St Petersburg -The Ballet

St. Petersburg is a city rich in culture and history. This music nerd has geeked out a few times, like this time in front of a statue of Rimsky-Korsakov. There are so many great composers to come out Russia and more specifically St. Petersburg. There are roads named for great composers, musicians, and writers. There are so may statues and monuments. I was a bit bummed not to be able to see the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, it's currently completely under scaffolding. 

Rimsky-Korsakov

Glinka

We wandered through the theater district and moseyed down one of the canals. There are many
bridges crossing the canals. Some are for vehicles and others are spouts for pedestrians. These
bridges are known for being romantic hangouts. One of the most famous is the Lion Bridge over the Griboedov Canal. My favorite bridge was the Bank Bridge. This bridge was built in
1826. It used to be in front of a bank (go figure). Now the building is the St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. 

The Bank Bridge

The Bank Bridge

The Lion Bridge

One of the most special experiences of the trip was our evening at the ballet. I abandoned the notion of being a ballerina many years ago. But my love for ballet has remained strong. We saw a production of The French ballet Giselle. A Russian dancer collaborated on the oginal choreography, but the ballet was never performed in Russia, only by the traveling Ballet Russe. Recently, the Mariinskiy (Kirov) Ballet has been reviving classic ballets. 

Christina and Janet in our hotel lobby before the balleg

The theater is gorgeous both inside and out. We sat in a box at the back of the main floor and had a perfect view of the entire stage. It was so nice to see a ballet with a live orchestra. For a long time after I gave up on being a professional ballerina, I thought it would be fun to play oboe in a ballet orchestra. I did once in high school for a local dance school production.

Model of the inside of the Miriinskiy Theater

I'm partial to (and often critical of) the oboe parts in orchestral music. The oboist I'm the pit was incredible. I'd venture to say this was a flawless performance. Seeing the ballet in Russia is just a tourist experience but rather a full cultural experience. People really appreciate the art and show it buy shouting "bravo" and buying the dancers flowers. I'd go again, only the tickets are sold out!