Volsky Brothers Built a Bolshoi Career in Stages.

(From The Moscow Times)

When the curtain went up on Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades" at the Budapest Opera House in May, Viktor and Rafail Volsky counted it as their 200th premiere.

But the Volsky brothers have never taken the stage -- they make the stage.

The Volskys are Russia's top set and costume designers, partners in a career that has spanned three decades and generated worldwide critical acclaim.

Viktor and Rafail have collaborated with nearly every great performer in modern Russian theater. They worked with ballet star Vladimir Vasilyev in his dancing heyday and again when he became artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater. They regularly team up with Boris Pokrovsky at his Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theater. When Mark Ermler composed the music for "The Mermaid" at the Bolshoi in 2000, he called them.

A visit to Viktor Volsky's enormous studio on storied Romanov Pereulok bares witness to the sweeping scope of his career. Original artwork from the sets of dozens of operas and ballets lean against the walls. Framed photographs from the set of the Tokyo Ballet's production of "Don Quixote" stand next to a portrait of a shirtless Vasilyev. Abstract oil paintings adorn the walls. Viktor's original works sell regularly for $10,000 to $50,000.

While playing the video of "The Queen of Spades" premiere, Viktor shows his guests original paintings from "The Mermaid" and other Bolshoi Theater productions.