of an April 1984 live performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12. In 1946, Mravinsky's international career began with tours of Finland and Czechoslovakia at the Prague Spring Festival. Later tours with an orchestra included a June 1956 itinerary to western Europe. Their only appearance in the United Kingdom was in September 1960 at 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. On 6 March 1987, Mravinsky led his final concert, a program consisting of Schubert's Symphony No. 8 and Brahms' Symphony No. 4. After a prolonged illness, Mravinsky died in Leningrad in 1988 at the age of 84. Mravinsky was married four times. His first marriage was to Marianna Schwalck (1888–1979), in 1922. His second marriage was to Olga Alexeyevna Karpova (1903-1990), in 1938. Both ended in divorce. His marriage to his third wife, Inna Mikhailovna Serikova (1923-1964), lasted from 1960 until her death. His fourth marriage was to Alexandra Mikhailovna Vavilina (born 1928), from 1967 until his death. Conducting style Surviving videos show that Mravinsky had a sober appearance on the podium, making simple but clear gestures, often without a baton. The critic James McCarthy said of Mravinsky's Tchaikovsky performances: The Leningrad Philharmonic play like a wild stallion only just held in check by the willpower of its master. Every smallest movement is placed with fierce pride; at any moment it may break into such a frenzied gallop that you hardly know whether to feel exhilarated or terrified. Method In a 1970s interview on Leningrad Television, when asked how he chose a particular interpretation of the music he conducted, Mravinsky explained that he tried to understand what the composer's intention was by immersing himself in the "atmosphere" of the music (he used the term "atmospherization"). Recordings Mravinsky recorded for the state classical label, Melodiya. Additionally, in the 21st century, his recordings have been available under Erato Records and Profil – G Haenssler. References Sources Tassie, Gregor, "A Truly Noble Conductor". Gramophone (US Edition), May 2002, pp. 36–37. External links [ Biography at allmusic.com] Legacy of Yevgeni Mravinsky A History of Portrait of Yevgeny Mravinsky, by Lev A. Russov. (Russian) František Sláma (musician) Archive. More on the history of the Czech Philharmonic between the 1940s and the 1980s: Conductors 1903 births 1988 deaths Academic staff of Saint Petersburg Conservatory People