Russia’s Bolshoi Theater reopens after 6 years of reconstruction

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Bolshoi Theater, one of the main landmarks of the Russian capital and a symbol of Russian culture, reopened on Friday, October 28, after six years of reconstruction with a gala concert attended by members of the Russian and international beau monde, RIA Novosti reports.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev were among the guests for Friday’s performance at Russia’s main ballet and opera house.

The Bolshoi Theater, built in 1825, closed for reconstruction in 2005. The reconstruction was initially scheduled for completion in 2008, but the project has been marred by repeated delays as well as a misappropriation scandal.

The Russian government spent 21 billion rubles ($681 million) on the restoration, which involved more than 3,600 designers, builders and engineers.

Friday’s gala concert began with a performance reproducing the restoration work. Artists dressed in builders’ uniforms and helmets performed the final scene from Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar opera.

The acoustics have been improved significantly. The renovated theater has a back stage, extra foyers and cafeterias, and underground premises for storing stage decorations. The work has created an extra 50,000 sq meters of space in the building.