The Kaminsky Symphony

Milan, 1913. Maestro Mandelli di Castagnino is resident conductor at La Scala, having taken over from the legendary Toscanini.

Barely in his mid-thirties, he is revered by the Milanese public and fêted by the city’s high society. But once the baton is down, and after another soirée in his honour organised by his sycophantic agent, he returns to an empty home, surrounded only by his servants.

Disenchanted and longing to leave his secret life behind, he accepts a post as resident chief conductor at the Odessa Opera House, causing consternation among his family and admirers.

After an eventful journey by land and sea, he settles in the elegant coastal city, improving the performance of the orchestra and winning the approval and friendship of the locals.

He also finds love, but the continent is about to sleepwalk into the carnage of a futile war and Imperial Russia is on the cusp of being rocked by the October Revolution.

Undeterred by the unfolding catastrophe and wanting to protect his beloved from the savagery of the civil war, he is confronted with a desperate choice.