MOSCOW (Reuters) ? President Dmitry Medvedev gave approving nods as he toured Russia's Bolshoi Theater on Tuesday, a month before he officially reopens one of the country's top cultural gems after a protracted scandal-hit revamp.
With a broad smile, the Kremlin chief chatted with ballerinas and listened to an orchestra play Mikhail Glinka's "A Life for the Czar" on the main stage, which is framed by plush red curtains and smells strongly of fresh paint.
"From the engineering point of view, this is a fantastic building," Medvedev was shown on state-run Rossiya 24 channel telling ballet dancers. He added that he wanted them to revive the spirit of the legendary Bolshoi.
After years of neglect during Soviet times, the Bolshoi's main stage closed in 2005 and was meant to reopen in 2008. The much-anticipated restoration was hit by delays and plagued by a scandal over missing funds.
Medvedev is expected to officially inaugurate the renovated 19th century building of the ballet and opera house in a grand ceremony on October 28.
First built on the same site in 1776, the Bolshoi survived three fires, a World War Two bombing and exhaustive use by Soviet leaders.
The Bolshoi's return to its pre-Soviet glory, which cost at least 20 billion roubles ($662 million), included refurbishing the interior with panels of rare pine and decorated with real gold.
During the Soviet era, the interior had been ripped out and replaced with sound-absorbent cement and copper.
Advanced stage lighting systems, new underground floors and larger seats have also been bestowed on the theater.
Medvedev, a self-styled reformer and fan of Czar Alexander II, who freed the serfs in the 19th century, posed in the Emperor's Box where Russia's imperial rulers once watched ballet and opera.
Both Medvedev and his mentor and predecessor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, have said they could run in the upcoming presidential elections in March 2012. ($1 = 31.284 Russian Roubles)
(Reporting By Alexei Anishchuk, editing by Paul Casciato)
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