He was born in St Petersburg, and first studied biology there before going to the Leningrad Conservatoire to study music. Through the 1930s he conducted at the Kirov Ballet and Bolsoi Opera, before taking up in 1938 the post that he would hold until 1982: chief conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. He raised their reputation to one of the world's leading ensembles, and with them gave world premieres of three Dmitri Shostakovich symphonies: numbers 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. He died in Leningrad.