Playing with Fire. The Story of Maria Yudina

Maria Yudina – a brilliant concert pianist, educator, and extraordinary woman of the Soviet era. Her life was inextricably linked to the outstanding personalities of her time. The prominent Russian philosopher, Mikhail Bakhtin, whose circle she joined at eighteen, noted her abilities as a philosopher, and Boris Pasternak considered Yudina one of his most perceptive readers. The greatest spiritual figure and man of encyclopedic knowledge, Priest Pavel Florensky, was her friend. Already at seventeen, she stated that she would dedicate her life to Music: "Art is my calling as a path to God." Throughout her life, Maria Yudina followed her destiny.