THE LIFE of Serge Koussevitzky reads like a modern fairy tale. Horatio Alger could not have fabricated a more glamorous tale than this real life-story of the poor, humbly-born lad. From a small town in darkest Tsarist Russia, he worked his way through a conservatory in Moscow, acquired tremendous proficiency on the double-bass, then met and wedded his fairy princess, who opened the door to a new career-conducting. Koussevitzky became a celebrated conductor in Russia, founding his own orchestra, not only giving concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also making three fabulous tours up and down the Volga, bringing the finest symphonic music to thousands who had never heard it. He persisted with his mission through the dark days of World War I, and the bitter early years of the Russian Revolution, before leaving Russia to become a glamorous figure in the concert halls of Paris and other western European capitals.
