Yevgeny Mravinsky

The last of a long line of distinguished Russian aristocrats, Yevgeny Mravinsky emerges from the 20th Century musical scene as a noble conductor and exceptional treasure of Soviet culture. His friendship of some forty years with Dmitri Shostakovich led to the opening of that composer's music to the Soviet public in spite of the State's condemnation of Shostakovich's work in the influential newspaper Pravda . His associations with many other prominent musicians were instrumental in bringing their