Small Hall

The history of the building now famous as the Small Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonic begins in the middle of the eighteenth century, when it was used to hold balls and masquerades for the aristocratic elite of the former capital of the Russian Empire. Concerts of the Philharmonic Society were also held there, right up until the middle of the nineteenth century, when the house changed ownership and music ceased to be played in its walls for a whole century.

The building was reopened in 1949 as the Small Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic. Many leading artists have appeared on its stage, such as Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, David Oistrach and Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich and Daniil Shafran, Yevgeny Nesterenko and Elena Obraztsova. Chamber ensembles and orchestras played here under the direction of Yury Temirkanov and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Composers held evenings of their works in the hall, among them Dmitri Shostakovich, whose premieres and chamber works comprise a special chapter in the history of the hall.

The Small Hall preserves its magical Petersburg atmosphere, combining history and tradition with contemporary art and the search for the new. As before, it remains attractive to performers and audiences alike.