Description of the attraction
The State Museum of Theater and Musical Art in St. Petersburg is located in the historical part of the city. Placed in a building that is part of one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles of St. Petersburg - the ensemble of the Alexandrinsky Theater. This masterpiece of architecture was built by Carl Rossi himself. In one of the buildings that surrounded the theater, from 1840 the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters was located. Here contracts were signed with the actors, it was here that P. Tchaikovsky, M. Mussorgsky, A. Chekhov, A. Ostrovsky and other great figures of the Russian theater brought their creations, which were intended for the stage.
After the revolution in 1918, the Directorate was reorganized, and in this building it was decided to open the first theater museum in Petrograd. However, 1908 is considered to be the true date of the museum foundation, when the "First Russian Theater Exhibition" opened in St. Petersburg. The exhibition was located in the building of the Panayevsky Theater, and here for the first time materials were shown to the general public, which later formed the basis of the funds of the future Museum. Over time, the collection was replenished with materials from private collections. In 1921, namely on May 16, the first exhibition for visitors was opened.
The department of painting, graphics and applied arts presents collections of theatrical portraits, prints, miniatures, theatrical models, sculptures and much more. The earliest works date back to the middle of the 18th century. The pride of this museum collection is the work of Ilya Repin, Mikhail Vrubel, Sergei Makovsky and other masters of art of the 19th century. In total, this department contains 40,000 storage units.
The Department of Manuscripts and Documents composes musical autographs of Rimsky-Korsakov, Alexander Borodin, Dmitry Shostakovich and others, notebooks and diaries of Olga Spesivtseva, Anna Pavlova, letters from Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Sergei Diaghilev, materials about the creative activities of Mstislav Rostropovich and much more. The earliest materials are presented in 1725.
The memorial section presents personal belongings of actors, orders and medals, congratulatory addresses, conductor's sticks, public gifts to idols. This includes a unique collection of theatrical costumes. In this department, there are 8300 exhibits.
The collection of photographs and negatives provides a broader insight into the diversity of theatrical life. Here - portraits of actors in roles and in life, mise-en-scenes of ballet, opera and dramatic performances, photographs from the family archives of the Stravinsky, Kshesinskaya, Komissarzhevskaya, Kuznetsova-Benois.
The collection of posters and programs reflects the chronicle of the theater's events from the late 18th century to the present. Here are evidences of foreign celebrities touring Russia: Enrico Caruso, Maria Taglioni, Titto Ruffo, Anna Magnani, Sarah Bernhardt, Peter Brook, Jean-Louis Barrot.
The museum has an extensive collection of background and video materials that reflect the history of the development and formation of theatrical and musical culture throughout the 20th century.
The instrumental collection stored in this museum is one of the five largest in the world and is the best in Russia. The collection includes more than three thousand instruments.
In the museum, as well as in its branches, excursions and lectures on the history of the theater, evenings of memories, concerts of sound recordings, meetings with eminent actors, musicians, talented artists, and solo performances are held. The museum receives over 100,000 visitors annually.
