Moscow International House of Music

On Kosmodamianskaya Embankment stands the Moscow International House of Music — one of Russia’s largest philharmonic complexes, bringing four concert halls together under one roof. Before its appearance, the capital had only two large music halls — the Conservatory’s Grand Hall and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall — so the new venue immediately became a major event for the city’s cultural life.

Construction began in the autumn of 2000, conceived by Moscow’s mayor Yuri Luzhkov and the famous violinist Vladimir Spivakov; the project was overseen by the “Krasnye Kholmy” joint-stock company, headed by playwright Mikhail Shatrov, who attracted foreign investors. The complex opened on December 26, 2002, and at the ceremony the President of Russia spoke, calling the building a “beautiful crystal goblet.” The design was developed by a group of architects led by Yuri Gnedovsky, who originally planned only two halls, but a third, theatrical-concert hall, was later added to the program.

The building’s dome is crowned with a sculptural emblem in the shape of a treble clef, 9.5 meters tall and weighing more than six tons — created by Zurab Tsereteli, with a special roller mechanism allowing the heavy structure to rotate like a weathervane. In 2003, the building received the top professional award at the “Zodchestvo” festival, although some critics felt the embankment’s architectural ensemble was spoiled by the neighboring high-rise hotel building.

The heart of the complex is the Svetlanov Hall, seating 1,699, named after conductor Yevgeny Svetlanov: it is clad in Siberian larch and equipped with the largest pipe organ in Moscow by number of stops, built by German craftsmen of the Klais company and featuring more than five and a half thousand pipes. Below it lies the 556-seat Art Nouveau–style Chamber Hall with a portable positive organ, while the transformable Theatre Hall accommodates between 400 and 524 spectators depending on the event format. In 2020, a modern 286-seat New Hall was added — used for rehearsals by, among other ensembles, Spivakov’s famous chamber orchestra and the country’s leading philharmonic orchestra.

For the House of Music’s fifth anniversary in 2007, a project called the “Starry Staircase” appeared on the stairs leading to the Svetlanov Hall — sculptural open scores bearing the autographs of musicians who have performed on the venue’s stages. Today the complex hosts international festivals, children’s subscription series, and creative evenings, remaining one of the country’s leading concert venues.

The House of Music has become a rare example of a major cultural facility built in post-Soviet Moscow literally from scratch, immediately taking its place among the country’s leading philharmonic halls. The combination of large-scale architecture, a unique organ, and a rich concert life makes it a prominent landmark on the map of contemporary musical Moscow.