![San_Petesburgo%2BPerianes_24](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/San_Petesburgo%2BPerianes_24.jpg)
The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (russian: Симфонический оркестр Санкт-Петербургской филармонии, ''Symphonic Orchestra of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia'') is a Russian orchestra based in Saint Petersburg, at the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia.
History
The roots of the orchestra date back to 1802, with the founding of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society that year. The orchestra was initially known as the Imperial Music Choir, and performed for the Court of
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...
. By the 1900s, the Orchestra started to give public performances at the
Philharmonia
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...
and elsewhere in Russia.
After the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, the Orchestra was taken over by the members and the name was changed to the State Philharmonic Orchestra of
Petrograd
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. In the 1920s, the orchestra began receiving support from the State, and began to be known internationally. Its guest conductors included
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor, pianist and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French citizen in 1938, and settled in the Un ...
,
Ernest Ansermet
Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor.
Biography
Ansermet ...
, and
Hans Knappertsbusch
Hans Knappertsbusch (12 March 1888 – 25 October 1965) was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Wagner, Bruckner and Richard Strauss.
Knappertsbusch followed the traditional route for an aspiring conductor in Ger ...
. Following the renaming of Petrograd to Leningrad after the death of
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
, the orchestra was renamed the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.
The orchestra gained its most fame under the chief conductorship of
Yevgeny Mravinsky
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky (russian: Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Мрави́нский) (19 January 1988) was a Russian conductor, pianist, and music pedagogue; he was a professor at Leningrad State Conservatory.
Biog ...
, from 1938 to 1988. It made few tours to the West, and the first tour was to Finland in the spring of 1946. The orchestra and Mravinsky made a number of studio recordings, and various archival live recordings have since subsequently been commercially released. Under Mravinsky's direction, the orchestra premiered seven of
Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...
's symphonies.
In 1991, the orchestra was renamed the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Yuri Temirkanov
Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov (russian: Ю́рий Хату́евич Темирка́нов; kbd, Темыркъан Хьэту и къуэ Юрий; born December 10, 1938) is a Russian conductor of Circassian ( Kabardian) origin.
Early life
...
has served as artistic director of the orchestra since 1988, and was its chief conductor from 1988, after the death of Mravinsky, until January 2022. On 21 January 2022, Nikolai Alexeev became chief conductor of the orchestra.
Chief conductors
![Темирканов](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/%D0%A2%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2.jpg)
*
Hermann Fliege
Hermann Fliege (9 September 1829, Stendal, Germany – 8 November 1907, St Petersburg) was a German composer and conducting, conductor. In 1882 he was appointed the first director of what would later become the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra ...
(1882–1907)
* (1907–1917)
*
Serge Koussevitzky (1917–1920)
*
Emil Cooper
Emil Albertovich Cooper (russian: Эмиль Альбертович Купер, ), also known as Emil Kuper (December 13 S December 1 1877, Kherson, Ukraine, then in Russian Empire – November 16, 1960, New York) was a Russian conductor and vio ...
(1920–1923)
* (1924–1926)
*
Nikolai Malko
Nicolai Andreyevich Malko (russian: Никола́й Андре́евич Малько́, ua, Микола Андрійович Малько; 4 May 188323 June 1961) was a Russian-born American symphonic conductor.
Biography
Malko was born in ...
(1926–1930)
*
Aleksandr Gauk
Alexander Vassilievich Gauk (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Га́ук; 30 March 1963) was a Russian/Soviet conductor and composer.
Biography
Alexander Gauk was born in Odessa in 1893. He recalled his first experience as h ...
(1930–1934)
*
Fritz Stiedry
Fritz Stiedry (11 October 18838 August 1968) was an Austrian conductor and composer.
Biography
Fritz Stiedry was born in Vienna in 1883. While still a law student at the University of Vienna, Stiedry's talent for music was noticed by Gustav Mahl ...
(1934–1937)
*
Yevgeny Mravinsky
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky (russian: Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Мрави́нский) (19 January 1988) was a Russian conductor, pianist, and music pedagogue; he was a professor at Leningrad State Conservatory.
Biog ...
(1938–1988)
*
Yuri Temirkanov
Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov (russian: Ю́рий Хату́евич Темирка́нов; kbd, Темыркъан Хьэту и къуэ Юрий; born December 10, 1938) is a Russian conductor of Circassian ( Kabardian) origin.
Early life
...
(1988–2022)
* Nikolai Alekseev (2022–present)
See also
*
Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra The Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra (in ), founded in 1931, is one of the two symphony orchestras belonging to the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia society, the other being the more famous Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, founde ...
References
External links
Official page of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra*
discography at
Naxos Records
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
1882 establishments in the Russian Empire
Russian symphony orchestras
Culture in Saint Petersburg
Musical groups established in 1882
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