The archive still keeps 20 variants of the architectural composition of the ensemble elaborated by a talented architect and sculptor Carl Ivanovich Rossi. C. Rossi was working out the design of the ensemble for 11 years, and only on 5 April 1828 the final project was approved. The architect suggested an original design according to which a public building was to become a dominant centre of the city (not a church or a palace as it was used to be earlier). C. Rossi planned the construction of an elegant ensemble that comprised a theatre, several streets, two squares, a library, dwelling and public premises elaborating even the smallest details and the decoration of fences and street lamps.
The theatre was named after Nicholas I’s wife – Alexandra Fyodorovna and was ceremonially opened on 31 August 1832 by the play Prince Pozharskiy by M. Krikovskiy.
The theatre ensemble occupied the area of 37 hectares, the 11-storeyed building was 32 m high (10 m higher the surroundings). The façade was decorated with the majestic six-column colonnade; the triumphal chariot of the patron of arts – Apollo (made out of beaten copper from a model by S. Pimenov) and the sculptures of muses crowned the attics of the main and the back façades. The sculpture decorating the façade was made by S. Pimenov, V. Demuth-Malinovskiy and A. Triscorni. The semicircular niches held the figures of the Muses – Terpsichore, Melpomene, Clio and Thalia. The original colour of the ensemble was grey with white columns and details and the sculpture toned with bronze. Later the colour-scheme was changed into yellow with white thus dividing the square ensemble.
The entrance to the theatre lead to the vestibule. There were two front staircases on both sides of it: one for the Tsar and the Court and the other for the spectators from the baignoire and the first circle. The vestibule was decorated with the ornamental wall-painting, the bronze chandeliers and lamp brackets. For the spectators whose places were situated in other circles separate vestibules and staircases were constructed. In general there were 5 vestibules and 8 staircases in the Alexandrinskiy Theatre. The lobby was adorned with the carved gilded doors, the white marble fireplaces, the mirrors in carved gilded frames and the bronze chandeliers.
The colour-scheme of the interior was very bright and aimed at the creation of the festive mood: blue, yellow, violet, orange, green, lilac on the walls, and the painting on a pearl background of the ceiling. The stage was constructed with the account of all modern inventions and could successfully compete with the most famous stages of the world. The special mechanisms for flights, the lifting hatches and various mechanisms for sound and lighting effects amazed the contemporaries.
To show the gratitude to the architect and interior designer the directorate of the theatre presented C. Rossi with a separate box in the Alexandrinskiy Theatre. Because of permanent financial problems the architect had to rent it, and once a scandal took place when representatives of two different classes – a merchant and a nobleman met in that box. As a result the performance was nearly called off, and the box was taken away from Rossi.
The theatre could boast a rich history illustrated by names of famous playwrights, decorators and actors performing on its stage. In spring 1836 there was the first night of Gogol’s play Inspector. A. Pushkin, V. Belinskiy, I. Turgenev, A. Block often visited the theatre. A. Chekhov was present at the first nights of his plays: Ivanov that was a success, and The Seagull the first night of which turned out to be a failure.
On 9 February 1937 the theatre was renamed after Alexander Pushkin to commemorate the anniversary of his death. So that nowadays it has double name – Pushkin State Academic Drama Theatre of Russia/Alexandrinskiy Theatre. The general reconstruction of the theatre building took place in 2005 – 2006. The refreshed edifice was ceremonially opened on 30 August 2006 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the oldest drama theatre in Russia. Today the Alexandrinskiy Theatre is regarded to be one of the most popular drama theatres in Saint-Petersburg and in Russia that stages classics of Russian and foreign drama.
Peterhof: palaces and fountains Петергоф: дворцы и фонтаны
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Peterhof (Dutch for Peter’s Court) is a series of palaces and gardens, laid out by the orders of Peter the Great, and sometimes called the Russian Versailles. It is located about 20 km west and 6 km south of Saint-Petersburg, overlooking the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The palace-ensemble is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 1705 a small palace was built on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland as a stopping-place for Tsar Peter the Great who desired to have it travelling to and from the island fortress of Krondstadt. The Emperor liked the place so much that he soon ordered the construction of his main residence there, and the work began: palaces were being erected, park patterns laid out, and a unique water-supply system created. In August 1723 a solemn inauguration of the seaside-paradise took place. Peter turned Peterhof into a grand-scale monument to Russia’s victory in the Northern War for an outlet to the sea. The fountains played a significant part in the ensemble decoration, being the symbols of the Russian victory.
The dominant natural feature of Peterhof is a 16 metre-high bluff lying less than a hundred metres from the shore. The Lower Park comprising the better part of Peterhof’s area is confined between the bluff and the shore stretching for 200 metres. The majority of Peterhof’s fountains are contained here as well as several small palaces and outbuildings. Atop the bluff, near the Lower Park, stands the Great Palace. Behind of it the Upper Gardens are located with green lawns and numerous flowerbeds ornamented with marble statues and fountains. Below the Great Palace there is the Great Cascade which together with the Palace represents the centerpiece of the ensemble. At its foot the Sea Canal begins, one of the most extensive waterworks of the Baroque period which bisects the Lower Park.
The Lower Park has an area of 102.5 hectares and stretches for 2.5 km. The Park consists of 3 parts: the central, western and eastern sections. The earliest fountains located here are the symmetrically arranged Adam and Eve Fountains commissioned by Peter from Italian sculptor Bonazza in 1717 especially for Peterhof. Each palace of the Lower Park has a cascade corresponding to it: the Great Cascade correlates with the Great Palace, the Golden Hill Cascade with the Marly Palace, the Lion Cascade with the Hermitage Palace, the Checkerboard Hill Cascade is aligned with the Palace of Monplaisir.
The Great Palace originally called simply Upper or Uphill Chambers was hardly larger than any other structures of the complex. The overall concept of the Great Palace belonged to the creator of Peterhof himself, and the construction of the Palace was carried out between 1714 – 1723 under the supervision of architects J.-P. Le Blond, J. Braunstein and N. Michetti. Nowadays only the Oak Study of Peter the Great and the Oak Staircase remind us about early phase of the Palace’s history.
The additional wings were added between 1745 – 1755 by F.-B. Rastrelli by order of Elizabeth I. The elegant three-storey building provided with galleries and flanking blocks, the Court Church and the Armorial Block made up the façade extending for about 300 m along the terrace. F.-B. Rastrelli created a luxurious suite of state halls and sitting rooms in the Palace richly decorated with wooden gilded carving, mirrors, painted shades and parquet set. The Western and Eastern Chinese Lobbies were decorated between 1766 – 1769 by J.-B. Vallin de la Mothe to exhibit objects of decorative art imported from the East.
In 1770s architect Y. Velten designed a new decoration for the halls – Chesmen, Throne and White Dining-Room in the Classical Style thus having changed a splendid décor of Rastrelli’s halls into strict modeling compositions and clear division of the walls. The Chesmen Hall was decorated with 12 large paintings of the Battle of Chesma (a stunning naval victory of the Russo-Turkish War, 1768 – 1774) painted by German artist Jacob Philippe Hackaert. Another room positioned at the centre of the Palace bears the name of the Picture Hall for its walls are almost entirely covered with the series of 368 paintings depicting variously dressed women, different in appearance and age yet most drawn from a single model by the Italian artist Pietro Rotari.
The initial idea of the Great Cascade belonged to Peter the Great. In 1715 the digging of the Sea Canal linking the Cascade with the Gulf of Finland began followed by the construction of the Lower and the Upper Grottoes so fashionable in 18th cent. In August 1723 the fountain ensemble began to function, but the work on its decoration continued. The Great Cascade is nowadays one of the most magnificent examples of the Baroque Style, and one of the world’s largest historical fountain structures where each detail serves as a monument to the glorious victories of Russia in the Northern War. In the centre of the Great Cascade there is an artificial grotto with two stories. Their waters flow into a semicircular pool. In 1735 the Samson Fountain made by B.-C. Rastrelli was installed in the pool to commemorate the historic victory of Russia in the Northern War with the Swedes. It includes 37 gilded statues, 150 small decorative sculptures, 29 bas-reliefs, two cascade staircases, 654 fountains and a majestic grotto on the hill slope. Below, in the centre of a large semicircular pool, rises huge gilded statue of Samson Rending the Jaws of the Lion (3 m high, 5 tonnes weight). The most powerful jet of water in the park shoots up from the lion’s mouth to the height of 21 m (engineer V. Tuvolkov). The fountain is doubly symbolic. The lion is an element of the Swedish coat of arms, and one of the great victories of the War was won on Saint Samson’s Day. The masterpiece made by M. Kozlovskiy, was looted during the Second Word War by the invading Germans. A replica of the statue was installed in 1947. The fountains operate without the use of pumps: water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains of the Lower Gardens.
The major reconstruction of the Cascade was undertaken at the turn of 18th – 19th cent.: worn-out parts were renovated, the original lead statues were replaced with bronze ones. In early 19th cent. the marble colonnades with pavilions were erected to A. Voronikhin’s design to complete the parterre ensemble on the western and eastern sides of the Sea Canal.
Marly is an architectural complex in the western section of the park, including the palace and the cascade. Its name was borrowed from France – one of the most beautiful suburban residences of the Sun King Louis XIV was known as Marly. The Marly Palace was put up in 1720 – 1723 to the design by architect J.-F. Braunstein. Everything here reminds about the creator of Peterhof: in mid. 18th cent. the Palace became a sort of a museum devoted to Peter the Great where his personal belongings, gifts, everyday objects, furniture and paintings were preserved.
The Hermitage located in Peterhof was the first of the Russian Hermitages that appeared later on. The idea of its erection belonged to Peter the Great who often saw similar pavilions during his travels over Europe. The Hermitage was intended for the Tsar’s contacts with his closest associates. The Palace built in 1721 – 1725 by J.-F. Braunstein, stands in a distant corner of the Lower Park. Although the erection of the Hermitage ended already after the death of Peter the Great, much was done in keeping with his concept: two lifting mechanisms, two oak balconies and a table for 14 diners. The main decorations of the hall are 124 canvases by French, Dutch, German and Italian masters of 17th and early 18th cent. And there is only one picture – The Battle of Poltava – that is a work by an unknown Russian painter.
Monplaisir (a French word that stands for my pleasure) is another beautiful Palace located in Peterhof. The Tsar himself chose a site for his chambers right on the seashore, drew a plan of a garden in front of the building and gave instructions as to how plant flower-beds and arrange fountains. The Palace, resembling small dwelling houses of Dutch burghers, was built in 1723. The hall, the central interior of Monplaisir, was intended for the reception of guests. Worthy of special mention in its decoration are paintings on the dome-shaped rectangular ceiling made by Ph. Pillement and five pictures by A. Slio depicting ships riding at anchor. According to some legend Peter the Great used these paintings for taking exams from students of the Military Academy. The Monplaisir Ensemble was basically formed by mid. 18th cent. In 1740s F.-B. Rastrelli attached a stone house intended for Elizabeth Petrovna to the western wing of the Palace. It became known as the Catherine Block, because it was from here that future Empress Catherine II rode out to the capital on 28 June 1762 so as to take the Russian throne.
One of the most exciting places of interest in the Lower Park is an ensemble of so called trick-fountains (shutikhi) created for amusing the visitors. In 18th cent. such water-jokes were highly popular with the Western-European nobility and were put up almost in every park belonging to a nobleman. On either side of the Monplaisir Avenue, in 1784 three metal fountaining fir saplings, painted green, were set up by the fountain-builders Reiser and Strel’nikov. In 1796 as a result of the influence of the Chinese style introduced by Yu. Velten and V. Neyolov into Tsarskoye Selo, it was decided to build in Peterhof a trick fountain resembling the Chinese Umbrella. The fountain was designed by F. Brouer and represented a broad bench under a large umbrella. The edge of the umbrella was decorated with colourful festoons under which 164 small pipes were hidden. When a visitor sat on the bench the fountain switched on and the water fell down from every pipe – so that nobody could leave the fountain dry. The decoration of the fountain had been changing through the course of time. The umbrella-form was turned into the mushroom one; the number of pipes also changed: in 1826 there were 134 pipes, in 1868 the water fell down only from 80 pipes. At the time of War the fountain was ruined. On 11 September 1949 the 4-metre-high Umbrella was reconstructed. In 1954 G. Simonov carved a final for it (that crowned the fountain) in the form of acanthus leaves – so it resembled a pineapple.
Opposite the Umbrella the Oak Fountain designed by B.-C. Rastrelli is located. The gilded oak-tree had been created for the Oak Fountain in the Upper Gardens and remained there until 1750s when P. Brunatti deconstructed he fountain. In 1802 F. Strel’nikov used the surviving pieces of the dismantled tree to create a new one, which he painted green and put in the Lower Park. At its foot were placed fountaining metal tulips and on either side two benches behind which 41 nozzled pipes were hidden. When the fountain switches on the water falls down from the branches, flowers and leaves. In 1802 Strel’nikov restored the tree. The number of branches changed: in 1826 there were 349, in 1828 – 244. In 1914 the fountain was deconstructed again and only in 1924 it was returned back to its original place. In 1953 P. Lavrentyev with his sons made the metal trunk, 500 hollow branches, several thousand leaves and 5 tulips. In 1958 A Smirnov recreated 3 steel fir trunks with a realistic bark surface, brass twigs and tin conifer needles – so perfectly natural that they can be recognized as fountains only at a short distance.
Peterhof ensemble also includes the Park Alexandria that is located on the territory separated from the Lower gardens by a stone wall. In 18th cent. the lands nowadays occupied by Alexandria belonged to A. Menshikov who ordered to erect his summer residence Mon Courage there. After the exile Menshikov’s property was confiscated by the Treasury. In 1730s the menagerie was organized on that land. I. Mordvinov and M. Zemtsov finished the construction of the shooting-box (Mon Courage) that once had been started by A. Menshikov. In 1773 I. Yakovlev rebuilt Mon Courage in Classicism but the pavilion was rarely used and a half century later it turned into the ruins. In August 1825 Alexander I presented the land to his younger brother Nicholas who having become Emperor ordered to turn it into a new Imperial summer residence. Since 1829 the residence has the name Alexandria being named after Nicholas I’s wife.