Volgograd Philharmonic is the pride of the city and a popular place among music lovers. Concerts of classical, organ, and folk music are held here, pop stars are gathering a full hall.
Music for the people
The Volgograd Philharmonic was established in 1936. The purpose of her institution was to ensure the development of musical culture and concert work. The first group, which became part of the Philharmonic, was the symphony orchestra. The new musical organization quickly won regular spectators, actively joined the programs of the all-Union artistic tour.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Philharmonic did not stop working, but the format of the concerts changed radically. The troupe of artists acted as part of propaganda teams around the front and during the war years gave more than 750 concerts. The crucial victory near Stalingrad in February 1943 marked the beginning of the offensive operation, and already in May of this year the Volgograd Philharmonic Society began recruiting singers for the choir chapel.
The new collective was the beginning of a revival of concert activity. In the difficult conditions of the city destroyed by war, the artists gave concerts, went to the front. Only during 1944, the troupe held 900 concerts in the city and 500 were given on an off-road tour.
Post-war renaissance
Gradually, the situation became peaceful, teams were added. At different times, the Volgograd Philharmonic delighted the audience with a musical lecture, puppet theater, pop and symphony teams, a puppet theater and performances by many other groups.
The heyday of the teams of the Volgograd Philharmonic reached in 60-70 years. At this time, the institution regularly hosted concerts of musicians and singers throughout the Soviet Union, and its own musical groups were actively developing. During the perestroika period, structural and organizational transformations took place, the administration tried to maintain the activity of all structures and the artistic and creative potential of each team.
In the fall of 1999, the Volgograd Regional Philharmonic Society transferred to the status of a State cultural institution and moved to a new building - the former House of Political Education. In 2011, the Volgograd Central Concert Hall and the Philharmonic Society merged. In October 2017, the organization was renamed the State Budgetary Institution of Culture “Volgograd Philharmonic”.
Collectives
The Central Concert Hall of the Volgograd Regional Philharmonic is a concert venue where foreign and domestic stars perform, creative groups of Volgograd occupy a worthy place in the galaxy of celebrities. More than 400 concerts are held annually at the central venue of the city, gathering more than 160 thousand grateful spectators.
The Philharmonic Society includes groups and artists:
- Academic Symphony Orchestra (leader and conductor - E. Serov).
- Choir chapel.
- Orchestra of Russian folk instruments. Kalinin.
- The ensemble of folk Cossack song "Azure Flower".
- Ensemble of pop and folk songs named after Ponomarenko.
- Vocal team "Queen".
- Folk Express Ensemble.
- The ensemble of the song "Cherry Orchard" (romance, instrumental music, vocals).
- Intali String Quartet.
- Instrumental soloists.
- Vocalists.
Every year, the Volgograd Philharmonic invites citizens to the subscription fair, where music lovers are invited to choose concerts to their liking. The cost of the subscription at this event is significantly lower than the standard price, which attracts a large number of visitors.
Organ
The concert organ installed in the Central Concert Hall of Volgograd is a unique instrument manufactured by Riger-Kloss (Czech Republic). It was presented to the city as a sign of great respect for the hero city and in commemoration of the friendship of the two peoples.
The instrument is made in modern style and has a pedal keyboard, 4 manuals, 65 registers, the number of pipes - 4899 units.
The first concert on the organ of the Central Concert Hall took place at the end of March 1989, the right to become a pioneer was entrusted to Harry Grodberg, a well-known Russian organist, people's artist of Russia. Permanent concert activity was launched in September 1989.
The presence of an extra-class instrument allowed the Volgograd Philharmonic to hold two international festivals in 1996 and 2000, in which eminent domestic and foreign organists took part. In 2002, Volgograd hosted the International Organ Competition. O. Yanchenko.
Traditional seasons of organ music are held in the Central Concert Hall from September to June, with the full interest of grateful listeners. In the daytime, acquaintance with the “King of Instruments” is held for schoolchildren, educational programs are being implemented, concerts are held with the academic orchestra and soloists of the Philharmonic.
Philharmonic Projects
The repertoire of the Volgograd Philharmonic is carefully selected every season for the pleasure of the public in full variety with the audience's requests. Every month, on the poster of musical events, concerts of the Academic Orchestra, evening of romance and organ music are announced, folk groups perform, and starters of domestic and foreign pop break the applause.
The Volgograd Philharmonic is the initiator of several large-scale events:
- Festival of Folk Orchestras of Russia named after Kalinin.
- New Year's festival CON BRIO.
- Children's program "Flowers of Music".
- Festival "Ode to the Great Victory."
Music holidays
In different years, festivals and events dedicated to certain dates or events were held on the site of the Central Concert Hall of Volgograd. So, in 2014, the Volga Choir Assemblies festival was held, bringing together young performers of classical music. Of great interest to the public was the competition of organ music performers named after O. G. Yanchenko, also held in 2014.
In the year of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Volgograd Regional Philharmonic presented a grand festival in the name of peace. Academic orchestras of Volgograd and the city of Osnabruck (Germany) took part in the events. Joint performance has become a symbol of the possibility of dialogue between countries that have survived the hardships of war in different ways.
In March 2015, the “Leningrad Symphony” by Shostakovich was sounded in Osnabruck as part of the festival “The Music of the World - Against War”. The concert was given by an orchestra of 140 people, it was assembled from musicians of two cities. The event caused an international response and gathered more than 2 thousand spectators in Osnabruck.
General Philharmonic reviews
The Volgograd Philharmonic has made a favorable impression on many music lovers. A special pride of the Central Concert Hall is a panoramic view of the Volga from the lobby. Volgograd residents say that visitors and tourists are as impressive as the huge organ in the hall. Positive reviews say that there are almost never free places in the Central Concert Hall. The audience gladly goes to concerts by visiting celebrities, as well as to musical evenings of their artists.
Almost all lovers of classical and organ music believe that the local Academic Orchestra is not inferior in its virtuosity to world celebrities, and concerts are marked with frequent full houses. The organ established in the Central Concert Hall attracts a large number of listeners to concerts, and they say that the sound of the instrument evokes a gamut of enthusiastic feelings, as befits high classical music.
Regular spectators note that the subscriptions sold at the beginning of each concert season never run out, you have to track the start of sales, otherwise you can miss the opportunity to regularly attend concerts. It is noted that recently the concert hall was restored, and although it still bears traces of the Soviet era, it has excellent acoustics and comfortable seats (1225 seats). Citizens believe that the best concert venue is the Volgograd Philharmonic. No matter how many places for the public, often they are not enough.
Event Reviews
Events and concerts held in the Volgograd Philharmonic never go unnoticed by the audience. The administration and teams form programs in such a way as to obtain feedback from the audience of different ages. Children's programs introduce kids to musical diversity from folk instruments to symphony and organ concerts. It is difficult to find a city dweller who has not visited the Volgograd Philharmonic at least once. Address - Naberezhnaya street, 62nd Army, building 4.
As the audience noted, concerts in the Central Concert Hall are always an event gathering like-minded people. In 2017, the season was opened by the Academic Symphony Orchestra, the performance caused a flurry of applause and a full house in the hall, which speaks of the love of the townspeople for such events and their orchestra. Not everyone is committed to the classical repertoire. Frequent tours of pop stars gather a full auditorium, giving pleasure to the younger generation.
In the reviews, Volgograd proudly claim that the townspeople are very kind to the Central Concert Hall and try to set aside at least one evening a month to attend the concert. Everyone has different tastes, but the hall is never empty. Children are especially happy during the New Year holidays - they create an atmosphere of miracles at the Philharmonic and fill concerts with the magic of Christmas music.
