Yevgeny Svetlanov

In addition to being a skilled pianist and composer, Evgeny (or Yevgeny) Feodorovich Svetlanov was one of the 20th century's leading Russian conductors. While best known for his interpretations of a wide swath of Russian composers, he conducted everything from Elgar's vocal works and Debussy's symphonic sketches to each of Mahler's symphonies. As both a conductor and pianist, he helped maintain the legacy of Nikolai Myaskovsky, recording dozens of volumes of music by the Soviet composer, including his complete symphonic output. Born in Moscow in 1928, Svetlanov came from a musical and theatrical family: his parents were both members of the Bolshoi Theatre, his father as a singer and his mother as a mime artist. Svetlanov was a 1951 graduate of the Gnesin Institute, where he studied composition with Mikhail Gnesin and piano with Mariya Gurvich. Later, Svetlanov continued his studies in composition with Yury Shaporin and in conducting with Alexander Gauk at the Moscow Conservatory. While still a student, he conducted for All-Union Radio in 1953 and first conducted the State Symphony Orchestra in 1954. Svetlanov became an assistant conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1955, and in 1962, he was appointed to the position of principal conductor. During his time there, he became a favorite for the lively, colorful sound he brought to Russian opera repertory, particularly the operas of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. He led the Bolshoi on its historic visit to La Scala in Milan in 1964. In 1965, Svetlanov became the principal conductor of the U.S.S.R. State Symphony Orchestra (later known as the Russian State Symphony Orchestra), a position he retained until his retirement in 1999. It was from this position that Svetlanov set out to record all the major orchestral music of Russian composers from Glinka to Myaskovsky, a span of more than a century. Svetlanov's recordings with the orchestra also included later Russian composers such as Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Shchedrin, Shebalin, Khachaturian, and Knipper. He also recorded the life's work of Nikolai Myaskovsky, producing dozens of volumes of music by the Soviet composer, including his complete symphonies. Meanwhile, as a composer, Svetlanov wrote vocal, chamber, and symphonic music, including a piano concerto (Evgeni Svetlanov: Piano Concerto; The Red Guelder-rose; Preludes; Symphonic Reflections, 1994). As a pianist, highlights of his recording output include the 1995 album Svetlanov Plays Medtner and several recordings of Rachmaninov's music. Over his lifetime, Svetlanov collected several Soviet state awards, including People's Artist of the U.S.S.R. in 1968, the 1975 Lenin Prize, and the Glinka Prize in 1975. In 1979, Svetlanov was named principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He also worked with the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague and leading orchestras of Japan, France, and Sweden. In 1998, Russian president Boris Yeltsin observed Svetlanov's 70th birthday with national honors. Upon Svetlanov's death on May 3, 2002, at the age of 72, English critic David Wilkins described the conductor as "an essential champion of the soul of Russian music." That year, Olympia released the comprehensive box set Nikolai Myaskovsky: Complete Symphonic Works, consisting entirely of recordings conducted by Svetlanov. ~ TiVo Staff, Rovi