about Maverick 管家仔囉哩叭唆

Евгений Александрович Мравинский (Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky) *22. Mai [jul.] / 4. Juni [greg.] 1903 in St. Petersburg; †19. Januar 1988 in Leningrad













The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra was formed in 1882 and is Russia 's oldest symphony orchestra.

It was initially known as the "Imperial Music Choir" and performed privately for the court of Alexander III of Russia. By the 1900s it had started to give public performances at the Philharmonia and elsewhere. Richard Strauss conducted the orchestra in 1912.

After the Russian Revolution the orchestra was taken over by its members, who changed the name to the "State Philharmonic Orchestra of Petrograd". In the 1920s the orchestra began receiving support from the state, and began to be known internationally as an excellent orchestra. Guest conductor appearances were made by Bruno Walter, Ernest Ansermet and Hans Knappertsbusch at this time. Around this time the orchestra was renamed the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.

The orchestra gained its most fame under the lengthy directorship of Evgeny Mravinsky. The orchestra made few tours to the West, but the orchestra recorded a number of studio and live recordings under Mravinsky. Furthermore, it was under Mravinsky that the orchestra premiered eight of Shostakovich's symphonies.

In 1991 the orchestra gained its current name after its home city returned to its original name of Saint Petersburg. Today it is an internationally recognized symphony orchestra under the directorship of Yuri Temirkanov.

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Mravinsky was born in Saint Petersburg. His father died in 1918, and in that same year, he began to work backstage at the Mariinsky Theatre. He first studied biology at the university in Leningrad, before going to the Leningrad Conservatory to study music. He served as a ballet repetiteur from 1923 to 1931. His first public conducting appearance was in 1929. Through the 1930s he conducted at the Kirov Ballet and Bolshoi Opera. In September 1938, he won the All-Union Conductors Competition in Moscow.

In October 1938, Mravinsky took up the post that he was to hold until 1988: principal conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he had made his debut as a conductor in 1931. Under Mravinsky, the Leningrad Philharmonic gained a legendary reputation, particularly in Russian music such as Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. During World War II, Mravinsky and the orchestra were evacuated to Siberia.

Legend has it that at the first performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, during the applause immediately after the performance, Mravinsky took the score in his hand and waved it above his head. Mravinsky gave world premieres of six symphonies by Shostakovich: numbers 5, 6, 8 (which Shostakovich dedicated to Mravinsky), 9, 10 and finally 12 in 1961. His refusal to conduct the premiere of Shostakovich's 13th Symphony in 1962 caused a permanent rupture in their friendship.

He premiered Sergei Prokofiev's 6th symphony in Leningrad the year of its composition (1947).

Mravinsky made commercial studio recordings from 1938 to 1961. His issued recordings from after 1961 were taken from live concerts. His final recording was from an April 1984 live performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12. Mravinsky first took the orchestra on tour in 1946 to the Prague Spring Festival. Later tours included a June 1956 itinerary to West Germany, East Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Their only tour to Great Britain was in September 1960 to the Edinburgh Festival and the Royal Festival Hall, London. Their first tour to Japan was in May 1973. Their last foreign tour was in 1984, to West Germany.

His last concert was on 6 March 1987 (Schubert, Symphony No. 8, and Brahms, Symphony No. 4). Mravinsky died in Leningrad in 1988, aged 84.