A Western record company has pulled off a musical coup by signing five Soviet musicians, including conductor Yuri Temirkanov, violinist Vladimir Spivakov and 17-year-old pianist Evgeny Kissin, to five-year deals. "All of them are making their first long-term agreement in the West," Michael Emmerson, president of West German-based BMG Classics, said. "I think we have a lot to be thankful to glasnost for." The other artists are violist Yuri Bashmet and cellist Natalia Gutman, along with the Moscow Virtuosi and the Leningrad Philharmonic. The first recording by Kissin of Rachmaninoff's "Concerto No. 2" with the London Symphony will be released this month. Temirkanov will record with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic of London and Leningrad Philharmonic, of which he is music director. "Basically we made five-year deals," Emmerson said. "We generally have options for further recordings after that period."
