The First City Theatre in Kiev was built by architect A.I.Melenskim on Khreshchatyk in 1804. It lasted until 1851.

The Second City Theatre opened in 1856 at the Military Street (now - Bogdan Khmelnitsky Street), at the intersection with the street of Vladimir the Great. The building was designed by architects I.V.Shtrom Academy. In the theater, were outstanding at the time the singers - Feodor Chaliapin Sobinov, Nezhdanova, Battistini, Ruffo, dramatic actors - Ira Olridzh, Sarah Bernhardt, and many others. Rachmaninov conducted the orchestra, raised his Mykola Lysenko's opera, was a frequent visitor, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

In 1896, during the fire, the theater burned down in 1901 in its place was built a new opera and ballet. Construction of the French Renaissance-style architecture designed by Academician VA Shreter.

In March 1919 on the basis of nationalized Russian Opera Opera was founded the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, renamed in 1926 in Kiev Academic Opera. Eight years later, it bore the name of the institution of theater capital of the theater of opera and ballet, which in 1939 was named after Taras Shevchenko.

In 1991 the theater was again renamed the Opera and Ballet of Ukraine.

After the last reconstruction of the theater has been repainted in the original scale of the original - beige with dark green, and reservists have been completed the theater, joining a building opposite the theater, thus closing the passage to the street Lysenko.

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Opera House - the ugliest building in the city

For centuries the people of Kiev were incorrigible maximalists: If the bell tower was built, the "highest in Europe" (Johann Schadel) if erected the Chain Bridge, the "unique in the world" (Charles Vignoles) ...

Earl lived in Pechersk Ilyinsky Romanovo renamed his estate for the New Rome, and began to build a church there, which is the size and shape was not inferior to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. And an outstanding choirmaster Agrenev-Slavic at the beginning of Downtown (house number 1) has started construction of a building with a concert hall by 5.5 thousand places by type of opera at La Scala in Milan. Unfortunately, the venture failed, but in front of the place where it was proposed to build a "Milan" grand opera, in 1807 built the first theater of Kiev. He was still imperfect, of wood, but the people of Kiev have admired him. "The large curtains - wrote the historian Zakrevsky - was depicted standing on a chariot of the classical Greek hero, accompanied by numerous army, and in the air before swooping winged cupid with a scroll in his hand ..." ("Description of Kiev"). In the collapsed into the tube sheet was written in Latin, the old saying "Laughter clears customs." This is the beginning and the Major, the impetus for the rapid development in Kiev theater.

When in 1898 a lake in the former mansion was built Mehring City Drama Theatre, then immediately raised the question of its internal and external design. At the front of the building found a sculptural group depicting the swan cries. But as the "swan song" - symbols of more than a grim, even for a drama theater, the interior of the hall decided to give iridescent sound optimistic. The first visitors immediately captivated luscious painting the ceiling, walls and ceilings. The sun god Apollo and patron of the arts was shown surrounded by the nine muses. Near the Apollo genius of the poet solemnly crowned with a laurel wreath. Along the perimeter of the room were placed Bacchic scene in general, the interior of the building offers a combination of palace grandeur and comfort. Theatre for many years bore the name of a famous actor, director and entrepreneur Nikolai Solovtsov. Now in this room, the National Academic Theatre. Franko.

It should be said that Solovtsov Kiev began his career in theater at the Auguste Bergonie Fundukleyev (now the street. B. Khmelnitsky, 5). Wealthy Frenchman in 1874 built a wooden circus, and a year later - a stone building of the theater. Incidentally, it was the first time in Kiev with great success the first film shows. Now rebuilt and renovated the building - the National Academic Theatre. Lesia Ukrainka.

But in 1901 the construction of the Kiev Opera House (St. Vladimir, 50) preceded the World competition for the project. It won the St. Petersburg professor of architecture Schroeter. Like a musical scale seven notes, dissect semioval front seven fine arches, giving the construction of additional height. Between the arches, we see the stucco images of theatrical masks, representing the work of two muses - Melpomene (tragedy), and Thalia (comedy). Above the main entrance - a bas-relief, and the monogram shown on the cartouche, which is supported by two winged women. Experts identify them geniuses, spirits patrons, accompanying a person in his noble thoughts. Today the theater is located in a room the National Opera of Ukraine named. Shevchenko.

Speaking about the undeniable merits of the building, we can not ignore and the critical comments made by our predecessors on the design, "Schroeter offspring." September 15, 1901, the day of the inauguration of the theater, the newspaper "Kyivlyanyn" wrote: "The appearance of the theater is extremely unattractive: ugly building sits in the middle of the square, like a huge awkward turtle. Experience even more spoiled ugly finish building ... Ornamental decoration of the auditorium is different simplicity and poverty ... " This opinion is very captious criticism - most of Kiev have been and remain completely opposite point of view.

Author: Dmitry Lavrov for the newspaper "Today"

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