USSR State Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1936, the USSR State Symphony Orchestra's first chief conductor was Alexander Gauk. Konstantin Ivanov served a distinguished 19-year tenure until 1965, seeing out the Stalin regime, before Svetlanov became chief and made touring a priority. The orchestra frequently recorded for Melodiya, starting early in the Svetlanov period with a still-acclaimed Tchaikovsky symphony cycle. Its reputation for full, ripe string sound was well-earned, creating a potent combination with its traditionally Russian, largely unrestrained brass. Svetlanov's personal intensity only added fuel. The orchestra's name naturally changed with the inception of the Russian Federation in late 1991. After tough years financially, for Russia as a whole, Svetlanov's 35 years as chief ended abruptly in 2000 when he was dismissed by Mikhail Shvydkoi, Russia's then Minister of Culture. The pretext of the firing, ironically, was that Svetlanov had been spending excessive time conducting outside Russia, precisely where the orchestra's reputation had been built up. But in 2005, as noted, the orchestra took the step of permanently acknowledging this musician's unequalled contribution. [source from Wikipedia]
All performances
Shostakovich, Dmitri
Dvořák, Antonín Leopold