Mariinsky Theatre

No trip should be made to St. Petersburg without including a ballet performance.

This is true even if you have never been to a ballet.

I am just such a person. I did not think I would enjoy ballet, but felt the need to see the things that we suggest to our clients. Now I can say I have seen Swan Lake 5 times in Russia as well as many other ballet performances. Ballet  is delightful and beautiful.

If it is possible, you should see many, but, if you can see only one, then it should be at the Mariinsky Theatre.

This  most prestigious theatre features the best of ballet in the world and is the home of the most prestigious ballet company in the world, the Kirov.

the new pathways of art.  The images created on this famous stage in the past have become the legends of theatre history. The present day life of the Mariinsky is the definite sign of the renaissance of our culture. Make no mistake, the classics are still performed regularly at the Mariinsky, but you will also see modern works offered as well.

St. Petersburg Playbill

The specific list of performances at the various venues changes and is not posted very far in advance. We will be happy to give you the list of peformance options for St. Petersburg’s various theatres if you would care to drop an quick email. Of the things which causes St. Petersburg to be among my favorite cites is the amazing night life. The number and variety of cultural performances , I think, exceed those available in New York or London.

For English and Japanese speakers, ballet, opera and the folk shows are wonderful as they are language “independent”.

As with everything, there are varying degrees of excellence. So it is not surprising that there are vastly different prices for performances of the same ballet or opera at different theatres.

Among the best theatres in St. Petersburg are, but not restricted to,

1. Mariinsky theatre.
2. Alexandrindky theatre.
3. Mihailovsky theatre.
4. Hermitage theatre.
5. Palace theatre.

It is wonderful to attend an opera, ballet, symphony or folk show. Let us assist you in choosing what is right for you based on your budget, and the dates on which you are in the city.

Beware!  Many of the ticket sellers on the internet either sell fake tickets or ones at HIGHLY inflated prices or both. (there are theatres who openly publish that they will not accept balletandopera.com or operaandballet.com tickets)

Hermitage Theatre

St. Petersburg is the home of the Russian School for Ballet. In this city, the most important ballet dancers have trained and performed. Among those are Baryshnikov and Nureyev.
If you have a free evening in St. Petersburg or Moscow, the ballet is an event you will long remember, even it you are not already a fan of ballet.
It is important to note that the revival of the Hermitage Theater makes it possible to step back in time to see a performance as did the previous crowned heads of state during the days of Imperial Russia. It is all the more remarkable that these ballets are again being performed along the historic Neva Embankment and it is as if the patron has stepped back into a time once thought to have been lost forever. Performances are practically nightly in during the tourist season.

 

Performances of the great ballets like “Swan Lake”, “Giselle” and “Sleeping Beauty” ,among others, are performed frequently.

RussianTourGuide.com obtains tickets, for all of our clients, to any of the theatres in St. Petersburg.

The Hermitage Theatre is the oldest building in the complex of theWinter Palace preserved to our time. It was built on the site of the former Winter Palace of Peter I. The construction of the theatre is functionaly independent and is connected to the basic court building by an arch. The arch is built over the channel that connects the Moika River to the river Neva. The arch is called the “Winter flute”. The theater building, which sometimes is called as fourth Winter the Palace, was constructed between 1711-1723. The theatre was built later in 1783-1785 during the reign of Catherine the Great. The architect was Jakomo Kvarengi, who built around 30 of the most beautiful buildings and structures in the city.

Note: There are many companies who sell tickets to the theatres in St. Petersburg. One of the most easily found in web searches, actually sells ticktets which are fake. Some theatres’ home pages warn potential customers not to buy from this site.
You can be assured of the quaity and price of the tickets RussianTourGuide.com buys for your theatrical performances in St. Petersburg and Moscow.