Saint Petersburg Philharmonia
Introduction The Bolshoi Zal (Grand Hall) of Saint Petersburg Philharmonia'''Saint Petersburg Philharmonia''' (), officially the '''Saint Petersburg Academic Philharmonia Named After D. D. Shostakovich''' (), is a music society located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and is the name of the building where it is housed. Also there is another one building of Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society: Malii Zal (Small Hall). The location of the Small Hall is in the city centre. The society now hosts two symphony orchestras: Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and  Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra. The venue is named after Dmitri Shostakovich.
History * St. Petersburg Philharmonia was established in 1802. * The building currently housing the Philharmonia was completed 1839.Architect: P. Jacot; and Facade design: C. Rossi.
Location St. Petersburg Philharmonia is housed in a large building complex.
Bolshoi Zal The Bolshoi Zal (, meaning the Grand Hall) has a capacity of 1500 seats. It is one of the best known music halls in Russia. F.Liszt, H.Berlioz, R.Wagner, A.Dvořák, J.Sibelius, C.-A.Debussy, R.Strauss, S.Rachmaninoff, S.Prokofiev, D.Shostakovich, A.Scriabin, G.Mahler, A.Rubinstein, K.Schumann, P.Viardo, P.Sarasate, A.Schoenberg, I.Stravinsky, B.Bartok, P.Hindemith and others renowned musicians of the XIX-ХХ centuries performed here, and many works of such exponents of Russian classical tradition as A.Borodin, M.Mussorgsky, P.Tchaikovsky, N.Rimsky-Korsakov, A.Glazunov were premiered here. The hall's acoustics are excellent, but judged by some not to be the best in town.
Anecdotes It is a well established custom in Bolshoi Zal and elsewhere in Saint Petersburg for a symphony orchestra to play  "The Hymn to the Great City", composed by Reinhold Glière, praising the heroic defence in the Siege of Leningrad, as the last piece of encore music.
Gallery File:Saint Petersburg Philharmonia (the Grand Hall) - 3.JPGFile:Saint Petersburg Philharmonia (the Grand Hall).JPGFile:Saint Petersburg Philharmonia (the Grand Hall) - 7.JPGFile:Saint Petersburg Philharmonia (the Grand Hall) - 4.JPGFile:Saint Petersburg Philharmonia (the Grand Hall) - 8.JPG
See also * Mariinsky Theatre
References
External links *  Official Site*  Theaters and Concert Halls in Saint Petersburg, Russia