Description of the attraction
Odessa State Philharmonic Society is one of the largest concert organizations in the city of Odessa, a unique architectural and historical monument. It is located in the historic center of the city at the intersection of st. Bunin and Pushkinskaya. The Philharmonic Society was founded in 1937, and during the same period its official symphony orchestra was created.
The Odessa Philharmonic is located in the former building of the Merchant Exchange, which was erected in 1899 by the architect Vikenty Prokhaski, redesigned in the Italian Gothic style by the outstanding city architect A. I. Bernardazzi. The structure resembles the Venetian Doge's Palace. Imitating the forms of the Renaissance of the Florentine school, the architect A. I. Bernardazzi made the ceiling of the main entrance of the Philharmonic in the form of a "firmament", which is decorated with all the signs of the zodiac.
The walls of the majestic structure are decorated in yellowish-brownish tones, and the high foundations and decorative elements are in white and gray tones. Large spacious windows are decorated with sophisticated twisted columns, colored stained-glass windows and ornaments with an intricate pattern of Carrara marble designed by the outstanding sculptor M. Molinari.
The architecture of the Philharmonic's courtyard is no less beautiful. A majestic white marble staircase leads to a two-story lobby. Its walls are decorated with paintings by the St. Petersburg artist Karazin and the Florentine painter Cassioli.
The concert hall of the Philharmonic is one of the best in Europe, and the beautiful building has become the venue for many musical festivals.
World celebrities gave concerts at the Philharmonic, among whom I would especially like to mention the composer and pianist Franz Liszt, as well as the Wieniawski brothers. And of course, one cannot fail to recall eminent contemporaries - Vladimir Horowitz, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich and many others who devoted their lives to music.
