, logo_caption = Logo , image = Operniy-5.jpg , image_size = 270px , caption = Odesa Theatre of Opera and Ballet , address = Tchaikovsky Lane 1 , city =

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

, country = , designation = Architectural Landmark , coordinates = , architect = , owner = , capacity = 1,636 , type = , opened = 1810 , yearsactive = , rebuilt = 1887,

Fellner & Helmer Fellner & Helmer was an architecture studio founded in 1873 by Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. They designed over 200 buildings (mainly opera houses and apartment buildings) across Europe in the late 19th century and ear ...

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operahouse.od.ua
The Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre ( uk, Одеський національний академічний театр опери та балету) is the oldest theatre in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. The Theatre and the

Potemkin Stairs , location = , address2 = , owner = , coordinates = , place_type = Stairs , construction = 1837–1841 , open = 1841 , steps = 192 , height = 27 m , surface = granite, sandstone ...

are the most famous edifices in Odesa. The first opera house was opened in 1810 and destroyed by fire in 1873. The modern building was constructed by

in neo-baroque (Vienna Baroque) style and opened in 1887. The architecture of the luxurious audience hall follows the late French

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style. The unique acoustics of the horseshoe-designed hall allows performers to deliver even a whisper-low tone of voice from the stage to any part of the hall. The most recent renovation of the theatre was completed in 2007.

History

Odesa's first theatre (called the City Theatre) was built on the location of the current Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre and opened on 10 February 1810. The original design, created by the Italian architect Francesco Frapolli, was later modified by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

architect Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon who also designed St. Petersburg's Old Stock Exchange. The main entrance with its colonnade faced the sea. There was no

foyer A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...

. p. 67Karakina, p. 68 Lists the architect's name as Toma de Tomana. In 1831, Michael Vorontsov, governor-general of Russian empire, Novorossia kray (currently part of Ukraine) decided to assign the old instituted quarantine fees to the Odesa Theatre. p. 110 Historian Charles King explains that one of the medical inspectors in Odesa was also the owner of the Odesa Theatre. When ticket sales were low, he would announce the discovery of an infection among newly arrived passengers and ordered them to be quarantined at their own cost. The expenses of the

lazaretto A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...

, where the passengers that stayed would be used to hire a major performer for the theatre. p. 171 On the night of 2 January 1873, the building was gutted by fire. p. 67 A fund raising campaign began immediately. The city announced an international contest for the best theatre design. Forty designs were submitted, but none was chosen.Karakina, p. 67 States: There were forty three entrants, and...Felner and Gelmer were selected. Finally, the project was drafted along the lines of Dresden

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

built in 1878, with its nontraditional foyer following the curvatures of auditorium. Two Viennese architects,

Ferdinand Fellner Ferdinand Fellner (19 April 1847 – 22 March 1916) was an Austrian architect. Biography Fellner joined his ailing father's architecture firm at the age of nineteen. After his death he founded the architecture studio Fellner & Helmer together w ...

and

Hermann Helmer Hermann Gottlieb Helmer (13 July 1849 – 2 April 1919) was a German architect who mainly worked in Austria. Biography After completing an apprenticeship as a bricklayer, and some further education he joined the architecture firm of Ferdinand ...

began to construct the larger replacement in 1883. The foundation stone was laid on 16 September 1884. On 1 October 1887 the theatre was completed, costing 1,300,000

ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

s to build. It was named the Odesa City Theatre. p. 266-7Karakina, p. 70 States: The Opera and Ballet Theatre acquired its name in the early 20th century. When first created, it was simply called the City Theatre. The theatre was the first building in Odesa to employ the

Edison Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

with electric illumination.Kaufman, p. 14. To keep theatre patrons comfortable in the summers, workers would lower wagonloads of ice and straw down a 35-foot shaft, then would carry it through a tunnel to a basement beneath the hall, where cool air rose up from vents beneath the seats. The Theatre, Odessa

In 1925, the building was burnt again in a fire. Fire team localized the burning, but the stage and orchestra pit were destroyed. During the fire of 1925, original curtain of the theatre stage burned, which was never restored. Opera, Odessa

There is a story that, when the Odesa people learned that the construction cost 1.3 million gold rubles, they gasped, but when they saw the new theatre, they gasped again, this time in admiration. In August 1941, when the Romanian army was dangerously close to Odesa, the command of the Odesa defensive area appointed a special anti-aircraft unit, which was given the task of protecting the theatre building from bombing. On the roofs of the houses adjacent to the theatre, guns were installed that shot all 73 days of the city defending. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...

, concerned about the condition of the city, visited Odesa immediately after the German army was ousted from the city. Khrushchev reported that only one corner of the building had been damaged by an enemy shell. p. 597 The theatre was remodelled in the 1960s. The theatre sits upon shifting ground and is in danger of collapse. The first cracks in the foundation appeared almost as soon as the theatre opened. The theatre's eastern half sagged almost seven inches in its first three years, and the six walls began to tilt. Gleb Dranov, a former opera singer who sang at the theatre for 25 years, and who worked five years as a geologist, is helping repair the building. During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

the theatre used similar defences, including anti-aircraft units and anti-tank hedgehogs, to defend the theatre as had been used during August 1941.

Construction

The building's

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

is decorated in the

Italian baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

style. In the niches are the busts of

Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka ( rus, link=no, Михаил Иванович Глинка, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka., mʲɪxɐˈil ɪˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲinkə, Ru-Mikhail-Ivanovich-Glinka.ogg; ) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recogni ...

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

Alexandr Griboyedov Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Грибоедов, ''Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboedov'' or ''Sergeevich Griboyedov''; 15 January 179511 February 1829), formerly romanized as Alexander Sergueevich Gri ...

and

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

. The large hall was modelled after the style of Louis XVI, and is richly decorated with gilded stucco figures and designs. The architects provided the foyer with twenty-four exits, to avoid tragedy in the case of a fire. On the side of the theatre is a lawn with fresh flowers and shrubs.

People

The famous Russian singer

Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; April 12, 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass v ...

gave many concerts at the Odesa Opera. Soprano Lyudmila Shirina was a leading singer from 1975, and later head of the company.

Gallery

File:Одеський національний академічний театр опери та балету DJI 0112.jpg File:Front view of Odessa opera theater.jpg File:Front stairs.jpg File:Ceiling Odessa opera theater.jpg File:Одеський національний академічний театр опери та балету 02.jpg

Notes

References

External links

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Theatres in Odesa Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

Opera houses in Ukraine Landmarks in Odesa Theatres completed in 1810 Theatres completed in 1887 Music venues completed in 1810 Music venues completed in 1887 Tourist attractions in Odesa Fellner & Helmer buildings Neoclassical architecture in Ukraine 1810 establishments in Ukraine Institutions with the title of National in Ukraine