Orlov studied violin at the
St. Petersburg Conservatory, under Pyotr Krasnokutsky, and conducting under
Paul Juon in Berlin. From 1902, he worked as a symphonic and opera conductor in the cities of southern Russia. From 1912 to 1917, he was conductor of the Symphony Orchestra under
Serge Koussevitzky in Moscow, and at the same time implemented a number of opera productions, 1914-1924. From 1925 to 1929, Orlov was Principal Conductor of
Kiev State Academic Ukrainian Opera, where he conducted
Puccini's
Turandot on September of 1928, and a professor of the
Kiev Conservatory. His students included
Natan Rakhlin. From 1930, Orlov headed the
Grand Symphony Orchestra of All-Union Radio, and premiered many works by Soviet composers, and directing opera performances on radio and at the
Moscow Conservatory. He conducted
Yehudi Menuhin's first recorded performance of Beethoven's
Violin Concerto in 1946. ==Selected Opera Recordings==