News from Projects
& Project Management in Russia

Bolshoi Theater
Renovation Project

The Bolshoi Theater, one of the best known Russian landmarks, will reopen its doors in late 2010, after complete reconstruction.  The theater's management denies that the global downturn caused problem with the financing the ambitious renovation project.

The restoration works began in the summer of 2005 and was planned to be finished by March 2008. But early last year, the completion date was set back to November 2009. By the summer of 2008, no one was in doubt that it would take much, much longer. Late last year it was stated that the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater will be delayed.

In the past few months, no one was willing to risk a prediction on an official opening date, and some people even said that the work could drag on for several decades. Russia's Minister of Culture Aleksandr Avdeev, however, reassured the public that the Bolshoi renovation would be finished by the end of 2010.

This report provides some history and information about this important Russian facility, which is a major representative of Russia’s great history, culture and contributions to the arts.

The world-renowned Bolshoi Theater, which was built in 1824, has survived a major fire, the building of a metro line beneath its foundations, bombing in World War II and several thoughtless renovations (which altered the acoustics unfortunately for the worse). Originally, the orchestra pit had been built atop a barrel-shaped hollow space, which served as a resonator, so that the sound would reach the audience amplified and enriched. In the 1920s, this hollow space had been erroneously filled with concrete, effectively killing any amplification and dulling the sound.

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