Mariinsky Theatre – Russian Ballet and Opera

Posted by on February 18, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

The Mariinksy Theatre

Recognized as one of the best venues for Russian ballet and opera.

 

No trip should be made to St. Petersburg without including a ballet performance.

Mariinsky Theatre - St. Petersburg
Mariinsky Theatre – St. Petersburg

This is true even if you have never been to a ballet.

I am just such a person. I did not think I would enjoy ballet, but felt the need to see the things that we suggest to our clients. Now I can say I have seen Swan Lake 5 times in Russia as well as many other Russian ballet performances. Ballet is delightful and beautiful.

If it is possible, you should see many ballets and opera performances, but, if you can see only one, then it should be at the Mariinsky Theatre.

This  most prestigious theatre features the best of ballet in the world and is the home of the most prestigious ballet company in the world, the Kirov Ballet Company.

For more than two centuries, the historical mission of the Mariinsky Theatre – the cradle of national opera and Russian ballet – has been to discover the new pathways of art.  The images created on this famous stage in the past have become the legends of theatre history. The present day life of the Mariinsky is the definite sign of the renaissance of our culture. Make no mistake, the classics are still performed regularly at the Mariinsky, but you will also see modern works offered as well
 
You may recognize household names like Rudolph Nureyev and Alexander Naryshnikov. Both of these giants in ballet history trained at the nearby Vaganova Academy of Russian ballet and followed their studies with stints in the Kirov Ballet company at the Mariinsky theatre. (The Vaganova Academy has undergone name changes from Imperial Ballet School created by Empress Anna in 1738, to the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute in Soviet times, to the present name)
 

Kirov Ballet Company

Kirov Ballet Company

For the best performances of  Russian Ballet, look no further than the Mariinsky theatre in St. Petersburg.
 
RussiantourGuide.com  is able to book your tickets in advance to help ensure that you get the seats you want at a reasonable price. Tickets to the Mariinsky Theatre are not the least expensive. If , however, you compare tickets to the Russian ballet theaters, even the Mariinsky Theater and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, you will notice that prices are comparable to or less than performances in New York or London.
 
Some special performances and holiday performances at the Mariinsky theatre  may be quite expensive. These may include “Premier Performances” or Christmas and New Year’s performances.  If you attend a performance which is unusually expensive I predict that  you will have forgotten the price long before you forget the performance and the beauty of the theatre.

Mariinsky Theatre - St. Petersburg

Mariinsky Theatre - St. Petersburg

 
 
Book your tickets with us and your guide will have the tickets for you when you arrive.
 
Note: For cruise ship passengers, it is totally impractical to return to the ship to change before an evening performance. If you are casually yet nicely dressed, you will be perfectly at home in any theatre in St. Petersburg including the Mariinsky theater.
 
 

 

Free Russian Ballet Tickets


 

 

Frequently tourists ask if there is a tour of the Mariinsky theater. There is no complete theatre tour. We can go inside the theater and see a mock up of the stage but it is not the ideal. The best way to see the Mariinsky theatre is to attend a performance. 
 
Note also that many online ticket agents offer tickets to various theatres in St. Petersburg. Some are legitimate but,sadly, some are not. Most online vendors for Russian ballet and opera tickets have a 200-400% mark up !
 
To ensure you are getting what you want, at a reasonable price, allow RussiantourGuide.com to obtain your tickets for you.
 
For those interested in more about the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, check out the documentary film “Ballerina”. It is available on Netflix and takes the viewer through try-outs, practice and graduation from the Vaganova Academy. It is a long, competitive process that produces some of the most accomplished dancers in the world. In the film you get to see the graduation performance at the Mariinsky Theatre and follow the careers (for a short time) of some of the most distinguished graduates.
Another great resource for understanding the evolution of Russian opera and ballet is the book entitled “Natasha’s Dance” by Orlando Figes. “Natasha’s Dance” is a must read for those who enjoy classical music, ballet or opera.
 

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St. Petersburg Playbill

Posted by on February 18, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

The specific list of performances at the various venues changes and is not posted very far in advance. We will be happy to give you the list of peformance options for St. Petersburg’s various theatres if you would care to drop an quick email. Of the things which causes St. Petersburg to be among my favorite cites is the amazing night life. The number and variety of cultural performances , I think, exceed those available in New York or London.

For English and Japanese speakers, ballet, opera and the folk shows are wonderful as they are language “independent”.

As with everything, there are varying degrees of excellence. So it is not surprising that there are vastly different prices for performances of the same ballet or opera at different theatres.

Among the best theatres in St. Petersburg are, but not restricted to,

  1. Mariinsky theatre.
  2. Alexandrindky theatre.
  3. Mihailovsky theatre.
  4. Hermitage theatre.
  5. Palace theatre.

It is wonderful to attend an opera, ballet, symphony or folk show. Let us assist you in choosing what is right for you based on your budget, and the dates on which you are in the city.

Beware!  Many of the ticket sellers on the internet either sell fake tickets or ones at HIGHLY inflated prices or both. (there are theatres who openly publish that they will not accept balletandopera.com or operaandballet.com tickets)

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Hermitage Theatre

Posted by on January 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Hermitage Theatre St. Petersburg

Hermitage Theatre St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the home of the Russian School for Ballet. In this city, the most important ballet dancers have trained and performed. Among those are Baryshnikov and Nureyev.
If you have a free evening in St. Petersburg or Moscow, the ballet is an event you will long remember, even it you are not already a fan of ballet.
It is important to note that the revival of the Hermitage Theater makes it possible to step back in time to see a performance as did the previous crowned heads of state during the days of Imperial Russia. It is all the more remarkable that these ballets are again being performed along the historic Neva Embankment and it is as if the patron has stepped back into a time once thought to have been lost forever. Performances are practically nightly in during the tourist season.

 

Performances of the great ballets like “Swan Lake”, “Giselle” and “Sleeping Beauty” ,among others, are performed frequently.

RussiantourGuide.com obtains tickets, for all of our clients, to any of the theatres in St. Petersburg.

The Hermitage Theatre is the oldest building in the complex of theWinter Palace preserved to our time. It was built on the site of the former Winter Palace of Peter I. The construction of the theatre is functionaly independent and is connected to the basic court building by an arch. The arch is built over the channel that connects the Moika River to the river Neva. The arch is called the “Winter flute”. The theater building, which sometimes is called as fourth Winter the Palace, was constructed between 1711-1723. The theatre was built later in 1783-1785 during the reign of Catherine the Great. The architect was Jakomo Kvarengi, who built around 30 of the most beautiful buildings and structures in the city.

Note: There are many companies who sell tickets to the theatres in St. Petersburg. One of the most easily found in web searches, actually sells ticktets which are fake. Some theatres’ home pages warn potential customers not to buy from this site.
You can be assured of the quaity and price of the tickets RussiantourGuide.com buys for your theatrical performances in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

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