Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin's Russia

The first full biography of the fearless and brilliant Maria Yudina, a legendary pianist who was central to Russian intellectual life

“Playing with Fire is a ground-breaking work—a phenomenal biography of a towering human spirit of everlasting relevance.”—Norman Lebrecht, Wall Street Journal

Maria Yudina was no ordinary musician. An incredibly popular pianist, she lived on the fringes of Soviet society and had close friendships with such towering figures as Boris Pasternak, Pavel Florensk...