Kirill Kondrashin is one of the few Russian conductors to celebrate an international career, next to Yevgeny Mravinsky, Igor Markevitch and Jascha Horenstein. In 1943 he became principal conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre, an institution so important for Soviet musical life, to which he would belong for 13 years. In 1956 he was appointed chief conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic. This position opened doors for him internationally and Kondrashin was able to accept tour invitations from western countries.

One of the milestones in his career certainly was the first international Tchaikovsky piano competition in Moscow in 1958. Kondrashin conducted the competition concert of American pianist Van Cliburn, who not only takes home the victory, but also "his" conductor, with whom he is completing a triumphant tour. Kondrashin is the first Russian conductor allowed to perform in the United States during the Cold War, and in return for this musical understanding between the nations, the Russian audience falls in love with the 23-year-old American Van Cliburn, from then on nicknamed "Vanyushka" in the Soviet Union.

In addition to Van Cliburn, whose Tchaikovsky concert is one of the discographic highlights of this 10-CD box set, Russian companions such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter and David Oistrakh are also documented here with outstanding recordings. Kondrashin had a special friendship with Shostakovich, for whose works he campaigned throughout his career.