Svetlanov, Yevgeny Fyodorovich

▪ 2003

      Russian conductor, composer, and pianist (b. Sept. 6, 1928, Moscow, U.S.S.R.—d. May 3, 2002, Moscow, Russia), as artistic director and principal conductor of his country's State Symphony Orchestra for 35 years (1965–2000), was renowned for his sensitive interpretations of Russian/Soviet symphonic composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Khachaturyan; he also championed Jewish and lesser-known contemporary composers, notably Nikolay Myaskovsky. Svetlanov studied conducting and composition at the Moscow Conservatory and made his professional debut (1955) with the Bolshoi Theatre, where he was chief conductor from 1963 until he transferred to the State Symphony. He recorded extensively and in 1987 was the subject of a documentary film, Dirizhor (“The Conductor”). Svetlanov was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1978. In April 2000 he was dismissed from the State Symphony by the culture minister, reportedly for spending too much time performing abroad.

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