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Yevgeny Svetlanov | |
|---|---|
Евгений Фёдорович Светланов | |
 Yevgeny Svetlanov in 1967 | |
| Born | September 6, 1928 Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Died | May 3, 2002 (aged 73) Moscow, Russia |
| Burial place | Vagankovo Cemetery |
| Education | Moscow Conservatory |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, composer, pianist |
Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov (Russian:Евгений Фёдорович Светланов; 6 September 1928 – 3 May 2002) was a Soviet and Russian conductor, composer, and pianist.
Svetlanov was born inMoscow and studied conducting withAlexander Gauk at theMoscow Conservatory. From 1955 he conducted at theBolshoi Theatre, being appointed principal conductor there in 1962. From 1965 he was principal conductor of theUSSR State Symphony Orchestra (now the Russian State Symphony Orchestra). In 1979 he was appointed principal guest conductor of theLondon Symphony Orchestra. Svetlanov was also music director of theResidentie Orchestra (The Hague) from 1992 to 2000 and theSwedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 1999.
In 2000 Svetlanov was fired from his post with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra by the minister of culture of Russia,Mikhail Shvydkoy. The reason given was that Svetlanov was spending too much time conducting abroad and not enough time in Moscow.
Svetlanov was particularly noted for his interpretations of Russian works – he covered the whole range of Russian music, fromMikhail Glinka to the present day. He was also one of the few Russian conductors to conduct the entire symphonic output ofGustav Mahler.
His own compositions included a String Quartet (1948), Daugava, Symphonic Poem (1952), Siberian Fantasy for Orchestra, Op. 9 (1953),Images d'Espagne, Rhapsody for orchestra (1954), Symphony (1956), Festive Poem (1966),[1]Russian Variations for harp and orchestra (1975), Piano Concerto in c minor (1976) and Poem for Violin and Orchestra "To the Memory of David Oistrakh" (1975).[2] He composedSiberian Fantasy in 1953/54, in collaboration with Igor Yakushenko [1932-1999].
Svetlanov was also an extremely competent pianist, three notable recordings beingSergei Rachmaninoff'sPiano Trio No. 2 in D minor[3] andCello Sonata op. 19,[4] and a disc ofNikolai Medtner's piano music.
Warner Music France has issued an "Édition officielle Yevgeny Svetlanov" featuring Svetlanov's legacy of recordings as conductor and pianist, which by July 2008 had run to 35 volumes of CDs, often multiple-CD boxed sets. The biggest of these is the 16-CD box of the complete symphonies ofNikolai Myaskovsky, to whose music Svetlanov was devoted.
The firstAirbus A330 forAeroflot and the asteroid4135 Svetlanov were named after him.[5] TheState Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation and an international conducting competition also carry his name.[6]
| Cultural offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Music Director, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 1963-1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Music Director, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation 1965-2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Conductor, Het Residentie Orkest 1992-2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra 1997-1999 | Succeeded by |
