Military posters of Bolshoi Theater of Russia presented on Presidential Library's portal

The Presidential Library's collection has been enriched with electronic copies of historical documents, including those related to the Great Patriotic War period. The Samara Regional Universal Scientific Library transferred to the Presidential Library 67 posters about performances and concerts held in Kuibyshev (now Samara) from 1941 to 1946 for digitization.

Of special interest are the posters of the performances of the Order of Lenin State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR, which was evacuated from Moscow to Middle Volga region during the war. These yellowed posters tell about the cultural life of the city that became a rear industrial center during the Great Patriotic War.

Works by Tchaikovsky, Asafiev, Verdi, Rossini, and Minkus were performed on the stage of the Kuibyshev Palace of Culture during the war. The audience was given a rare opportunity to experience the masterpieces of world music - operas such as The Barber of Seville, Aida, Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades; ballets like Fountain of Bakhchisarai, Don Quixote and Swan Lake.

Soloists from the State Bolshoi Theatre performed classical works on antique instruments, as reported by the posters. Chamber music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Franz Schubert was played by "voices" from unique violins and cellos created by famous masters from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as Guadanini, Gabrieli, Guarneri and Montagnano.

On February 10th, 1942, the Orchestra of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre, led by People's Artist of the USSR Lev Steinberg, performed at the Musical Comedy Theatre. The soloists included laureates of All-Union and International Competitions David Oistrakh and Emil Gilels.

Music was also performed at other venues in the city on Volga River. In early June 1942, a concert of jazz and popular music took place at the Drama Theatre. Lyrical and genre songs were performed, as well as acrobatic and comedic dances.

Another June poster announced the opening of the Philharmonic Summer Garden for the first two weekends of June, 1942. A series of concerts by artists from the Moscow, Leningrad, and Kuibyshev philharmonic societies were announced, as well as evenings of symphony music and ballet.

During the Great Patriotic War, concert activity played an important role in the struggle for victory. It was in Kuibyshev that the Bolshoi Orchestra's soloists performed Dmitry Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony for the first time in March of 1942. The collection of the Presidential Library includes the legendary score of this famous symphony, which lay in front of conductor Samuel Samosud at the time.