For the Western world, Mieczyslaw Weinberg, also known as Moisei Vainberg in Russian, was a long-kept secret of the Soviet Union. He was born in Warsaw, where his father worked as a composer and musical director for a Jewish theater. In 1939, with German troops advancing, Weinberg fled to the Soviet Union and pursued his composition studies at the Minsk Conservatory under Vassily Zolotaryov, a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. Two years later, as war continued to pursue him, he settled in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It was from there that Weinberg sent his First Symphony to Shostakovich, who was greatly impressed and arranged for him to come to Moscow in 1943. The two composers developed a close friendship, frequently playing through scores on two pianos, inspiring one another, and performing their own music together for the obligatory inspections by the union of composers. Shostakovich also aided his younger friend in finding work. Weinberg remained in Moscow for the rest of his life. Sadly, his family in Poland fell victim to the Nazis, and in 1948, his father-in-law, the celebrated Jewish actor Solomon Mikhoels, was killed on Stalin's orders. In 1953, Weinberg himself was falsely accused and arrested. However, Shostakovich, who considered Weinberg one of the finest Russian composers, advocated for him. Ultimately, it was Stalin's death that spared Weinberg's life.