The Premier Site for Russian Culture
The Bolshoi (Stone) Theatre was the largest theatre in St Petersburg in the eighteenth century and was designed for all classes of citizens. Designed by Antonio Rinaldi on Theatre Square (1775–83), it was later rebuilt on a number of occasions. Jean-François Thomas de Thomon altered the exterior and interiors (1802–03), which later suffered in a fire (1811). Following restoration work by Antoine-François Mauduit and Johann Reinhold Hallberg (1818), the auditorium increased in size and the number of rows grew from three to five. Alberto Cavos also reconstructed the theatre (1836–37). The Bolshoi Theatre had the largest stage in St Petersburg, allowing it to mount shows with complex sets. The repertoire included ballets, operas and works of drama performed by Russian and foreign companies. In the late nineteenth century, the dilapidated building was reconstructed and reopened as the St Petersburg Conservatoire.