Theatre - Astrakhan State Musical

More than a hundred years ago, the Astrakhan entrepreneur Konstantin Polyakovych decided to build a summer theater in the garden laid by him on the Christmas hill. The architect A.S. Malakhovsky enthusiastically took up the project. The best master carvers were hired in the Vyatka province to make patterned details of decoration. In April 1899 a new theatre was opened. The park, which received the name "Arcadia" - "Happy Country" - became a favorite holiday destination for Astrakhan residents, and in its carved and elegant theater, like a toy, all touring celebrities performed. The stage of the theater saw the great Russian artists Chaliapin, Sobinov, Kozlovsky, Orlenev, Savina, Nezhdanova, Komissarzhevskaya. On this stage began the creative path of our famous countrywoman Maria Maksakova. Unfortunately, on November 13, 1976, the theater beloved by Astrakhan burned down. It was decided to build a new theater in its place. At first it was seen in the same quality as the burnt, and was called the Summer tour theater. But the fate of the theater building in Arcadia Park has changed dramatically once again. In the most difficult years for modern Russia, when the invincible, it seemed, giant enterprises were ruined, when theaters were closed all over the country, unable to withstand the cruel conditions of modern times, in our city a theater opened. This visionary and bold decision was made by the Governor of Astrakhan Anatoly Petrovich Guzhvin. All the prerequisites for the creation of musical theater already existed at that time. On the basis of the Philharmonic and the opera studio of the Conservatory, a creative team was formed, which worked under the artistic guidance of the director of the Philharmonic Oleg Popkov and was called the Creative Association “Musical Theatre”. A great event in the cultural life of the city was the staging of such performances by this team as “The Barber of Seville” by J. Rossini, “A Dinner with the Italians” by J. Offenbach, “Carmen” by J. Bizet, “Aleko” by S. Rachmaninov, “Silva” by I. Kalman, “The Bat” by I. Strauss. On November 2, 1995, an official document on the establishment of the Astrakhan State Musical Theatre was signed. The new theater was transferred to the building of the Summer Tour Theater, built on the site of the burnt. However, in memory of the famous actors who performed here and as a sign of the continuation of the traditions of great Russian musicians, the theater made the image of the old wooden theater of Polyakovych its emblem. Over the 12 years since that day, the theater has staged 44 performances of all musical genres: operas, operettas, ballets, musicals, musical comedies, performances for children. November 3, 2000 marked the birth of the first in the history of Astrakhan troupe of classical ballet. The daring and difficult task of creating a troupe was taken over by the main choreographer of the theater Larisa Sivitskaya. The first classical production was A. Adana’s ballet Giselle. Currently, there is an agreement with the famous ballerina, People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Semenyaka on the production of B. Asafyev's ballet "Bakhchisarai Fountain", in memory of the choreographer of this ballet, our countryman, choreographer of the Bolshoi Theatre Rostislav Zakharov, whose 100th anniversary was widely celebrated in our country. Since 2000, a children's classical dance studio has been operating at the theater. It is attended by gifted children of all ages. The goal of the studio is to prepare professional dancers who will remain in the theater that educated them. Today, students of the studio are engaged in all ballet performances of the theater. The most capable and promising studios dance small solo parts in performances, participate in concerts of the theater, and among the artists of the ballet troupe there are already many former studios. In 2002, the theater began a fruitful creative cooperation with the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. It was a stepping stone to a new creative level. The theater staged the most complex performances of the world opera repertoire, which received the warm approval of the audience and the press. Astrakhan was first offered operas in Italian. In 2003, the XX International Glinka Vocal Competition was held in Astrakhan. It was attended by the AGMT Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Pavel Klinichev. The second place in the competition was taken by the soloist of the musical theater Tamara Klivadenko (now she is a diplomat of the international singing competition Belvedere in Vienna). The concerts of the symphony orchestra of the theater under the direction of the chief conductor Valentin Bogdanov are very popular. Currently, a new theater building is being built in Lenin Park along Communist Street.