In March 1995 Vladimir Vasiliev was appointed the General and Artistic Directorof the Bolshoi Theatre by a decree of the First President of Russia Boris Yeltsin.
Seven years passed and Vladimir Vasiliev returned to the Bolshoi (in 1988 Mr. Vasiliev and some other legendary dancers of the Bolshoi like Ekaterina Maximova, Maya Plisetskaya, Maris Liepa were forced to retire by the Bolshoi Ballet Artistic Director then - Yury Grigorovich).

"When there were only talks about my becoming the Artistic Director and after my conversation with the Prime Minister (Mr.Chernomyrdin) - the General Director, I was still hesitating. But I was thinking that there seemed to be no other way.
I was told that I should agree as it was necessary in the fame of our culture, in the name of the Bolshoi theatre, that it could not go the way it was any more.
In other words, I was told all those things which obviously were usually said to many others in the same situation."

The situation in the Bolshoi Theatre was really critical both from the artistic point and from the point of view of morals: the Company was divided into two confronting groups. This war inside and scandals around the Bolshoi only added to lowering the international reputation of the theatre.
Vasiliev returned to the Theatre when the crisis reached its climax: there were serious talks to shut down the Bolshoi, dismiss the Company and start everything anew.

But Vladimir Vasiliev was full of energy and desire to stop the crisis and change the situation for the better. In one of his first interviews he said then "Even realizing all the complicity of the task I am inspired and eager to change everything for the better and feel my responsibility for this".

The first steps of Vladimir Vasiliev as the head of the Bolshoi were marked with the democratization of the whole artistic process, reconciliation of all confronting parts, uniting the great artistic potential to create new repertoire, finding new talents.
All that was not easy for the most popular and loved artist of many generations of ballet fans: some of them were interested how this talented super energetic person would be managing all this, others would not believe that Vasiliev could keep the high level he had set for himself in this difficult special mission of managing the first theatre of the country.

Always sincere and outspoken, open for everyone coming for an advice or help regardless the position in the company. This openness and trustfulness often resulted in attacks in press: it was so difficult to evaluate these rare qualities of his in the time of general alienation and confrontation. But Vladimir Vasiliev had no time to pay attention to these attacks.

For these five years there were 16 new opera ("Traviata" being his only production among them) and 14 new ballet productions (among them his own were: original "Swan Lake" and classical "Giselle", and one-act ballet "Balda" on D.Schostakovich's music for the A.Pushkin's jubilee festival and also dances in the new opera production "Khovanshchina")

Loving this theatre to which he gave almost 50 years of his life, Vladimir Vasiliev proposed and staged magical gala performances such as in commemoration of Maria Callas Solomon Mikhoels, first and only beautiful New Year Charity Ball, as well as other gala-concerts and festive and charity events, often taking place in the first theatrical venue of Russia.

Vladimir Vasiliev always believed in cooperation and mutual support of the theatres and artists in the world. He was the first who proposed to support the Venetian theatre "La Fenice" destroyed by fire. The Bolshoi Theatre donated the revenue of its one performance to the restoration of the Italian theatre. When the time for the Bolshoi renovation came and the Bolshoi needed attention and help, it was Vasiliev who, together with the UNESCO Director-General Mr. F.Mayor, applied to the world theatres, cultural centers for solidarity for his own theatre. Thus, the International Solidarity Day with the Bolshoi Theatre was held on March 28, 2000.

Still, among other problems of the period, financing remained the main one. State subsidy was far from being enough to fulfill huge demands and needs of the largest and greatest company of the country and world. It was vital to find other sources of finance for new productions. Vasiliev was personally involved in this process, and it was with his help that such new ballet productions as "Taming of the Shrew", "Giselle", "D'apres midi de Faun", opera "Love for the Three Oranges" appeared in the Bolshoi repertoire.

This work logically led to the creation of the Bolshoi Friends Foundation. Vasiliev wanted this organization to unite all the Friends of the Bolshoi to support the artistic projects and artists themselves.

The biggest dream of Vladimir Vasiliev was to unite all the invaluable artistic elements of the company: orchestra, opera, ballet, choir, mimic ensemble, - to present the true grandeur of the Bolshoi.

Unjustly, the gloating critics reproached Vasiliev in paying more attention to ballet in comparison to opera and vice a verse, because it was the unity and equal fame of the Company's components in which he saw the way to revival of the Bolshoi glory.

It was particularly important for the foreign tours. With assistance of the Bolshoi Friends Club founded by Mr. Vasiliev, the first-ever large-scale tour of the whole Bolshoi Theatre Company (ballet, opera, orchestra) was arranged to England.

The performance of the Bolshoi opera and ballet in London in summer of 1999 became a rediscovery of the Bolshoi for the Western public. The conclusion made by the critics stated the revival of the Bolshoi glory: "The Bolshoi is still a great ensemble" (Financial Times).
As a result of this success there was a storm of touring proposals from the Western producers, including return to London of the whole company to Covent Garden in summer of 2001.

Immediately after the triumphant tour of the ballet company to the USA, a unique joint concert of La Scala and the Bolshoi under Riccardo Muti took place in the Bolshoi. This joint concert on July 24, 2000 became the grandioso culmination of the 224th season of the Bolshoi, which became the last season for Vasiliev as a general director in the Bolshoi.

Vasiliev has never paid any attention to what was going on behind his back against him: he was actively involved in the negotiations with the western producers for the foreign tours, with the famous directors and choreographers for the new productions, met presidents, members of royal families and other VIPs, held numerous administrative meetings and artistic councils in the theatre to prepare the jubilee 225th season, and made millions of other urgent decisions to cope with the everyday life of the theatre company of 2500 members.

He restructured the work of the theatre in accordance with the new demands, most important of which was introducing for the first time in the Russian theatre the contract system for the company, to improve promotional work with newly founded press-office and video studio.

And this is only what he was doing inside the theatre whereas his glorious name and international authority was permanently strengthen by his active social and charity deeds outside the theatre. He always had time for active participation in the large scale projects in Russia, such as jury member of independent Russian National prize in the arts "TRIUMPH", chairman of the jury of the international ballet competition in Perm, donating personally and helping on behalf of the theatre by charity performances.

It is almost impossible to enumerate the numerous titles, prizes and premiums given to Vladimir Vasiliev, which he never used himself, and, evidently, this was not necessary because the name of Vladimir Vasiliev alone was always enough to represent this great Personality.