Marvel at the magnificent facade of the grand Bolshoi Theatre. Enter the main hall and admire a 6–tier auditorium elaborately decorated with crimson and gold embellishments. Receive an insightful introduction to the theatre's turbulent history, hearing of the fires and neglect that threatened to destroy the building forever. The Old building of Bolshoi has been opened on October 20, 1856, due to the coronation of Alexander the 2-nd. For about 6 years it was under reconstruction and is now opened again for the Ballet and Opera lovers from all over the world. The magnificent theatre is well-known by the production of the performances to the classical music of best Russian composers such as - Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Dargomyzhsky, Borodin, Shostakovich. Best Russian operas - "Life for the Tsar", "Boris Godunov", "Prince Igor", "Snowmaiden", some arias from them have been performed by Fedor Shalyapin, Leonid Sobinov and Antonina Nezhdanova themselves. If the time is right, you may even get to see some ballet before the first night! Admire the pristine renovations as you see box seats once reserved for Russian emperors, and visit the Royal Foyer, a resting place for emperors during performance intervals, listen to legends surrounding the incredible acoustics.