The pianist, conductor, and composer Mikhail Pletnev is one of the most respected and influential artists worldwide. His genius as an "all-round" musician has enchanted audiences around the globe since he won the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1978, at the age of 21. Two years later, Pletnev made his début as a conductor. In 1988, he was invited by Mikhail Gorbachev to perform at the superpower summit in Washington. In 1990, he founded the Russian National Orchestra, with many of the country's finest musicians joining the ensemble. Under his leadership, in a few short years the Russian National Orchestra achieved towering stature among the world's orchestras. In 1991, it became the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Vatican, in a private concert for Pope John Paul II.

Pletnev's performances and recordings on Deutsche Grammophon and other labels have shown him to be an outstanding interpreter of an extensive repertoire, both as pianist and conductor. His recordings have earned numerous prizes, including a 2005 Grammy Award for the album of Prokofiev's Cinderella in his own arrangement for two pianos. He received two further Grammy nominations for other piano recordings. Pletnev's compositions include works for orchestra, piano, strings, and voices.