The D.D. Shostakovich St.Petersburg Academic Philharmonia

For over one hundred and fifty years the St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the oldest in Russia, has been known as one of the greatest musical centers of the world. Great architectural and decorative design and perfection of acoustics distinguish its two great halls: the sumptuous white-columned Grand Hall (formerly the Assembly of Nobles), built between 1834-1839 by P. Jacot, a student of Carlo Rossi, and the Small Hall, named after M. I. Glinka (formerly the Engelgardt house), designed by B. Rastrelli, and rebuilt by P. Jacot. The greatest musicians of the 19th and 20th centuries appeared in these halls, including Clara Schumann, Berlioz, Wagner, Lizst, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Chaliapin, Horowitz, von Karajan, Solti, Abbado, Casals, Oistrakh, Richter and Gilels.

The archives are replete with the memories of the many historic concerts. For example, the world premiere of Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" took place at the behest of the Petersburg Philharmonic Society on March 26, 1824, and Tchaikovsky conducted the premier of his Sixth Symphony "Pathetique" on October 16, 1893, just nine days prior to his death. Here in these halls, many works by Russian composers were heard for the first time, works of Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Sviridov, Gavrilin, Petrov, Slonimsky, Tishenko, and, of course, Shostakovich. The Philharmonia proudly bears the name of Shostakovich.

The St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra

St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra is rightfully considered one of the best in the world. Created out of the Court Musical Choir, it became the first state orchestra of the country, receiving the title of Honored Group of Russia. It was the first Soviet orchestra to travel and perform abroad, and the first to bear the prestigious title of "Academic". Evgeny Mravinsky, one of the outstanding musicians of the 20th century, led the orchestra for nearly 50 years.

Today, Maestro Yuri Temirkanov, a leading authority in the musical world, is the principle conductor and Artistic Director of the St.Petersburg Philharmonic.

The St.Petersburg Symphony Orchestra

St.Petersburg Symphony Orchestra enjoys the highest of reputations. Founded in the 1930's by the Leningrad Committee for Radio, it was the only orchestra ensemble to be heard continuously throughout the blockade of Leningrad during the war. It is through its efforts that the now legendary performance of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony took place under the baton of K. Eliasberg on August 9, 1942.

Since 1977, the orchestra has been under the direction of Maestro Alexander Dmitriev, a profound and serious musician.