After reopening following a six-year reconstruction, Moscow’s renowned Bolshoi Theater will present an extensive program including a performance by the La Scala opera company and a Roland Petit memorial evening, as well as performances of the opera Boris Godunov and the ballet The Nutcracker.
The Bolshoi Theatre is just days away from reopening on October 28 night. The first performance on the newly renovated stage will be Mikhail Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila, regarded as the first major Russian opera.
Bolshoi chief Andrei Iksanov said the gala would be broadcast on Russia’s main TV channels and 600 cinemas across the globe. It will also been shown on a screen in front of the Bolshoi.
Since the Bolshoi’s reconstruction started in 2005, the project has been marred by repeated schedule delays, as well as allegations of fraud. Russian prosecutors opened a probe in 2009 into the suspected embezzlement of millions of dollars during the renovation.
The theater has been running performances in the Choral, Round and Beethoven halls, where reconstruction work has already been completed, since 2010. Reconstruction work on the main foyer, the facade and the square in front of the theater is also complete.