Russia is deservedly proud of its Theatre, with the world famous ballet schools and the particular theatre traditions being symbols of this country.

The theatre tradition in Russia has deep roots. In old times, the nobility often used to have their own private theatres in their estates. For example, in the 19th Century the Count Sheremetyev had a great theatre, with his serfs being the actors. Nowadays, there are more than 400 theatres, that differ in their repertoire, that is why one is welcome to appreciate all kinds of performances in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and in other Russian cities from ballet and modern dance to musicals and puppetry productions.

Several theatres in Russia are world famous, one of them, of course, is the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The Bolshoi was founded on the 6th of January 1825, when a fine classical building was erected in Teatralnaya Square. Now, the Bolshoi Theatre is considered to be the second largest in Europe after the famous “La Scala” in Italy.

There are in Moscow also very famous Moscow Musical Comedy Theatre, The Theatre of Classic Ballet, Lenkom Theatre, Maly Theatre of Russia, Moscow Art Academic Theatre named after A.Chekhov (MHAT), Vakhtangov Theatre, Mimicry and Gesture Theatre and many other theatres.

In Saint Petersburg the most famous is Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre. There is a lot of very popular theatres in Saint Petersburg, for example, Alexandrinsky, BDT and many others.

The period of Russian classical music thriving was in the first half of the 19th century and is connected with Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804-1857) who is considered the first Russian composer of world significance. Glinka is seen as the founder of Russian classical music. His opera “Life for the Tsar” and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” determined the further development of opera. A distinctive feature of the composer's creative approach was the use of the motives of Russian folklore and folk music.

At the turn of the century, Russian music was enriched by new works of talented composers and performers. The author of monumental symphonic works and ballets was A. Glazunov. One of the founders of the modern musical language of contemporary symphonic music is considered to be a composer and pianist Alexander N. Scriabin. Very peculiar and original was the music and performance art of Rakhmaninov, a distinguished composer, pianist and conductor.

An integral part of the development of musical culture and its direct consequence was the world's fame of Russian masters of musical theater - opera and ballet. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow occupied the leading positions among musical theaters. The names of the famous opera bass Fyodor Chaliapin, the ballerina Anna Pavlova were widely known both in Russia and abroad.