The Navoi Theatre in Tashkent, officially the Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theatre, is Uzbekistan's national opera and ballet house. Its history begins in 1929 with an ethnographic concert ensemble led by Muhitdin Kari-Yakubov; its founding date is considered to be 11 June 1939, the premiere of the first Uzbek opera, Buran. In 1948 the theatre merged with the city's Russian opera company. The building, designed by Alexey Shchusev, opened in November 1947 to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of the poet Alisher Navoi. Japanese prisoners of war were forced to work on its construction, commemorated by a plaque since 1996. The auditorium holds 1,400 spectators and the main stage covers 540 square metres. The house has held the title Bolshoi since 1966. Its repertoire includes Uzbek operas as well as works by Verdi and Bizet.
The Navoi Theatre in Tashkent, opened in 1947, was partly built by Japanese prisoners of war — the Oriental-Soviet architecture is one of the most significant theatre buildings in Central Asia.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Taschkent, Uzbekistan