Yevgeny Svetlanov 1928–2002

A musical diplomat in more senses than one, Yevgeny Svetlanov was the musical ambassador par excellence of both the old Soviet Union and the new Russia. As Chief Conductor of the USSR/Russian State Symphony Orchestra for thirty-five years, he championed — on the concert-platform and in the recording studio — the classics of the Russian repertoire, from Glinka to Shostakovich, as well as works by lesser masters, such as Miaskovsky, Schnittke and, occasionally, himself. And despite a fierce independence, he was one of the Soviet Union’s leading cultural envoys, conducting as far afield as Europe, Japan and the USA.

At home, Svetlanov was a subtle yet successful operator — the voice of gentle rather than rancorous dissent. With generous state funding for his orchestra, he could enjoy the lengthy rehearsal time unavailable to him on his many visits to the West. Yet although a beneficiary of the system, he knew how to play it to the advantage of others who were less fortunate but no less deserving, often openly defying the regime by helping such persona non grata as Oleg Kagan, Natalia Gutman, Nikolai Petrov, and Kirill Kondrashin.

Abroad, his electrifying renditions, not always critically acclaimed, alerted audiences not only to the richness of his homeland’s musical heritage, but sometimes, surprisingly, to their own — he conducted a memorable performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1981.

As a child, he imbibed early the spirit of the Bolshoi, where his father was a soloist and his mother a mime artist, and after studies in piano, composition and conducting at the Gnesin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory, returned there as an assistant, later principal, conductor. This phase of his career culminated in a visit with the company to La Scala in 1964.

His appointment to the USSRSSO followed the next year, and he soon became a household name, at home and abroad. He was the subject of a film, Dirizhor (The Conductor), and also featured in The Phil, a recent Channel 4 documentary about life in the Philharmonia. He was named a People’s Artist of the Soviet Union in 1968, and was awarded the Lenin Prize four years later. He was appointed to the Order of Lenin in 1978. He conducted much in London, for the last time there just a few days before his death.

Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov: born Moscow, 6 September 1928; died Moscow, 3 May 2002.