It is difficult to imagine modern Minsk without the magnificent building of the opera and ballet theater. Its silhouette, immersed in the greenery of the surrounding parks and squares, is one of the architectural dominants of the central part of the city.
The first stone in the foundation of the future theater building was laid on July 11, 1933, on the day when the next anniversary of the liberation of Minsk from the “White Poles” was celebrated.
The architectural design of the theater, originally taken as the basis, was developed by Georgy Lavrov. However, it was subsequently abandoned due to the impossibility of realizing such a grandiose plan - the theater counted on three thousand seats. As a result, construction was continued according to a completely different project by architect Joseph Langbard.
The name of Joseph Langbard (1882-1951) in Belarus as a whole, and in Minsk in particular, is very connected
The opera house is located on the Paris Commune Square in 1871. This name appeared at the square in 1919. Prior to this, the place where the theater is now was called the Trinity Mountain. Until 1935, the market functioned here.
The building of the theater opened on May 10, 1939 with the premiere of the opera by Eugene Tikotsky “Mikhas Podgorny”.
In the early days of World War II, an aerial bomb hit the theater building, which destroyed the auditorium. During the occupation, all the furniture, decorations, musical instruments, equipment, a music library and even a wardrobe of 23 opera and ballet performances were taken out of the theater. A stable was set up in the building itself.
The theater staff during the war worked in Gorky, and then in Kovrov, actively toured the fronts, speaking to the fighters. Immediately after the liberation of Minsk, the opera and ballet companies returned to the Belarusian capital and in the autumn of 1944 presented the first performances to the public. Since the theater building was damaged, the productions were on the stage of the Red Army House
The restoration of the theater building took place under the direction of Joseph Langbard in 1948. The auditorium most damaged during the war was reconstructed according to the traditional tier scheme. The lobby, lobby and auditorium were decorated with sculptures and stucco. The sculptor Andrei Bembel worked on the magnificent design of the stage portal.
In 1967, the theater was re-equipped. Changes also affected the design of interiors. The appearance of the building was also slightly modified - instead of flat roofs, pitched roofs appeared.
In 2006, the building of the Opera and Ballet Theater was closed for restoration, which will end in 2009. During its course, the building is planned to return to its original appearance (in particular, to make roofs flat again), as well as to realize the unrealized ideas of the architect Joseph Langbard - in the 1930s he wanted to decorate the building with sculptural compositions, but due to lack of funds then it wasn’t done. After the reconstruction, the bronze statues of muses of poetry, dance, music and theater, created by the sculptor Alexander Finsky, will take the places provided by the architect.
Read more: http://www.interfax.by/article/50994
March 8, 2009 the theater opened after reconstruction.
Today the permanent repertoire of the theater is:
• more than 35 ballet productions, including the internationally recognized ones - Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Spartik, Romeo and Juliet, Polovtsian Dances, Carmen, Bakhchisarai Fountain. There are performances for children - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, etc.
• More than 30 opera performances, including “Eugene Onegin”, “Aida”, “Wild Hunt of King Stach”, “Carmen”, “Barber of Seville”, “Wedding of Figaro”, “Snow Maiden”, “Khovanshchina,“ Turandot ”, "Troubadour". Children's deliveries: “The Magic Flute”, “Blame the Pooh and Everything, Everything, Everything”, “Koschey the Immortal”, “Terem Taramok”, etc.
The opera house has 2 halls: “Chamber Hall” and “Auditorium”, designed for 1200 seats. In order to ensure the safety of spectators during performances, metal detectors and a video surveillance system are installed in the theater.
When planning your visit to the theater, please take into account the time required for the passage through the metal detector and enter the theater building no later than 15 minutes before the start of the performance.