German conductor Kurt Sanderling (1912-2011). Sanderling was forced to leave Germany during the Nazi regime, becoming conductor of the Moscow RSO in 1936. A guest performance with the Leningrad PO led to a long-standing involvement with this orchestra, which he directed jointly with Yevgeny Mravinsky from 1942 to 1960. In 1960 Sanderling was called back to his beloved Berlin to become principal conductor of the (East) Berlin Symphony Orchestra. He also directed the concerts of the world famous Dresden Staatskapelle from 1964 to 1967. Since then, he has devoted himself exclusively to his very full guest-conducting schedule at home and abroad. In 2002 the maestro retired.