Much more than a theatre, the Bolshoi, devoted to ballet and opera, is emblematic of Moscow. Founded in 1776 by Piotr Ouroussov and Michael Maddox, the company that was established here recognised only one rival, the Mariinsky of St Petersburg. At the end of 2011, the Bolshoi reopened after major restoration work. The woodwork has been painstakingly restored, the foundations rehabilitated and the machinery modernised.