Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra facts for kids
The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra is a very old and famous orchestra from Saint Petersburg, Russia. It's actually the oldest orchestra in Russia! Over the years, its name has changed a few times because the city of Saint Petersburg itself has changed names.
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The Orchestra's Early Days
The orchestra began way back in 1882. It was first called the "Imperial Music Choir." This orchestra played mostly for the emperor, Alexander III of Russia, and his court. It was a private orchestra, meaning it didn't play for the public very often at first.
By the early 1900s, the orchestra started giving public concerts. Famous conductors, like Richard Strauss, even led the orchestra in 1912.
Name Changes Through History
After the Russian Revolution, Russia changed a lot. The city of Saint Petersburg changed its name to Petrograd. So, the orchestra's name also changed to the "State Philharmonic Orchestra of Petrograd."
In the 1920s, the orchestra started getting money from the government. It became a truly excellent orchestra and was known around the world. Famous guest conductors like Bruno Walter and Ernest Ansermet came to lead it. Around this time, the city changed its name again to "Leningrad," so the orchestra became the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.
A Long-Serving Conductor
Evgeny Mravinsky was the orchestra's conductor for a very long time, 50 years! During this period, the orchestra wasn't allowed to travel outside Russia. So, people in other countries mostly knew them from their music recordings. They even performed the first show of Shostakovich's famous Symphony No. 8.
Back to Saint Petersburg
In 1991, Leningrad changed its name back to Saint Petersburg. Because of this, the orchestra was renamed the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Today, it is still a very well-known orchestra around the world. Their current chief conductor is Yuri Temirkanov.
Chief Conductors Through the Years
Here are the main conductors who have led the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra:
- Yuri Temirkanov (1988–present)
- Evgeny Mravinsky (1938–1988)
- Fritz Stiedry (1934–1937)
- Aleksandr Gauk (1930–1934)
- Nikolai Malko (1926–1930)
- Valery Berdyaev (1924–1926)
- Emil Cooper (1920–1923)
- Alexander Khessin (1920)
- Serge Koussevitzky (1917–1920)
- Hugo Varlikh (1907–1917)
- Hermann Fliege (1882–1907)
See also
In Spanish: Orquesta Filarmónica de San Petersburgo para niños
