Bolshoi Theatre after a recent renovation Bashny.Net

From the author: My business partner Oleg Berkovich yesterday went to the ballet "Ivan the Terrible" at the Bolshoi Theater.
As for me, after my interview with Nikolai Tsiskaridze for "Tatler" is a burning topic, I immediately
questioned him about feelings and was surprised that he had not talking emotionally about the very formulation
with great music by Prokofiev, and poor condition of the historic building after a recent renovation.

Impressions from the play Oleg remained ambiguous. However, and do not need to be an expert to notice,
that the acoustics in the hall bad. He sat on the ground, but often noticed that all the musical parts like merge
in a kind of sonic mush. Despite the fact that Oleg congenital hearing. The strength of this art - that it
makes you forget about the theatrical conventions, plunges us into another world, a fairy tale, makes completely fall
from the gray reality. In this case, "forget and soar" my partner and did not work.





What hangs in place bronze candelabra - see for yourself. Building Department "Ikea", no more.

Reality rudely reminded of itself and after the show, when a friend had his costume backstage.
Cheap fussiness and numerous defects are evident immediately. But the old-timers had it throughout the building
and clearly demonstrated than it actually ended a six-year renovation. That, my friends, pandemonium horror.
At the site of the temple of art market is now worth stall. Oleg could not resist and took a picture of the interior on the phone.

Instead of the old stucco we slip gilded plastic and papier-mache.
And Where did the famous gold leaf?
Now instead poshlenkoe "gold" paint in some places crooked deposited.



And what happened to the real bronze handles on the doors? Instead, they screwed Chinese consumer goods.



Decor elements peeled off in just one year?



Antique chandelier too literally replaced.
Dragged off during repair, and then never returned.
However, the old-timers were missing and doors made of solid wood: they are replaced by a modern forgery.
Of the lodges disappeared antique chairs in which sat still the kings and general secretaries.
Sunk into obscurity famous art gallery of the Bolshoi Theatre. This would seem all the details.
But in fact they create an atmosphere, they just lies the essence!
Also, I suspect that antiques worth a lot of money.



Artists dressing rooms are staggering. Cheap furniture and leopard curtains "successfully set off" a new interior.
This close loophole ruthlessly artist has emotions every time he runs here to change clothes or take a breath.
I'd add that recently interviewed Nicholas Tsiskaridze for "Tatler" and he complained to me
no windows in the dressing room. Artists explained that the street light interferes apply makeup. But such a statement
provides complete incompetence of those involved in the reconstruction: makeup artists Big impose
in a special shop, dressing room has got nothing to do with it.

But people in the arts - they like children.
Even little things like gaudy drapery can significantly blunt their aesthetic perception.
Especially takes the soul of the amazing story of the vase in the form of a crystal with a silver peacock tail.
In the cupboard in her folded candy. Peacock also fell victim to the reconstruction.
But in this situation, it is a pity not only a bird!
Behind the scenes of the theater renovated so that rehearsals can easily earn a work related injury.
Earlier in the rehearsal rooms with parquet was, after the "recovery" we see here is a slippery linoleum.
Ballerinas are constantly falling. A new ceiling?
They are so low that you can not normally throw his partner in the air: and look to have hurt his head.
And such cases have already been.
By the way, the room in the building distributed irrationally:
for example, the scene is located on the second floor, but the female corps de ballet is based on the seventh.
In an elevator during a performance ride is prohibited.
As a result, "the Little Swans" have to flit by flights of stairs.
And CEO Anatoly Iksanova do not care what any of them can
stumble and break his leg, not only, but also for life.



In addition, constantly break stage mechanisms.
A mezzanine area regularly breaks through the sewers.
Because this wall covered with fungus (!) And were partially cracked.







That's what kind of offers on Baignoire from the floor.

But it is fine behind the scenes: the artists even in such appalling conditions honestly they serve.
Affected and the most important thing for the theater - a tight space. Claims to the acoustics of the hall throughout the year
impose very different. After the premiere in Milan, "Don Juan" chief conductor of the famous La Scala complained,
the orchestra and the actors just do not hear each other, and the acoustics politely called "dryish».
This is truly the wonders of renovation! The same was said artistic director of the State Academic
Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra named Vladimir Jurowski. In his view, the deterioration of acoustics can be associated with
the disappearance of the diamond-shaped acoustic correctors that during the premiere of the opera "Ruslan and Ludmila" were still available.
Now there are none. I have no idea who they might be needed, but Yurovsky suggests that they simply stole.

A separate issue - human relation to the artists. As I understand, the theater management has long been famous
his peculiar style in communicating with employees. No coincidence that many prefer to change their place of work,
even less status. A year ago, left the theater Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova - without exaggeration,
the most promising dancers not only Russia but also the world stage. This caused a great resonance.
At his peak, they moved to the Mikhailovsky Theatre of St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of the capital preferring merchant.

The standard rate of the corps de ballet dancer at the Bolshoi Theatre - 9000 rubles! In fact, the cost of living
Moscow for working people is 10,677 rubles! But in the budget expenditures for the maintenance of the Bolshoi Theatre
are registered separately. We can all see this generous figure - more than 4, 1 billion rubles.
Unfortunately, information about the comprehensive income of the theater for one season from ticket sales and rental of premises
usually classified (this is absolutely non-transparent system), however I found out that in 2005,
before the closure of the main building for the repair, the figure was 35% of the budget of the Bolshoi.
Even if the pessimistic to assume that now, with the opening of the main stage, the proportion is the same again,
seven years ago, and believe we get talking about the amount of the order of 1, 4 billion rubles.

Where, what and to whom are these astronomical money? Is clearly not in the pay of the artists.
It seems that the people who are directly involved in the arts,
accrue only humiliating crumbs with grand master's table.

A gentleman in the Great - now 12 years old Anatoly Iksanov. He was director of irremovable throughout the repair.
Back in 2009, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on unreasonable expenditure
funds allocated for the restoration of the Bolshoi Theater. Guide directly accused of that same work
were paid three times. I wonder how it is now getting on the matter? In 2009, the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation reported that the cost of
Reconstruction increased compared with the original estimate of 16 times, but in the end, as we know, she was 35, 4 billion rubles.
More than a billion dollars! Why in such a bottomless budget in finishing the Big apply the cheapest materials?
Why pay a penny dancers and create intolerable working conditions? It's disrespectful not only to artists,
but to all the people of Russia - from Moscow to Vladivostok. Bolshoi Theatre - a symbol of high classical art Russian.
For which it was turned into a cheap imitation? I do not understand, explain to me!

All these issues should be set Iksanova Anatolia and former Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi,
who started once this grandiose "reconstruction." The latter, incidentally, recently criticized
blog on "Echo of Moscow" cultural figures, who, not having more power in the Big endure the nightmare,
sent a joint letter to Vladimir Putin. Dear people in place Iksanova requested to Nikolai Tsiskaridze.
The names of the signatories Fradkov wisely does not mention, though he admits that the letter signed by his idols.
But, according to my information, among them - Oleg Tabakov, Galina Volchek, Alisa Freundlich. I think that says it all.

"Please do not go to the theater," - once wrote a desperate hussars and dashing poet Denis Davydov; probably also believes and Shvydkoi.
"If someone is not satisfied with the current CEO, do not go to the Great" - if he wants to say.
At the same time the ex-minister literally a mountain behind Iksanova, stating that he has done a tremendous job,
"Get more out of the ruins of the theater - in the literal and figurative sense of the word." However, Fradkov clearly slukavil,
because even pull out of the ruins can be different: the former do better or to pretend that was better than before.
Ixanov seems to have chosen the second, an easier way, guided by the wise Russian saying "Work loves fools».
In addition, Iksanova always called "Shvydkoi man" who once helped him
become the deputy director general of the channel "Culture". Dog does not eat dog.

To sum up, the country suffered another grand drank. Therefore even wiser to ask
All these questions are not Iksanova and law enforcement agencies. During the six years of reconstruction all the
valuable in the Grand just stolen and sold. And that's not counting how many have been stolen from those 35
more than a billion that the government has allocated. Incidentally, Tsiskaridze a year shouts
about this terrible situation. And we all need to say thank you that he does, he is not afraid to break
forehead wall of public hypocrisy. After restore the theater after "restoration" - a point of honor not only
for artists who since childhood dreamed of playing the Nutcracker at the legendary stage, this - our common task.