St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra Orchestras and Tours

The ST.PETERSBURG ACADEMIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA was founded as an ensemble at the Leningrad Radio in 1931. Soon after, the ensemble grew to the level of a symphony orchestra, acquiring its particular individual features. One of the characteristics innate to the orchestra by virtue of its origin was the diversity and uniqueness of its repertoire, working with conductors such as Evgeny Mravinsky and Ilia Musin.

When orchestras hardly existed during the end of the first year of WWII , the Orchestra of Leningrad Radio was the only symphony orchestra remaining in the blockaded city, giving the historical Leningrad premiere of the Seventh Symphony of Shostakovich in August 1942, directed by Karl Eliasberg.

Performances of the orchestra at the Philharmonic scene continued after the war, and in the summer of 1953, becoming the second orchestra of Leningrad Philharmonia. Soviet Musical News series sees performances in collaboration with I. Stravinsky, B. Britten and the local composers, with soloists including Van Cliburn, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh.

After Yuri Temirkanov joining in 1968, Alexander Dmitriev becomes the current artistic director in 1977, receiving the statues of the Academic in 1985. It regularly tours abroad and participates in prestigious international festivals, such as Arts Square, Stars of White Night, Prague Autumn, Swansea and Canterbury, performing with world-class soloists including M. Rostropovich, G. Sokolov, N. Gutman, E. Virssaladze and Y. Bashmet.

The orchestra is the dedicatee of Twelfth Symphony (2005) by Slonimsky and of Third Symphony (2006). The orchestra, which participated in the debut of Leningrad conservatory student Andrey Petrov, more than fifty years later performs his pieces on the first concert dedicated to the memory of the composer.

In season 2006 - 2007 it celebrated its 75^th anniversary with the special “Anniversary Concert Series”, 60^th anniversary of Vladimir Altshuler and 30^th anniversay of Alexander Dmitriev’s working with the St.Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra.

In September 2006, the orchestra participates in the cultural programme in connection with a historical event - the transfer from the Kingdom of Denmark and the reburial in St.Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in St.Petersburg of Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, with a premiere performance of Part’s works under the baton of Andres Mustonen. In the new season, the orchestra will present Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortileges, with a renowned bass, Robert Holl, performing selections from the Wagner’s operas, and New-Year Eve concert in Arts Square Festival led by Alexander Dmitriev.

«Leningrad deserves to have two great orchestras and it has them»

- one of the American newspapers -

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