There is no other word but sabotage

Gennady Rozhdestvensky on his last Bolshoi production

The Russian Ministry of Culture appointed Rozhdestvensky as artistic director and Anatoly Iksanov executive director last autumn, in a bid to address the declining fortunes of the company.

But Rozhdestvensky said that Iksanov did nothing to help him.

He said: "During the whole rehearsal cycle I didn't see the director once.

"We bombarded him with letters under the heading SOS: save us, help us.

"There is no other word but sabotage."

The Bolshoi was one of the glories of the USSR

The artistic director had to cope with the company's vocal soloists - who earn as little as �50 a month - disappearing when they were offered better paid work abroad.

"On a human level I cannot blame them for anything," said Rozhdestvensky.

"They want to eat."

'Mistakes'

Furthermore, scores for the Prokoviev work arrived more than two months late and computer-operated scenery refused to move, he said.

The opera programme, which turned up on the day of the premi�re, had not been proof-read and was full of "stupid and absurd" mistakes, said Rozhdestvensky.

The artistic director also attacked the Russian press for its attitude to the production.

"I have been subjected to the most vicious, wild, horrendous and impertinent criticism for everything, for my very existence," he said.

Previously, Rozhdestvensky directed the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Rozhdestvensky's resignation leaves the fortunes of the Bolshoi more precarious then ever.

In addition to the artistic crisis, the theatre itself is said to need a �145m facelift after years of neglect.