Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra

The Bolshoi’s grandiose epic Spartacus recounts the story of a Roman slave’s fight for freedom. With its famous Khachaturian score, since the 1960s it has been considered one of the greatest ballets in the Bolshoi repertoire. The choreography by Yuri Grigorovich fills the Bolshoi stage with dynamic scenes of tension and conflict, and gives full expression to the virility and strength for which Russia’s male dancers are renowned.

In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation. A Bolshoi Ballet adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel with choreography by Maya Plisetskaya, who also took on the titular role.

This is the Swan Lake for our times; performed by The Zurich Opera House Orchestra and conducted by Russian musical director Vladimir Fedoseyev, the magic in the story will take hold of the viewer and transport you to another world. Ballerina Polina Seminova performs the mythic parts of Odette and Odile (white swan and black swan) with her great partner Stanislav Jermakov as Prince Siegrfried

On Christmas Eve, Marie is given a wooden nutcracker as a gift. When the clock strikes midnight, the Nutcracker transforms into a prince and saves Marie from the Mouse King and his army. This beloved holiday classic will enchant the whole family with its fairytale setting and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. This live version of The Nutcracker, created for the Bolshoi by Yuri Grigorovich, is full of romanticism and philosophical reflections on ideal love.

The temple dancer Nikiya and the warrior Solor fall deeply in love, igniting heated passions and murderous intrigues when the Rajah and his daughter Gamzatti discover their forbidden love. La Bayadere is one of the greatest works in classical ballet history – a story of love, death and vengeful judgment, set in India. Dazzling sets and costumes, with one of the most iconic scenes in ballet, the “Kingdom of the Shades,” illuminate the tragic tale of the temple dancer Nikiya’s doomed love for the warrior Solor, and their ultimate redemption. Recorded live in Moscow on January 20, 2019.

With Tchaikovskys famous and lyrically poignant score, the beloved masterpiece Swan Lakes depiction of tragic love is performed to perfection by the unparalleled virtuosity of Russias great Bolshoi Ballet with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. Recorded in early 2015, this live performance provides an opportunity to see the modern manifestation of this legendary ballet troupe with lead ballerina Svetlana Zakharova along with Denis Rodkin and Artemy Belyakov among others introducing us to the new generation at the Bolshoi.

The Bolshoi presents the famous star-crossed lovers from Shakespeare’s most tragic love story set to Prokofiev’s cinematic score.

On the day of his wedding, the young Scotsman James is awoken with a kiss from an ethereal winged creature, a Sylph. Entranced by her beauty, James risks everything to pursue an unattainable love… La Sylphide is not only the oldest of the classical ballets, but it also marks the start of dancing on pointe. The Bolshoi Theatre and Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema showcase Johan Kobborg’s production, which conveys the spirit of the ballet in this romantic tale. Anastasia Stashkevich appears as Sylph and Semyon Chudin as James.

The reopening show of the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theatre by Jurowski and Tcherniakov. "Ruslan and Lyudmila", opera by Mikhail Glinka, has particular relation with the Bolshoï Theater, it held more than 700 representations throughout the history and nine different productions. Logically the fable of Mikhail Glinka (from a poem of Pushkin), symbol of the Russian opera, opened the season 2011-2012 of the majestic Moscow s opera, after its long renovation. This reopening inspired the director Dmitri Tcherniakov, who signed the direction of this new production. The new devices of the Bolshoi Theatre and its two giant screens are fully exploited in a spectacular staging. Tcherniakov transposes Glinka s opera at the 21th century with contemporary ambitions because of the "modernity of the subject", trying there to put forward "the deep feelings of the characters , exposing the protagonists to very modern temptations: a "harem" for Ruslan, a Thai massage for Lyudmila.

In this resplendent and magical classic, the Bolshoi dancers - including David Hallberg in his Bolshoi debut - take us on a dream-like journey through this classic fairy tale complete with jewel fairies, a magical kingdom, a youthful princess and a handsome prince in this purest style of classical ballet. The Bolshoi’s sumptuous staging with its luxurious sets and costumes gives life to Perrault’s fairy tale unlike any other. This performance of Sleeping Beauty was filmed as a sort of celebration of the grand reopening of the Bolshoi Theater's Main Stage (it had been closed for several years for a refurbishment).

Inspired by Lord Byron’s epic poem, this jewel of the repertoire boasts a lavish production complete with a shipwreck, pirates, and some of ballet’s most renowned scenes.

Pique Dame (or "The Queen of Spades") inspired by Alexander Pushkin, set to a music by Tchaikovsky; Passacaglia (or "Passacaille") set to a music by Anton Webern: two Roland Petit masterpieces brought together on one memorable evening at the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow. Recorded live, 19th of May 2005.

During harvest festival at a collective farm, a visiting dance troupe reunites a ballerina with her childhood friend Zina. In order to teach her unfaithful husband a lesson, Zina, the ballerina, and the ballerina’s husband decide to swap roles for the evening… Alexei Ratmansky invokes the genius of Shostakovich’s score at the Bolshoi, creating a laugh-out-loud masterpiece with its bits of slapstick comedy, hilarious deceptions, false identities including Principal Dancer Ruslan Skvortsov dressed as a Sylph and its many colorful characters! The Bolshoi bursts with vivid life and bright spirits in Ratmansky’s brilliantly choreographed smash. Captured live on Apr 29, 2012.

A masterpiece of classical dance, this Nutcracker is a magical version of the score by Tchaikovsky filmed at the Bolshoi Theatre. Recorded live in December 2010.

For one evening, the Bolshoi takes on a new challenge with audacity in The Cage by Jerome Robbins, Harald Lander’s Études and Alexei Ratmansky’s Russian Seasons.

When the beautiful dancer Nikiya and the warrior Solor meet in secret, they swear eternal mutual fidelity. However, the High Brahmin, who is also in love with Nikiya, overhears them. He rushes to reveal their secret to the Rajah, who has decided that Solor will marry his beloved daughter Gamzatti. Recorded live, January 2013.

Raymonda is betrothed to Jean de Brienne, a gallant knight who pledged to go on a crusade led by the King of Hungary. When her beloved leaves, Abderakhman, a foreign knight, makes a bid for the hand of Raymonda and threatens her fate when she rejects him…

Inspired by heroic stories of brave knights, Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful servant Sancho Panza set out on an adventure to meet his ideal woman, Dulcinea. Cervantes’ hero comes to life in the Bolshoi's critically acclaimed staging of this exalting performance. With panache and sparkling technique, principal dancers Ekaterina Krysanova and Semyon Chudin lead the spectacular cast of toreadors, flamenco dancers, gypsies, and dryads in virtuosic dancing that is quintessential Bolshoi. Captured live on April 10, 2016

On his wedding day, the young Scotsman James is awakened with a kiss from an ethereal winged creature, a Sylph. Entranced by her beauty, James risks everything to pursue an unattainable love. La Sylphide is one of the world’s oldest surviving ballets, and a treasure in Danish ballet master August Bournonville’s style. Staged for the Bolshoi by Bournonville expert Johan Kobborg, this production is the ultimate romantic masterpiece. Captured live from the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

The Tsar's Bride - an opera in four acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov based on the drama by Lev Mey. This is a play about love - passionate, hot, searing and even burning everything around him. About the Russian soul, in the depths of which will always be a place for cleanliness, poetry, sacrifice and charity. At the same time, it is a play about the terrible years in the history of Russia, when the government was in a complete chaos, and the man became a helpless toy in its hands.

On Christmas Eve, Marie’s Nutcracker doll magically transforms into a prince and their wonderful adventure begins. The holiday classic returns to the majestic Bolshoi stage for a live broadcast of a timeless story, The Nutcracker, taking audiences of all ages on a magical journey through a world of enchantment complete with dancing snowflakes and dolls that have come to life, accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s beloved score.

George Balanchine's jewel-themed triptych, strikingly choreographed to the music of Faure, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. This three act masterpiece is renowned as the world's first full-length abstract ballet. The Russian-born co-founder of the New York City Ballet, Balanchine was inspired by the artistry of jewellery designer Claude Arpels to create a trio of distinct movements revealing the essence of each precious stone. Each part also evokes three different cities: Paris, New York and St. Petersburg. 'Emeralds' was conceived as a tribute to the French romantic school, with music by Gabriel Faure. The fiery and energetic 'Rubies' taps into the rich tradition of Broadway musicals, with music by Stravinsky. 'Diamonds' honours the grandeur of Imperial Russia and the Maryinsky Theater, choreographed to the music of Tchaikovsky. With its jewel-like costumes, this is a celebration of the influences on the choreographer who was described as the father of American ballet.

In this joyful version, a beautiful mechanical doll interferes with the happiness of two lovers. Original choreography by Marius Petita. New version by Sergei Vikharev. Music by Leo Delibes. Live performance 29 May 2011.

Swanhilda notices her fiancee Franz is infatuated with the beautiful Coppélia who sits reading on her balcony each day. Nearly breaking up the two sweethearts, Coppélia is not what she seems and Swanhilda decides to teach Franz a lesson… The Bolshoi’s unique version of Coppélia exhibits a fascinating reconstruction of the original 19th century choreography of this ebullient comedy involving a feisty heroine, a boyish fiancee with a wandering eye, and an old dollmaker. The company’s stunning corps de ballet shines in the divertissements and famous “dance of the hours,” and its principals abound in youthful energy and irresistible humor in this effervescent production.