The Kennedy Centre (2267)

Requiem ['rekwiəm] – реквием

Leonard Bernstein ['lenəd 'bə:nstain] – Леонард Бернштейн

The Eisenhower Theatre [,aizən'hauə] – Театр Эйзенхауэра

The Kennedy Centre, a gigantic marble temple to music, dance and drama, is located on the banks of the Potomac River. Two months after President Kennedy's assassination, Congress designated the National Cultural Centre as a "living memorial" to Kennedy, now known as the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Centre made its public debut on September 8, 1971, with a gala opening performance featuring the world premiere of a Requiem mass honouring President Kennedy, a work com­missioned from the legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.

The Centre, including an opera hall, a concert hall, a theatre and other facilities, enabled Washington to become an international stage, hosting the American debuts of the Bolshoi Opera, as well as the first-ever US performances by Italy's legendary La Scala opera company.

The Grand Foyer serves as a lobby for the Concert Hall, Opera House, and the Eisenhower Theatre and is located on the river side of the Kennedy Centre. At the centre of the lengthy hall, is the famous bronze bust of President John F. Kennedy by American sculptor Robert Berks. The Foyer can be entered from the Hall of States, the Hall of Nations, or the River Terrace.

The Concert Hall is the largest performance space in the Kennedy Centre. This state-of-the-art facility, which originally opened in 1971, sets new standards for accessibility and sound with a high-tech acoustical canopy, accessible locations on every level.

The Opera House is the second-largest theatre in the Centre with 2,300 seats. It was designed for ballet, opera, and musical theatre. Over the years the Opera House has welcomed dozens of the world's great dance and opera companies and has hosted some of the most important artistic events. With its distinctive red and gold silk curtain and the exquisite crystal chandelier the Opera House makes an elegant setting for the annual Kennedy Centre Honours, the nation’s highest award for lifetime achievement in the arts.

The Eisenhower Theatre is the smallest of the theatres on the Centre’s main level. It primarily hosts plays and musicals, operas, ballet and contemporary dance. Its namesake, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, signed into law the National Cultural Centre Act in 1958 that helped finance a structure dedicated to the performing arts. The theatre contains an orchestra pit for 40 musicians that is convertible to a forestage or additional seating space.

In the Hall of Nations hang the flags of every country with which the US has diplomatic relations. When a country changes its name, a 60 ft scaffold is erected in order to rearrange the flags. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, work crews had to add 12 new flags.

***