«Letters about theater» by Iosif M. Lapitskii: invitation to dialogue

Iosif M. Lapitskii came to the creation of the Petersburg Musical Drama Theater (1912-1919) through the realization of the need for reforms on the opera stage. Worried about the regress of Russian spiritual culture in the early 20 century, he was convinced that art could change the situation. Realizing the public significance of this issue and assessing the decadent condition of the national opera theater in full, Lapitskii invited everyone interested in the revival to open dialogue. In the «Letters» («Birzhevye vedomosti» «Exchange statements», 1908-1909), he appealed to authors, artists, critics to reconsider their aesthetic and ethical positions and return the «school of life» status to the theater. This first attempt by Lapitskii to publicly state his own views aroused resonance in society, confirming the urgent need for reforms, and contributed to the rapid creation of a theater that radically changed the situation in opera.