The Orchestra Of The Bolshoi Theatre Of Russia:

The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra is the oldest orchestra in Russia and one of the world`s largest symphony orchestras. It was founded in 1776 when the Company, which put a start to the future Bolshoi Theatre, was formed. According to a decree of Catherine II, the opera orchestra was to incorporate 35 musicians.

It was made up of serf musicians bought by the Treasury from their landowner-masters, of foreigners and other free people. The Orchestra took part in all the Theatre`s musical dramas and opera productions.

Gradually its repertoire was expanded: following operas and ballets by Alyabiev, Verstovsky and Varlamov, the works of Glinka, later by Serov, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Rymsky-Korsakov and Glazunov werestaged at the Bolshoi and played by its Orchestra. From the 1830`s, the Orchestra began to give performances of wellknown European operas by Mozart, Cherubini, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Weber, later by Verdi, Wagner, Bizet, Gounod and Puccini.

From the end of the last century, the Orchestra started to give symphony concerts and these were to play a major role in the development of its professional skills. The two years – 1904-1906 – that Rachmaninov was conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra saw considerable reorganization of the Orchestra. Rachmaninov`s activities resulted in a re-assessment of the role and place of the orchestra in opera and ballet productions and the key importance of the Orchestra in musical theatre came to be acknowledged.

The twenties and thirties of the present century witnessed a new stage in the creative evolution of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. Over this period, the best players in the country joined the Orchestra which became the Soviet Union’s most authoritative collective of performing musicians and the center of the capital’s musical life.

Many outstanding Russian conductors have appeared with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. These include: Rachmaninov, Suk, Golovanov, Pazovsky, Samosud, Melik-Pashaev, Haykin, Svetlanov, Rozhdestvensky, Simonov, Lazarev and Ermler. In 2001, Maestro Alexander Vedernikov was appointed Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre.

When appearing with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, the distinguished foreign conductors – Bruno Walter, Oscar Fried, Albert Coates, Fritz Stiedry, Zdenek Khalabala, G. Abendrot, Riccardo Muti - never failed to remark on the Orchestra’s high professional level.

Today, the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra has about 300 members. Among them are many first class musicians who often perform as soloists and members of ensembles in concert halls in this country and abroad. In the Orchestra too are international competition prize-winners and People`s or Merited Artists of Russia. Many of the older generation of musicians are professors at the Moscow Conservatoire and the Gnessin Academy of Music, and a lot of the young players in the Orchestra are their pupils. This style is distinguished by the striking, full-blooded sound of the string quintet, the filigree work of the wood-wind and the brilliance and power of the brass.

The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra has made numerous recordings of operas, ballets and symphonic works many of which have received widespread international recognition and high awards.

The Bolshoi Orchestra tours extensively both in Russia and abroad.

In addition to taking part in opera and ballet performances on these tours, it also gives symphony concerts.

It was during the Bolshoi Theatre Opera Company’s 1964 tour (its first) to Milan, that the Theatre`s Orchestra gave its first symphony concerts abroad. Ever since, most of the Bolshoi Theatre Opera and Ballet Company tours have included symphony concerts in their programs, this quite apart from the independent performances given by the Orchestra in the USA, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, France, Italy, Greece and elsewhere.

In 1989, the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra was awarded Italy`s highest music prize, the “Golden Viotti” medal, as best orchestra of the year.

Over the years, the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra has won international acclaim due to its participation in Bolshoi Ballet and Opera Company tours as well as to its appearances on the concert platform. In 2003, following the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus tour to Spain and Portugal, critics commented that the Orchestra had “once again lived up to the reputation for excellence it had acquired over the years…”; “the program was specially chosen to demonstrate the energy which causes Tchaikovsky and Borodin’s music to go right to the heart…”; “This Tchaikovsky work was beautifully played and here no small credit is due to Alexander Vedernikov who retained its original musical style.” In February 2007 the Bolshoi Orchestra played in Germany (Munich’s “Philarmonie im Gasteig” and Alte Oper Frankfurt) with great success.

At the Big Hall of the Conservatoire, the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Vedernikov, has given concerts celebrating the Berlioz 200th, Mravinsky 100th, Sviridov 90th and Shostakovich 100th anniversaries; also at the Conservatoire, the Theatre Orchestra and Chorus played excerpts from the operas of Richard Wagner (soloists – Waltraud Meier, Christopher Ventris, Pavlo Hunka), Verdi’s Requiem, Brukner’s Symphony N 9 and Te Deum (conductor – Guenter Herbig), Mozart’s Symphonies N 35 and N 40 and concert arias (conductor – Leopold Hager, soloist – Ruth Ziesak). At the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage, Zoltan Peshko conducted the Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5; and, at the same venue, it was conducted by Alexander Vedernikov in performances of the following works: Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 2 (soloist Nikolay Lugansky); the Vino aria and excerpts from Berg’s Wozzeck (soloist - Angela Denoke) and Richard Strauss’s Symphonic poem Don Quixote.

Mariss Jansons, Miklail Pletnev, Jiri Belohlavek will conduct the Bolshoi Orchestra in the nearest future.

Maestro Yuri Temirkanov will be Principal Guest Conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra since season 2007-2008.