solemn and elegant. The original blue upholstery was replaced in 1849 by crimson. The gilded carving of the central ("Royal") box and the boxes near the stage was made according to drawings by Rossi, the ornament on the barriers of the tiers is later (2nd half of the 19th century). The decoration of the auditorium was complemented by a wonderful perspective pictorial ceiling (art. A.K. Whigs), later replaced.
K.I. Rossi in collaboration with an engineer M.E. Clark for the first time in the history of construction technology, original systems were created metal structures. The roof rests on 27 iron arched trusses with cast iron parts with a span of 29.8 m. The internal longitudinal walls serve as supports for 18 lower arched trusses that carry the attic floor and suspended ceiling) above the auditorium. The tiers of boxes are supported by cast iron brackets. The ceiling above the stage is a system of triangular trusses with a span of 10.76 m, supported by cast iron consoles and struts. K.I. Rossi, despite the inert official circles, was completely confident in the strength of the metal structure he proposed, and therefore in one of his reports he wrote: “... in the event that... some misfortune occurred from the construction of metal roofs, then as an example for others, let me be hanged this very hour from one of the rafters of the theater."
The building of the Alexandrinsky Theater, created K.I. Russia, is one of the best in terms of beauty of interiors and majesty of appearance.
History of the Alexandrinsky Theater
In 1801, a wooden theater was built in the gardens of Colonel Anichkin for performances by the Italian opera troupe. Due to the growing popularity of this art form, the building soon ceased to satisfy the demands of the public, so a decision was made to build a new one. The implementation of the idea was delayed by several military conflicts, including the war with Napoleon. In 1818, the gardens were significantly narrowed, resulting in a vast area given over to the construction of a new theater.
The famous architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi spent eleven years developing a project for the development of the resulting area. In April 1828, the final version was finally approved, which included a new stone theater. The process was significantly delayed due to the architect's ambitious plans.
The innovative approach he planned to take in constructing the building was met with distrust by officials. Rossi used a metal floor system developed with engineer Clark, which included original steel structures for the roof, floors and balconies. One of the documents preserves the words of the architect that he agreed to be hanged from the rafters if his original solution caused misfortune. As a result, he managed to defend his innovation and four years after the start of construction, it was built new theater, striking in its size and splendor.
Architecture and decoration of the Alexandrinsky Theater
The main facade of the building from Nevsky Prospekt faces Ostrovsky Square. An original solution for St. Petersburg - a loggia with six massive Corinthian columns - replaces the traditional portico in the ancient Greek style. The wall of the lower floor, decorated with rustication, serves as a visual support for the colonnade, behind which there is a rhythmic line of arched windows. On both sides of the loggia there are shallow niches with statues of Melpomene and Terpsichore. The composition is completed by a sculptural frieze encircling the building. Above the attic of the main façade, decorated with sculptures, is installed one of the symbols of St. Petersburg - the quadriga of Apollo.
Despite its advanced age, a significant part of the interior decoration has been preserved today. After replacing the smoky blue upholstery in 1849 and updating the painting of the lampshades, they remained virtually unchanged. The carvings of the royal box and those closest to the stages and the gilded panels installed later on the barriers of the tiers remained unchanged.
Alexandrinsky Theater is the oldest national theater Russia. It was established by a Senate Decree signed by the daughter of Peter the Great, Empress Elizabeth, on August 30, 1756, the day of St. Alexander Nevsky. It is this theater that is the progenitor of all Russian theaters, and the date of its foundation is the birthday of the Russian Professional Theater. The establishment of the theater served as the beginning of state policy Russian state in area theatrical arts.
Russian state theater drama has served as an attribute of Russian statehood for two and a half centuries. In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries it was the main imperial theater, the fate of which was occupied by the Russian emperors.
Since 1832, the Russian State Drama Theater received a magnificent building in the center of Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg, designed by the great architect Karl of Russia. This building was named the Alexandrinsky Theater (in honor of the wife of Emperor Nicholas I, Alexandra Fedorovna) and since then the name of the Alexandrinsky Theater has been inextricably linked with the world history of performing arts.
It was here, at the Alexandrinsky Theater, that the premieres of almost all works of Russian dramatic classics took place, from “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboyedov to plays by A. N. Ostrovsky and A. P. Chekhov. The Alexandrinsky Theater is a textbook on the history of Russian theatrical art. It was on this stage that famous Russian actors played - from V. Karatygin and A. Martynov to N. Simonov, N. Cherkasov, V. Merkuryev, I. Gorbachev, B. Freundlich. This stage was decorated with the talents of famous Russian actresses from E. Semenova, M. Savina (founder of the Union of Theater Workers of Russia), V. Komissarzhevskaya to E. Korchagina-Alexandrovskaya, E. Time, N. Urgant. Today, such artists as S. Parshin, V. Smirnov, N. Burov, N. Marton, I. Volkov, A. Devotchenko, S. Smirnova, I. Voznesenskaya, M. Kuznetsova, K. Petrova and etc.
Great theater directors Vs. Meyerhold, L. Vivien, G. Kozintsev, G. Tovstonogov, N. Akimov worked in the theater. Today the Alexandrinsky Theater is led by a famous director, National artist Russia, State Prize laureate Valery Fokin. The performances of the Alexandrinians were included in all world theater encyclopedias. Great artists A. Benois, K. Korovin, A. Golovin, N. Altman, outstanding composers A. Glazunov, D. Shostakovich, R. Shchedrin collaborated with the theater.
Academician D.S. Likhachev has repeatedly said and written that the Alexandrinsky Theater “is truly a national treasure of Russia.”