Playing with Fire

PLAYING WITH FIRE

‘Presents an absorbing picture of a tragic period of Russian history. At its centre is the towering figure of Maria Yudina, a remarkable pianist and one of the most influential personalities of Soviet cultural life. A riveting read.’

Boris Berman, Head of Piano, Yale University School of Music

‘The daughter of the British ambassador to the USSR and herself an ambassador for Russian music and musical culture, Elizabeth Wilson incorporates in her writing her own experience of living in Soviet Russia, studying at the Moscow Conservatory and encountering several generations of Russian musicians. It is surprising that such a book had not been written earlier; it is not surprising that it was eventually written by Wilson.’

Olga Manulkina, Saint Petersburg State University