Theatres and Concert Halls
Theatre and live music hold a special place in the hearts of Petersburgers, and the city is justifiably proud of its rich theatrical traditions - its world famous school of ballet, its ground-breaking innovations in drama, and the magnificent 19th century buildings that house its most famous theatres.
Built for the Imperial Directorate of Theatres, the neoclassical buildings of the Mariinsky and Alexandrisnky Theatres in particular became the prototypes for theatres in cities throughout Russia. Then, in the Soviet Union, theatres, concert halls, and Houses of Culture were often at the forefront of architectural development, and in St. Petersburg they include some of the city's finest examples of constructivism and late Soviet architecture.
One of the world's great musical theatres, the Mariinsky (still known to many as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre) can boast a truly fabulous home that, although now synonymous with the highest musical culture, started life as a circus.
Russia's national drama theatre, the Alexandrinsky Theatre boasts not only a superb reputation for classical drama, but also a magnificent neoclassical building that is one of the unquestioned masterpieces of the Italian architect Carlo Rossi.
Although the Mikhailovsky Theatre is unremarkable from the outside, it has opulently decorated interiors, and can boast a rich history of performances by celebrated musicians, singers and dancers both Russian and foreign, and of premiers of the greatest operas of the Soviet period.
Named after the great 20th century composer, many of whose works were premiered here, this attractive neoclassical structure is part of the grand ensemble of neoclassical buildings on Ploshchad Iskusstv, and home to a world-renowned symphony orchestra.
