It was once considered cute by Hollywood wits to poke fun at Russian-born composer Dimitri Tiomkin's borscht-flavored accent. How amusing it was to hear him yell out "Switt lyand of lyaberty!" while orchestrating "The Star Spangled Banner" for Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). A graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy (where he studied under the famed composer Glazunov) and a holder of both a law and music degree, Tiomkin exhibited a fondness for Native American music early in his career. While a touring concert pianist, it was Tiomkin who was most instrumental in introducing the works of Gershwin to Europe. Tiomkin left Russia for the U.S. in 1925, becoming an American citizen 12 years later and making his conducting debut with the L.A. Philharmonic in 1938. Most of his first compositions for American consumption were live ballets (his wife was choreographer Albertina Raasch); he didn't start working in films until 1933.
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