Decay of the Atom

On November 10, 2025, the Moscow International Performing Arts Center premiered the play "Decay of the Atom," dedicated to the life of brilliant Russian composer German Galynin. The performance was part of the 5th International Music Festival "Energy of Discoveries," part of the unique project between the Orpheus Television and Radio Broadcasting Center and Unipro, "Reviving the Legacy of Russian Composers," which introduced listeners to the music of Russian and Soviet composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, whose names had been undeservedly forgotten for various reasons.

The story of German Galynin is a journey from triumph to oblivion, beginning in a Tula orphanage where he was brought as a hungry, ragged, and neglected orphan, and ending in a psychiatric hospital. German Galynin was one of Dmitri Shostakovich's favorite students, to whom he remained loyal even during the height of his persecution in 1948. In 1951, Galynin received the Stalin Prize for his "Epic Poem on Russian Themes." He was predicted to have a brilliant future, but severe mental illness dashed that prospect.

The play "Decay of the Atom" is an attempt to bring German Galynin's music back to modern audiences. Director and screenwriter Dmitry Serdyuk (who also played the lead role) combined symphonic fragments with documentary evidence: "This story is not only about the past—it's about us, about how art can conquer oblivion."

The composer's music was performed by the Orpheus Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its artistic director and principal conductor, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Sergei Kondrashev.

The performance also featured pianist Vladimir Vishnevsky, winner of the 2nd International Sergei Rachmaninoff Competition, and People's Artist of the Russian Federation Vladimir Shulga.

Moscow, Moscow International Performing Arts Center