VirtuosoLife - January/February 2008 - (Page 53) Saint Petersburg is a phoenix that has reclaimed its rightful name and splendor. There is a spirit of rebirth. Rock star: Peter the Great’s statue in Decembrists’ Square. Mariinsky Theatre Best known to Westerners for the Kirov Ballet, whose members have included dance legends such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, this sumptuous nineteenthcentury opera and ballet house is now headed by the dynamic Valery Gergiev, who has reinvigorated the company and won acclaim for productions that range from Swan Lake to Wagner’s Ring. 1 Teatralnaya Square The State Russian Museum The epic sweep of Russian art, from twelfth-century icons to contemporary installations and video art, has overflowed into three historic buildings: the Marble Palace, the Mikhailovsky (or Engineers’) Castle, and the Stroganov Palace. Kazimir Malevich and his avant-garde contemporaries, whom the Bolsheviks suppressed, are now displayed in rooms 80 through 82. 4/2 Inzhenernaya Street Alexander Nevsky Monastery The hallowed shrine was named for a national hero who repelled invading armies in the Serge Bogomyako/alamy
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