Bolshoi Theatre

This guide to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow opens on the night of March 11, 1853, when a fire traced to a closet backstage tore through the building for three days, leaving little standing but the stone portico. It follows Tsar Alexander the Second's push for a triumphant replacement in time for his coronation, and architect Alberto Cavos's fast rebuild, crowned by a new bronze quadriga of Apollo cast by the sculptor Pyotr Klodt. Look up at the great chandelier as you enter, its thousands of crystal pendants still cleaned by hand once a year.