Back in the 1990s, just about every Russian opera or ballet troupe that could get on an airplane seemed to find its way to America. Cultural ideals had little to do with it: The spur was economic, a chance to acquire hard currency following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Stories surfaced of tours aborted midway and of unscrupulous impresarios. The artistic product was often pretty shabby too.

What a difference a decade makes. The booming Russian economy has produced a tide that has truly lifted cultural boats. Governmental wealth once again trickles — even flows — down to state-supported arts institutions. And now New York will enjoy a taste of Russia’s riches, when the Perm Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre brings its opera company to New York. “Mazeppa,” a grim tale of love and intrigue set in 18th-century Ukraine, will be seen at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House beginning Wednesday, in a production by Perm’s artistic director, George Isaakyan. And on Friday, the company will present a concert of Tchaikovsky operatic excerpts in Carnegie Hall.

The Perm Theatre is one of a handful of opera and ballet institutions in Russia’s major regional cities that rank just below Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre in Russia’s cultural life. Such theaters operate on a scope that dwarfs any so-called regional opera company in America — indeed, probably every opera company here, except the Metropolitan.

Mr. Isaakyan, who is well known in Russia for his innovative productions, explained in a telephone interview with The New York Sun that his theater has a 10-month season stretching from September to late June, performing six days a week and racking up between 250 and 270 performances annually. A repertory theater, it has some 50 active productions and its own roster of performers among some 600 employees.

Mr. Isaakyan noted that “it is a tradition in Russia to give theaters the name of one of the great figures in the art” — hence the name Tchaikovsky, who was born and grew up in the Perm region. Normally such a name has little practical importance, but the Perm Theatre gives the link substance. “We are the only company that has performed all 10 of Tchaikovsky’s operas,” Mr. Isaakyan said. The Carnegie concert includes excerpts from well-known works but also rarities like “Udina,” “The Enchantress,” and “Oprichnik.”

Mr. Isaakyan, however, looks well beyond Tchaikovsky to keep the repertory in Perm unusually adventuresome for Russia. Recent productions have included Massenet’s “Cléopâtre,” and Rodion Shchedrin’s “Lolita,” based on the Nabokov novel. Mr. Isaakyan marked the 400th anniversary of the first great opera, Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo,” with the first Russian staging of that opera.

Many of Mr. Isaakyan’s productions have been seen in Moscow, often as nominees for Best Opera in the annual Golden Mask Festival. The music critic of the Moscow Times, Raymond Stults, has said that his stagings have “flashes of true brilliance along with moments that can be puzzling,” a comment that might be made of most provocative directors.

“Mazeppa,” which will be seen at BAM, can no longer be considered a genuine rarity, having been staged at the Met two years ago. To many, its story of a Ukrainian leader, who orders the execution of the father of his betrothed, Maria, with the result that she loses her mind, is especially grisly, even repugnant. Yet the ambivalence of Mazeppa’s character — Tchaikovsky makes it clear that Mazeppa’s love for Maria is genuine — is an aspect of the opera that attracts Mr. Isaakyan. “‘Mazeppa’ is about how human beings react in a time of war, when war has become a total style of life, putting family against family and destroying human relationships,” he said. “You must decide between right and wrong, but you cannot always be certain.”

Mr. Isaakyan has little use for what he calls the “matryoshka-balalaika” style of production, with rich, traditionally Russian sets and costumes, especially when working on a well-known work. “I like to come close to the edge with classic operas, to offer something that responds to modern questions. With classics, everybody thinks they know the answer, yet the challenge is to find new meanings, to engage in dialogue with the audience. Are you sure the traditional way gives you the right understanding of the composer? Or the real meaning of the plot?”

An example some will recall is Mr. Isaakyan’s production of “Prince Igor,” presented by the Mariinsky during its 1998 tour at the Met. The Perm Theatre’s connection with the Mariinsky goes back to World War II, when the St. Petersburg company was evacuated to Perm. “Prokofiev’s ‘Cinderella’ received its world premiere in Perm,” said Mr. Isaakyan. The fine Mariinsky baritone Victor Chernomortsev, who has also sung with the Met, sings Mazeppa in the BAM performance.

“I’ve talked about the characters of ‘Mazeppa,’ Mr. Isaakyan said, “but the music is what attracts me the most. It is one of Tchaikovsky’s greatest operas — maybe the greatest. There are places that make me cry every time I hear them.”