On September 7, work began on the installation of ancient bells to the restored bell tower of the Bolshoi Theater, reports Mikhail Sidorov, head of public relations at the investment group Summa Capital, which is acting as the general contractor for the restoration work at the theater. 

The theater’s bell tower, which is unparalleled in the theatrical world, dates back to the 1920s. It is being restored at the initiative of Alexei Kusakin, who for many years was the “bell ringer” for performances of the Bolshoi Theater. The bells have been carefully selected for their musical tone and range, from the smallest to largest. With a total of 35 bells, in diameter they range from 21 cm to 2.3 m; height – 27 cm to 2.5 m; and weight – 8.73 kg to 6.4 metric tons.

“Each of the bells that have been preserved to this day represent something wonderful. The Russian blacksmiths were remarkably exact in their sense of the beauty of form, emphasizing this in the profile work and ornamentation,” says Sidorov. The bell tower of the Bolshoi Theater includes four bells made in the 18th century and one molded in 1678. The majority of the bells are from the late 19th and early 20th century. A testament to this is the depiction of the imperial double-headed eagle on the bells, which blacksmiths received permission to use if their plants received state awards from that era.

“Bells are like people – each following its own fate. In ancient Rus they were spoken of as living things. All societal upheavals, be it war or revolution, affected their fates. It was particularly tragic that during the Soviet times it was forbidden to ring the bells; they were cut down from the bell towers, publically busted and sent off to be melt down. In Moscow this took place simultaneously with the destruction of cathedrals and bell towers. And this is why certain theaters and museums began to actively acquire bells, saving them from destruction. Thanks to the Bolshoi Theater, 35 unique bells were saved,” Sidorov explains.

A colossal amount of meticulous work has been done to restore these bells as musical instruments. Following dismantling, they were carefully studied. A majority of the bells were not in any condition to continue functioning as musical instruments. Their interior and exterior surfaces were coated with paint, cement, plaster and dust, which resulted in a substantial amount of rusting. The bells underwent a wide range of restoration procedures to return not only their external appearance but also to reinforce their qualities as musical instruments.

“Bells have become an indispensable part of Russian culture. No other European culture incorporates such a diverse use of bell sounds in its music,” says Sidorov, noting their significance in the works of Glinka and Musorgsky. “Bells provide an assonance that does not abide by the canons of harmony in classical music.”  

In the near future, the sound of these bells will once again ring out during performances at the Bolshoi Theater.