Paliashvili Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater

The Paliashvili Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater stands on Rustaveli Avenue as one of Tbilisi's musical landmarks. Founded in 1851 with a production of Lucia di Lammermoor, it was nationalized in 1921 and named after composer Zakaria Paliashvili in 1937, when it also received the Order of Lenin. It gained academic status in 1963, while its Kutaisi branch became independent in 1971. Georgian and international classics staged here include Abesalom and Eteri, Mtsyri, Daisi, The Legend of Rustaveli, Heart of the Mountains, and Othello. The theater maintains a historical museum, string quartet, chamber groups, and folk ensembles.

Between 1886 and 1890, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky visited the Tbilisi theater five times. He was deeply impressed by the attention and reverence with which Georgian audiences received his music and classical works in general.