Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both grandly impressive yet intimate enough for recitals of chamber music. Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End that runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located With near perfect acoustics, the Hall became quickly celebrated across Europe, acquiring almost legendary attraction for the greatest artists of the 20th century. Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of Sound, Ultrasound and Infrasound (all mechanical waves in gases liquids and solids The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Today the Hall promotes some 400 concerts a year and broadcasts a weekly concert on BBC Radio 3 attracting an audience of several hundred thousand listeners as well as an extensive worldwide internet audience. The Hall also promotes an extensive education programme throughout London and beyond.
Originally named the Bechstein Hall, it was built between 1899 and 1901 by Bechstein Pianoforte Fabrik AG, the German piano manufacturer whose showroom was next door. C Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG ( (also known as Bechstein) is a German manufacturer of Pianos highly regarded for their concert Grand pianos Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers The hall was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt, who also designed the Savoy Hotel on The Strand. Thomas Edward Collcutt ( 16 March 1840 - 7 October 1924) was an English architect in the Victorian era who designed several The Savoy Hotel is a five-star Hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in Central London that opened on August The Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. Similar concert halls were also built by Bechstein in Saint Petersburg and Paris. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city
The building follows the Renaissance style, using alabaster and marble walls to furnish a flat, rectangular hall with a small raised stage area complete with a cupola depicting the Soul of Music above. Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe in which there was a Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct Minerals Gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of Calcium) and Calcite Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of The hall is considered to have one of the best acoustics for classical music in Europe. Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of Sound, Ultrasound and Infrasound (all mechanical waves in gases liquids and solids It was refurbished in 2004 and was widely praised for being completed on time and on budget. In 2005, the Wigmore Hall Trust purchased a long lease of 300 years for £3. 1m
The "Bechstein Hall" opened on 31 May 1901 with a concert featuring the virtuoso pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni and violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Ferruccio Dante Michelangiolo Benvenuto Busoni (April 1 1866 &ndash July 27 1924 was an Italian Composer, Pianist, musical educator and conductor. Eugène Ysaÿe ( July 16 1858 &ndash May 12 1931) was a Belgian Violinist, Composer and conductor During its early period, the Hall attracted great artists like Artur Schnabel, Pablo Sarasate, Percy Grainger, Myra Hess, Arthur Rubinstein, Camille Saint-Saëns and Max Reger
Because of its German ownership, the hall was seized as enemy property during World War I. Artur Schnabel ( April 17, 1882 &ndash August 15, 1951) was an Austrian classical Pianist, who also composed Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués ( March 10 1844 &ndash September 20 1908, pronounced Sah-ra-SAH-teh was a Spanish George Percy Grainger (8 July 1882&ndash20 February 1961 was an Australian born Composer, Pianist and champion of the Saxophone and the Dame Myra Hess DBE ( February 25, 1890 &ndash November 25, 1965) born Julia Myra Hess, was a British Arthur Rubinstein KBE ( January 28 1887 &ndash December 20 1982) was a Polish - American pianist who is widely Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (/ʃaʁl kamij sɛ̃sɑ̃s/ (9 October 1835 &ndash 16 December 1921 was a French Composer, Organist, conductor, and Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger ( March 19 1873 &ndash May 11 1916) was a German Composer, conductor World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The hall with over 130 pianos was sold at an auction to Debenhams for a fraction of its value and was re-opened as Wigmore Hall in 1917. Debenhams plc ( is a British -based retailer operating under a Department Store format in the UK and franchise stores in other countries Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Many great artists including Sviatoslav Richter, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Sergey Prokofiev, Shura Cherkassky, Paul Hindemith, Andrés Segovia, Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc have performed there. Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter (Святосла́в Теофи́лович Рихтер Svjatoslav Teofilovič Rikhter) ( &ndash August 1, 1997) was WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy ( Russian: Владимир Давидович Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, DBE ( December 9, 1915 &ndash August 3, 2006) was a German -born Austrian British Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев Sergéj Sergéjevič Prokófjev) ( - 5 March 1953 was a Russian composer who Shura Cherkassky ( October 7, 1909 – December 27, 1995) was a Ukrainian classical Pianist known for his performances of Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 &ndash 28 December 1963 was a German Composer, Violist, violinist teacher music theorist and conductor. Andrés Torres Segovia 1st Marquess of Salobreña ( 21 February 1893 &ndash 2 June 1987) was a Spanish Classical guitarist Edward Benjamin Britten Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976 was an English Composer, conductor, See also, Rhône-Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (fʀɑ̃sis ʒɑ̃ maʀsɛl pulɛ̃k January 7, 1899 – January 30, Wigmore hall has had an important relationship with living composers throughout its 106 year history. On 31 August 2007 a new commissioning scheme for modern composers was announced by the Hall's Director.
The Wigmore Hall's current director is 34 year-old Irishman, John Gilhooly, a classical singer. He joined the Wigmore Hall as CEO in 2000 and became Artistic Director in addition in 2005. His predecessor as Artistic Director was Paul Kildea. William Lyne served as director from 1966-2003. Frequent current performers at the Hall include Andras Schiff, Joshua Bell, Maxim Vengerov, Thomas Quasthoff, Ian Bostridge, Susan Graham, Angela Hewitt, Mark Padmore, Steven Isserlis, Sir Thomas Allen, Matthias Goerne, Dame Felicity Lott, Pierre Laurent Aimard, Simon Keenlyside, Ann sofie von Otter, the Beaux Arts and Florsetan Trios and the Emerson, Endellion, Artemis, Hagen, Jerusalem and Zehetmair Quartets. Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov (מקסים וונגרוב born August 20, 1974) is an Israeli Violinist who was born in the Soviet Union The Hall's Composer in Residence from 2009 will be Luke Bedford.
The Wigmore Hall also publishes on its own record label "Wigmore Hall live" recordings of concerts by prominent artists that had taken place. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music The label recently entered the classical charts with a recital by the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, which has also been nominated for a Gramophone Award. .
See also
External links
A concert hall is a cultural building which serves as performance venue chiefly for classical instrumental musicDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic