Russia – USSR year 1951 Bolshoi Theatre MNH set

• The Bolshoi Theatre was one of the oldest and most renowned theaters in Moscow and the entire Soviet Union during this period. It was considered the leading ballet and opera house.
• In 1951, the Bolshoi was under the leadership of artists like ballet choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky and opera conductor Aleksandr Melik-Pashayev.
• Major ballet productions in 1951 included classics like Swan Lake, Giselle, and Don Quixote as well as Soviet-era works like The Red Poppy.
• On the opera side, repertoire included Russian classics by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and others as well as works by Soviet composers like Shostakovich’s The Nose.
• The Bolshoi company included many legendary Soviet dancers, singers and musicians who were stars of the era like Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya, Ivan Kozlovsky and others.
• As the premier theater in the USSR’s capital, the Bolshoi played an important cultural ambassadorial role, receiving international tours and hosting visiting performers on its prestigious stage.
• The theater itself had been rebuilt after being heavily damaged in WWII, preserving its opulent 19th century imperial architectural style inside.

So in 1951, the Bolshoi continued its prestigious tradition as the Soviet Union’s leading ballet, opera and musical theater institution.