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Interior of the Hermitage TheatreHemitage Theatre on the Palace Embankment of Neva RiverHermitage Bridge in front of the theatre
The Hermitage Theatre (Russian: Эрмитажный Театр, romanized: Èrmitážnyj Teátr, IPA:[ɪrmʲɪˈtaʐnɨjtʲɪˈat(ə)r]) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage buildings lining the Palace Embankment of the Neva River.
The Hermitage Theatre was the second theatre of the Winter Palace. It replaced the Russian Imperial Theater, which operated from 1764 until 1783. The Hermitage Theatre was built between 1783 and 1787 at the behest of Catherine the Great to a Palladian[citation needed] design by Giacomo Quarenghi. The crumbling Third Winter Palace of Peter the Great was demolished to make room for the new structure, although its old foundations are still visible in the ground floor. Quarenghi's designs for the theatre were engraved and published in 1787, earning him a European reputation.
The semicircular auditorium is decorated with color marble and surrounded with ten niches for statues of Apollo and the muses. As the interior has never been overhauled, the original stage machinery remains in situ, but the elaborate sets, an acclaimed work of the Italian artist Pietro Gonzaga (1751-1831), were lost during the years of Soviet neglect.
The ceremonial opening of the theatre took place on 22 November 1785. Though the auditorium could seat no more than 250 spectators, it was often overcrowded. Usually, the performance would be attended by several dozen aristocratic spectators, all invited by the monarch herself. As a sign of gratitude, a separate loge was reserved for the architect Quarenghi and his family. In the 19th century, selected members of the diplomatic corps were admitted to the theatre as well.
Although the building was used to entertain the imperial family until the Russian Revolution, it came to be viewed as a rare monument to Catherine's personal tastes and affections. The empress brought out several comedies specifically to be staged in this theatre, which also saw the premieres of Domenico Cimarosa's operas composed to her own librettos. As for the costumes, they were chosen from a 15,000-dress personal wardrobe of the late Empress Elizabeth.
Mathilde Kschessinska, Anna Pavlova, and Fyodor Chaliapin were among the great artists who performed at the Hermitage Theatre for the last Russian tsar. Among the ballets performed there was the premiere of Marius Petipa's Harlequinade, in 1900. The Bolsheviks closed the theatre and utilised the building for administrative purposes. It was not until 1991 that performances were resumed on this stage, with the likes of Svyatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich and Yelena Obraztsova appearing as guest stars.
The HermitageTheatre (Russian: Эрмитажный Театр, romanized: Èrmitážnyj Teátr, IPA: [ɪrmʲɪˈtaʐnɨj tʲɪˈat(ə)r]) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five...
Imperial Theatres of the Russian Empire along with Maly Theatre (Small Theatre) in Moscow and a few theatres in Saint Petersburg (HermitageTheatre, Bolshoi...
complex, five—namely the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and HermitageTheatre—are all open to the public. The entrance ticket...
named "New Hermitage". 26 May 1896 it hosted the Lumière's Cinématographe premiere in Moscow. In 1898 here on the stage of HermitageTheatre on Karetnyi...
Look up hermitage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Hermitage, The Hermitage or L'Hermitage may refer to: Hermitage (religious retreat), a place of...
1789 HermitageTheatre) with overture on three Russian tunes, Pesnolyubie (1790 HermitageTheatre), and La festa del villagio (1798 HermitageTheatre). Two...
Empress Elizabeth. In 1785 the HermitageTheatre was opened in the Hermitage palace complex. This is the oldest theatre building in St. Petersburg that...
Nicholas as Alexis, the Empress Alexandra as Maria Miloslavskaya, in the HermitageTheatre, many wearing priceless original items brought specially from the...
which contains the complex of the Hermitage Museum buildings (including the Winter Palace), the HermitageTheatre, the New Michael Palace, the Saltykov...
part of the Hermitage and Winter Palace ensemble. The bridge is between the HermitageTheatre (32, Palace Embankment) and the Old Hermitage (34, Palace...
emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. Floor area is 233,345 square metres. (It has been calculated that...
for its high-quality cultural life, and its best known museum is the Hermitage. Among the city's more than fifty theaters is the world-famous Mariinsky...
National Theatre Ballet Tokyo, the Bordeaux Ballet and the English National Ballet. In Russia, Volochkova has danced as prima ballerina with the Hermitage Ballet...
New Hermitage, which has been used as a museum for the Imperial collections ever since it was built. All three Hermitages and the HermitageTheatre can...
Imperial Theatres in Russia (Alexandrinsky, Mariinsky, Mikhailovsky and Maly in Saint Petersburg, Maly and Bolshoi in Moscow) plus court HermitageTheatre and...
1914 according to the standard Western calendar), performed at the HermitageTheatre before the Imperial Family, the diplomatic corps, representative members...
tale Fevey. This was staged on April 30 [OS April 19], 1786 at the HermitageTheatre in St Petersburg. The lavish opera production evoked widespread admiration...
1920) took up Meyerhold's experiments from the Liteyni and HermitageTheatre. The theatre produced many unusual offerings. In 1909 the Japanese play Terakoya...
Pupils of Dupré) in 1900 for a special performance given at the Theatre of the Hermitage for the Imperial Family and their special guest, Kaiser Wilhelm...
Ohio: Fort Steuben, housing the first American Army Regiment. The HermitageTheatre, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Museum...
100,000 roubles for the tour. Rehearsals started on 2 April at the HermitageTheatre, which the company had been granted special permission to use, along...
Bezborodko Country House in Polyustrovo; 1783–87 – the HermitageTheatre, the only surviving 18th-century theatre in St Petersburg, inspired to the Palladio's Teatro...
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