It is known as the most famous and dignified theater in Russia “Bolshoi Theatre”. The theater consists of 2 stages, “Historic Stage” and “New Stage”, which are separate theaters.
This time, I watched <<La Sylphide>> in New Stage, and it was a famous hall in Russia, so the elegant and refined interior was good!
But the ballet, which is the most important, is so terrible that I’m surprised at both dance and music! It was such a performance that I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears to see if it was that “Bolshoi” …。
※This article was written before the virus scandal. This will be updated.
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Another Bolshoi Theatre
The ballet “Bolshoi Theatre” is held in central Moscow, Russia. It’s about 500 meters north of Red Square.
Standing in front of the plaza with a fountain is the Historic Stage building built in 1825. It is a huge theater with a capacity of 2150 seats. The so-called “Bolshoi Theatre” refers to this theater.
Looking sideways at Historic Stage, I visited the theater New Stage next to it. Go up the stairs on the left towards the Historic building, and the cream-colored building on the left is New Stage.
The Bolshoi Theater New Stage was completed in 2002. It was built to replace Historic Stage, a theater that underwent major repairs between 2005 and 2011.
Actually, I wanted to see it at Historic, but unfortunately, I gave up this time because the performance schedule didn’t match …。
Purchase tickets from the official website
Also, I bought this ticket from the official website of the Bolshoi Theater. New Stage can be purchased just like Historic Stage.
HP supports English switching, and you can select any performance from “What’s on” on the ground menu at the top of the screen. To purchase a ticket, you need to create an account, but you only need to write your name, email address and phone number.
An e-ticket with a bar code will be issued, so you can go to the theater with it on the day!
However, this time, when I brought my smartphone PDF without printing the ticket, I was told to exchange it for a real ticket at the ticket office right by the entrance.
I don’t know why I was made to do such a troublesome thing because the actual ticket information was printed on A4 paper. …。
Entrance Lobby and Bar
Now, if you go inside, there is an entrance lobby, and there are toilets, cloakrooms, etc.
The program is also on sale and costs 300 RUB. It is a magnificent 100 page booklet, but the contents are mostly written in Russian.
There are seats and foyers on the upper floor, but at the back of this entrance lobby, there is a fairly wide bar, and this seems to be the main social hall. There were many counters, so there was not much congestion even during the break.
The menu is mainly alcohol, and there are many kinds such as several brands of champagne! There are 2 types of champagne “Moechan”, yellow and pink, which are familiar at the airport lounge, and “Veuve Clicquot”, and the price is 2100 RUB for 150 ml glass each.
There seems to be “Dom Peri” but it is not served in a glass and it seems to be necessary to empty the bottle with 24000 RUB.
elegant foyer
If you go up the stairs to the upper floor, there is a foyer leading to the seats. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling is very stylish! The atmosphere is quite elegant.
The interior is dazzling and elegant. It’s so historic that it’s hard to believe it was built in the 21 century. The frontage is narrow, but it has an atrium to the upper floor, so it has a sense of openness.
There is a bar in a corner of the foyer, but it is very crowded during the break time as it is close to the seats. Even if it’s a little troublesome, if you want to use the bar, you’d better go to the main bar.
Capacity 1000 seats
15 minutes before the curtain time, entrance to the audience finally started!
New Stage has a capacity of about 1000 seats. Compared to Historic, which has more than 2000 seats, it is a small theater that is less than half the size, but it still has a 2 level balcony.
Like the foyer, this is also a very dignified and wonderful theater that is hard to believe it’s a new building! Both sides of the balcony are not boxed but a single floor.
The auditorium has a historical feel, but when you look at the non-religious paintings on the ceiling, you realize that this hall was built in the 21 century. Fresco with only Christ color is good, but this kind of dynamic painting may be better because it is more gorgeous.
Can I see the view of the flat dirt floor seats at …?
By the way, my seat this time was in row 13 of Hiradoma. The second seat from the back is quite far back, but the distance to the stage was just right probably because of the small theater! The sound is good and the sound of the cockpit echoes to the wall of the balcony.
As for the seat, although it has good cushioning properties, the armrests are unusually high, and the seat width is not so wide, so it is not comfortable to sit on.
The front and back seats were not staggered, but the inclination of the front and back rows was relatively large, and this time I was sitting on the left side, so I could see the stage well from the gap between the head of the person in front of me!
If you think so, it might be better not to go to the center if you sit in the back seat.
Amazingly bad ballet and music …
Well, this program is <<L. Silfeed>>. It’s a piece by a French composer called J.M. Schneitzhoeffer, who is hardly known in Japan, but the ballet itself is very famous and I see it often performed in Japan.
I thought I would be able to see a high quality performance because of the ballet I watch at the Bolshoi Theater, but it was so terrible that I was surprised! The movements are uneven, the soloists with the roles are wobbly and unsteady, as if they were watching an interdisciplinary play …。
The performance of the oche is terrible, the woodwind has no sound at all, and especially the Ob and Cl are like high school students who start playing musical instruments. I was amazed how often I was on the stage in Bolshoi’s name …。
As might be expected, even a layman can understand this dilemma, and the applause of the curtain call is very sparse! Especially for foreign tourists who have been spending a lot of money to come here, the day they are shown something like this will be depressing.
For me, it was the worst performance I have ever seen overseas.
Will the best performers go to Vienna?
Although I didn’t get a good performance, the New Stage building itself was quite impressive and beautiful, so it was worth it. Including the Historic Stage, you can get a ticket at a lower price than in other countries, so it’s good that you can enjoy it easily.
It is difficult to judge just by this performance, but if you want the quality of dance and performance, it may be faster to go to Vienna where the ticket is expensive from the beginning. Like the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, it may be too expensive to sustain a good performer in a cheap Russia …?
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