Origins & Early Life

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky (Russian: Евгений Александрович Мравинский; 4 June [O.S. 22 May] 1903 – 19 January 1988) was a Soviet and Russian conductor, pianist, and music pedagogue; he was a professor at Leningrad State Conservatory. Mravinsky was born in Saint Petersburg. The soprano Yevgeniya Mravina was his aunt.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His father, Alexandr Konstantinovich Mravinsky, died in 1918, and in that same year, the young Mravinsky began to work backstage at the Mariinsky Theatre, serving as a ballet répétiteur from 1923 to 1931. After initially studying biology at the university in Leningrad, in 1924 he succeeded in entering the Leningrad Conservatory as a non–fee–paying student thanks to his half-aunt Alexandra Kollontai, who recommended him to the rector, Alexander Glazunov, and the commissar for enlightenment, Anatoly Lunacharsky. Mravinsky's first public conducting appearance was in 1929. Throughout the 1930s, he conducted at the Kirov Ballet and Bolshoi Opera. In September 1938, he won the All-Union Conductors Competition in Moscow.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1931, Mravinsky made his debut with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. In October 1938, he was appointed its principal conductor, a...

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