The great Evgeny Svetlanov (1928–2002) was music director of the USSR State Orchestra (1965–2000) and also had permanent positions with the LSO, the Residentie Orchestra in the Hague and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
He frequently guest conducted the NHK Orchestra in Japan, the Orchestre National in Paris as well as the Philharmonia in London. May 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of his death and ICA mark this with a coupling of Rachmaninov’s The Bells and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky. These two composers were very closely associated with the conductor. The performance of The Bells was taken from Svetlanov’s last concert in April 2002; he died one month later.