Concert Halls (entry)

Categories / Art/Music, Theatre/Theaters, Concert Organizations
CONCERT HALLS appeared in St. Petersburg in the late 18th century. Earlier, musicians arranged paid concerts in palaces of grandees, theatres, and taverns. The first documented series of public concerts refers to the concerts given by G. Passerini in 1748, in the house of Prince Gagarin on the corner of Bolshaya Morskaya Street and Srednyaya Perspectiva (Gorokhovaya Street). In 1769, court conductor G. Manfredini arranged a series of subscription concerts in the house of Prince I.S. Baryatinsky at Italyanskaya Street. In the 1770-80s, subscription concerts were held in Anichkov Palace, Stroganov Palace, Vorontsov Palace. Among taverns, the most preferable one was Ful's English Tavern at the Galley Yard (Angliyskaya Embankment). Announcements often featured Perkinov House, the building of the Free Economic Society, Kusovnikov's house (Moika River Embankment, beside the Krasny Bridge), rented by the New Musical Society (1792). In the late 18th century, I. Lion, impresario of masquerades and concerts, rented the building of a theatre near Anichkov Palace (1786-90), then changed it for the premises in the house of Prince A.M. Golitsyn. In the 19th century, this hall was rented by the Philharmonic Society, which arranged concerts оf guest celebrities at the location until 1846 (now the Maly Philharmonic Chamber Hall, 30 Nevsky Prospect). In the first half of the 19th century the most popular concert halls were situated in the Derzhavins' house (118 Fontanka River Embankment), in the palaces of A.G. Kushelev-Bezborodko (7 Pochtamtskaya Street and Gagarinskaya Quay), in Myatleva's house (9 St. Isaac's Square), A.I. Kosikovsky's House (15 Nevsky Prospect, see Chicherin's House), D.E. Benardaki's house (86 Nevsky Prospect), Stroganovs' House (on the corner of Nevsky Prospect and Mikhaylovskaya Street), in Sheremetev Palace and Yusupov Palace. In 1839, the hall of the Noble Assembly was opened at Mikhaylovskaya Square (present-day Bolshoy Philharmonic Hall), followed by the concert hall of the Passage opened in 1848. Public, chamber and symphony concerts were arranged by A.F. Lvov, the Vielgorsky brothers, A.N. Olenin among others. In the second half of the 19th century, the following halls functioned as concert halls: halls of the City Duma, the Credit Society, the Assembly Hall of the University, the Cinizelli Circus; in 1896 the same function was attached to the halls of the Conservatory. In 1836, summer concert halls began to appear, these included: "Concourse" as part of the Manufactured Mineral Water House of I.I. Izler (near Stroganov Garden), Villa Borghese (in the territory of Count D.A. Guryev's summer residence at the end of Kamennoostrovsky Avenue), Pavlovsk Concourse and Sestroretsk Concourse, and in the Zoological Garden etc. Regular concerts were also held at non-Orthodox churches and schools attached to them. For example, St.Peterschule's oratorios were known since the 1760s, while data concerning church organ concerts refer to 1880-1917. Today in St. Petersburg, one can listen to the classical music at the concert halls of Philharmonic Hall, Conservatory, Capella, House of Composers, University, Menshikov Palace, Beloselskys-Belozerskys' Palace, in the Hermitage Theatre and the Mariinsky Theatre, Smolny Cathedral, Kochneva's House (41 Fontanka River Embankment), and G.A. Bosse's Mansion (15 Fourth Line of Vasilievsky Island).

References: Столпянский П. Н. Музыка и музицирование в старом Петербурге. Л., 1989; Музыкальный Петербург: Энцикл. слов. Т. 1: XVIII в.: В 5 кн. СПб., 1998. Кн. 2; Петровская И. Ф. Концертная жизнь Петербурга, музыка в общественном и домашнем быту, 1801-1859 гг. СПб., 2000.

A. L. Porfiryeva. Baryatinsky Ivan Sergeevich, Duke
Benardaki Dmitry Egorovich
Bosse G.A. (see Bosse Yu.A.)
Cinizelli Gaetano
Gagarin Sergey Sergeevich, Duke
Golitsyn Alexander Mikhailovich, Duke
Guryev Dmitry Alexandrovich, Count
Izler Ivan Ivanovich
Kosikovsky Andrey Ivanovich
Kushelev-Bezborodko Alexander Grigorievich, Count
Kusovnikov M.S.
Lion I.
Lvov Alexey Fedorovich
Manfredini Vincenzo
Myatleva P.I.
Olenin Alexey Nikolaevich
Passerini G.
the Vielgorskys, Counts
4th Line of Vasilievsky Island/Saint Petersburg, city, house 15
Angliiskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city
Bolshaya Morskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Fontanka River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 41
Fontanka River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 118
Gorokhovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Iskusstv Square/Saint Petersburg, city
Italyanskaya Street/Saint Petersburg, city
Kamennoostrovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Mikhailovskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 30
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 86
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 15
Pochtamtskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 7
St.Isaac's Square/Saint Petersburg, city, house 9
Столпянский П. Н. Музыка и музицирование в старом Петербурге. Л., 1989
Музыкальный Петербург: Энцикл. слов. Т. 1: XVIII век. СПб., 1998
Петровская И. Ф. Концертная жизнь Петербурга, музыка в общественном и домашнем быту, 1801–1859 гг. СПб., 2000 Anichkov Palace
Stroganov Palace
Galley Yard
Krasny Bridge
Philharmonic Society
Sheremetev Palace
Yusupov Palace (94 Moika River Embankment)
Passage, department store
City Duma
State University, St. Petersburg
Cinizelli's Circus
Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory
Pavlovsk Vauxhall
St. Petrischule
Glinka Capella
Menshikov Palace
Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace
Hermitage Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre