03.12 Bolshoi Theater’s Chief Conductor Resigns

MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) – The main conductor of Russia’s famous Bolshoi Theater, Vassily Sinaisky, tendered his resignation on Monday, the theater’s general director said.

“I decided to grant his resignation after a conversation with him,” Vladimir Urin said.

Urin did not elaborate on the reason for the resignation, but said it came two weeks before the expected first night of an opera in which Sinaisky was both the musical director and the conductor.

The Bolshoi slipped into chronic decay amid the economic turmoil of the 1990s that succeeded the collapse of the Soviet Union. In recent years, the government has invested heavily in restoring the theater’s interior, and its annual budget has now reached about $120 million. The rush of cash has ensured the return of opulent productions, but has also turned the Bolshoi into a nest of vicious infighting.