Bolshoi taps composer Desyatnikov as new music director

A few hours before raising the curtain on its 234th season, Russia's famed Bolshoi Theatre revealed the latest addition to its team: new music director Leonid Desyatnikov.

The 53-year-old Russian, who was presented to reporters in Moscow on Tuesday, is a composer of operas and film scores probably best known for his opera Rosenthal's Children.

The appointment of Desyatnikov comes about two months after the abrupt resignation of Alexander Vedernikov, who quit amid the troupe's summer tour of Italy in mid-July. He blamed the theatre's leadership for putting "bureaucratic interests before artistic ones."

Unlike his predecessor, new director Desyatnikov is not an experienced conductor and will not take the baton for performances of the Bolshoi Ballet and the Bolshoi Opera. Instead, he will preside over several conductors on a rotating schedule.

"My strategy can be summed up as not positioning myself as a real musical director … rather as a link between the previous musical director and the one who will appear, I hope soon," Desyatnikov said in an interview with Reuters.

The Moscow company's leadership has also been dealing with a problem-plagued renovation and restoration of the iconic theatre space. Since the project began in 2005, the budget has reportedly soared past $1 billion US and the completion date has repeatedly been pushed back — with 2011 and 2013 cited as possible dates for the reopening.

Prosecutors opened an investigation this month into spending on the project after allegations of corruption and financial irregularities surfaced.

Founded by Catherine the Great in 1776, the Bolshoi Theatre has been at its current site since 1825.

The Bolshoi's ballet and opera companies have been performing at a nearby modern venue as well as on tour. The new season opened Tuesday with an evening production of 19th century composer Modest Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov.