Gavriil Nikolaevich Popov (1904-1972) — Soviet composer, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, winner of the Stalin Prize. One of the leading representatives of the musical avant-garde.
In 1927, he graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory with a thesis — the Septet, later renamed the Chamber Symphony. The work was a great success and was compared with the works of Dmitry Shostakovich. In 1929, his First Symphony won Second Prize at an All-Union competition, but was soon banned.
During the war, he wrote Symphony No. 2 "Rodina", which was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1946. In 1948, his music was criticized as part of the fight against formalism.
Popov also wrote music for films, which allowed him to create avant-garde works, avoiding prohibitions. His works include music for the films "Chapaev", "She Defends the Motherland", "Front" and others.
He died in 1972 and was buried in Moscow. Popov's symphonic works began to be performed again after 1985.
