In the article dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Mikhail Iosifovich Nosyrev, the composer’s work is examined in the context of his human destiny. Nosy­rev himself did not like to tell the details of his life in order to direct the listeners’ perception in the right direction, but today the story of the repressed musician helps to understand his work more deeply. The composer’s works belong to various genres, but it was the symphony that allowed him to convey the tragic experience of the time in the most complete and capacious way: the person’s desire for happiness and freedom, brought down by repression and total suppression of the individual. In Soviet times this humanist message could only be presented in coded form through instrumental music—modern audiences have yet to make their way to appreciation of Nosyrev’s four symphonies. Their rare performances and recordings confirm the enduring significance of the composer’s heritage. The works by Nosyrev deserve to stand alongside such universal masterpieces expressing the spirit of the era as Nikolai Myaskovsky’s Sixth Symphony and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Eighth.