The main stage of the Novosibirsk state academic opera and ballet theatre welcomed its first spectators on May 12, 1945. The first performance staged at the largest theatre stage in Russia was M. Glinka’s opera “Ivan Susanin”.
The majestic and festive decoration of the theatre auditorium met the overall joyous atmosphere of the first holidays after the end of the great Patriotic war.
The vast open space of the auditorium gives a sense of expanse corresponding to the Siberian scopes. The hall’s interior is decorated in accordance with traditional soviet architecture of 1930s – 1940s; that style is usually referred to as “Stalinist Empire”.
The designers initially abandoned the traditional oval shape of the Opera hall - there are no Royal boxes or galleries in the auditorium. The hall was built according to the democratic principles of the post-revolutionary years - the seats are rising in semicircle, providing all spectators with equal convenience. The grand hall of the theatre currently holds 1 449 seats, is equipped with elevator for physically challenged people, and has special seats for disabled persons.
Another architectural peculiarity is used for decoration of the grand hall’s higher interiors. It is a mighty gallery above the amphitheatre, surrounding the area of the picturesque plafond with a luxurious crystal chandelier with 6 meters in diameter and 2,5 tons weight. The elegant ceiling of the auditorium also serves as a sort of acoustic screen.
The space between the columns in the upper part of the gallery is filled with sculptures – reproductions of famous ancient artists: Praxiteles, Phidias, Leochara, Polykleitos, Kephisodotos. The eight statues organized in repeated pattern against the burgundy velvet cloth and illuminated by elegant chandeliers give a special appeal and splendor to the entire hall.
