National Philharmonic of Ukraine
50°27′12″N 30°31′42″E / 50.45333°N 30.52833°E
The National Philharmonic of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна Філармонія України), often referred to as Kyiv Philharmonic and National Philharmonic, is a complex of two adjacent concert halls in the Khreshchatyi Park in Kyiv, Ukraine. Formerly the Merchant's House, the building's use for musical performances is associated with the Philharmonic Society, established by Mykola Lysenko.
The historic building was built at the end of the 19th century. Standing at the end of Khreshchatyk street near the European Square, it has hosted numerous Russian composers such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and famous opera singers like Leonid Sobinov and Feodor Chaliapin.
History
The Merchant's House
At the end of the nineteenth century, Kyiv, at the time the leading commercial center in the south-west of the Russian Empire, flourished in its cultural development. In 1881, the Council of Elders of the Kyiv Merchants Assembly acquired permission to establish a recreational area in the Tsarskaya (Tsar’s) Square (now the European Square) where a year later a brick building decorated with towers and metal eaves was erected by the famous Kyiv architect Vladimir Nikolayev[1] and named the Merchants' House (Merchants' Assembly). The building rapidly gained recognition among Kyiv residents and became the center for cultural gatherings where society held masquerade balls, science and political conferences, charitable lotteries, and literary evenings. Because of the building's good acoustics the Merchants' House became popular for musical performances.
The history of the Merchants' House has been greatly affected by the Ukrainian composer, pianist and conductor
After the
After the 1941 Nazi invasion, the Philharmonic Society stopped its work, and most of its priceless archives were destroyed. During the German occupation of Kyiv, the Society's building was converted to a German Officer's Club. This was one of the important reasons why the building was not destroyed, remaining one of the very few surviving pre-war buildings on Khreshchatyk street. Following the liberation of Kyiv, the Philharmonic Society building resumed its operation in 1944 as soon as hostilities moved away from Kyiv.
National Philharmonic
In 1962, the building was renamed to Mykola Lysenko Kyiv State Philharmonic in honor of the composer's 120th birthday anniversary and the 50th anniversary of his death. It was also awarded the status of architectural monument. In the 1980s, the building suffered a flood, during which many of its music libraries and archives perished. The conditions demanded restoration, which began in 1995. A year later, the restored building opened its doors to the public.
In October 1994, the newly elected
Today, the Lysenko Colonnaded Hall of the Philharmonic remains one of the two most prestigious classical music stages in the city (along with the
Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine
The Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine was found in September, 1995, under the leadership of Leonid Tykhonov. A year later in 1996 the young Mykola Dyadura took over. Since the concert season 2012–2013 Roman Kofman is the orchestra's chief conductor. Today the orchestra is acknowledged as one of the best ensembles in Eastern Europe.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Київ. Історична енциклопедія. З найдавніших часів до 1917 року.
External links
- Homepage of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine
- Official site
- Kyiv Sightseeing Guide (2001) ISBN 966-7022-29-3.
- Сад Купеческого собрания - филармония, at oldkyiv.org.ua
- National Philharmonic of Ukraine (Kyiv)