This article investigates the role played by aristocrats in the exchange of repertoire and musical personnel between Russia and Western Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It discusses the involvement of three significant figures in the political and cultural milieus of the Russian Empire: Count Nikolay Petrovich Sheremetev (1751–1809), Prince Nikolay Borisovich Yusupov (1750–1831) and the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich Romanov (who ruled as Paul I from 1796 to 1801). The central focus is on Sheremetev, whose correspondence with Marie-François Hivart, a Parisian cellist he met during a grand tour, allows us to reconstruct a clear picture of how French opera was imported and adapted at his estate theatres in the Moscow area. Yusupov and the grand duke likewise established international musical contacts during their European tours of the 1770s and 80s, and exploited them in their private and public theatrical activities in Russia. Yusupov, who was particularly fond of Italian opera, may be regarded as Sheremetev's counterpart in St Petersburg, while Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich channelled the musical contacts he established in Italy to the Russian court and crown theatres.

Together, these cases suggest some of the ways in which Russia was entangled in European musical life around 1800, revealing mechanisms of exchange in which grand tours, diplomatic contacts and the personal interests of patrons played a significant part.

本文探讨了十八世纪末十九世纪初贵族在俄罗斯与西欧之间的剧目和音乐人才交流中所扮演的角色。它讨论了俄罗斯帝国政治和文化环境中三位重要人物的参与：尼古拉·彼得罗维奇·谢列梅捷夫伯爵（1751-1809 年）、尼古拉·鲍里索维奇·尤苏波夫亲王（1750-1831 年）和帕维尔·彼得罗维奇·罗曼诺夫大公（以保罗的身份统治）我从 1796 年到 1801 年）。中心焦点是谢列梅捷夫，他与他在一次盛大巡演中结识的巴黎大提琴家玛丽-弗朗索瓦·希瓦尔特的通信，使我们能够清晰地了解法国歌剧是如何在他位于莫斯科地区的庄园剧院被引进和改编的。尤苏波夫和大公在 1770 年代和 80 年代的欧洲巡演期间同样建立了国际音乐联系，并在俄罗斯的私人和公共戏剧活动中利用了这些联系。尤苏波夫特别喜欢意大利歌剧，可以被视为谢列梅捷夫在圣彼得堡的对手，而沙皇帕维尔·彼得罗维奇则将他在意大利建立的音乐联系引入了俄罗斯宫廷和皇家剧院。

总之，这些案例揭示了 1800 年左右俄罗斯卷入欧洲音乐生活的一些方式，揭示了盛大巡演、外交接触和赞助人的个人利益在其中发挥重要作用的交流机制。