The theatre is named in honour of the Grand Duke Mikhail. It was designed by the architect A.Bmllov in 1833. The first works by new Russian composers who were not popular among the aristocracy (foreign operas were in fashion at that time) were stagedforthe 1st time here. At the end of the 19th century, the theatre eventually won deserved recognition. The building that houses the theatre was formerly called the Mussorgsky Theatre, in honour of the famous Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. Ballets by Tchaikovsky, for example, "Nutcracker" have never stopped being performed here.
